A very popular salon service these days is coloured gel on toes.

The benefits are many:

1. You get colour that is instantly, fully cured and won’t smudge in your shoes.
2. You get an incredible shine that lasts.
3. It looks exactly the same as nail polish if done correctly.
4. It doesn’t chip off like nail poilsh does.
5. Most nail techs and beauty thrapists find applying the technique of applying the gels easy to master, so it’s easier to find a salon that can do a good job. 

As mentioned in a previous post, nails don’t actually “breathe” so wearing gels will not suffocate the nail, but some good advice is to give toenails a break from colour gel throughout wintertime.

The reason for this break is that toenails in wintertime are more often in shoes and socks, so they are prone to being moist and damp from sweating. This can cause the toenails under the gel overlay to become moist.

Giving toes a break throughout winter, gives them a chance to dry out and be ready for the spring & summer seasons to come.

Written by Christine Maher.

Executive Director, CNE (Senior educator of beginner nail technicians for 12 years and Nail tech for 20 years)

The big question, did you ever hand over money for an injury?

When you booked in your appointment did you say ”Can I please have a Full set of Acrylic Nails and 2 bleeding cuticles to go?”

I’m really serious, I, unfortunately now more than ever, hear stories about clients leaving salons with wounded fingers, not just red and sore but acually bleeding.

I ask these people the following questions when they complain to me about being injured:

1. Did the technician immediately stop using the tool that caused the wound?
2. Did the technician throw away the file or drill bit after they made you bleed?
3. If you were injured with a metal tool, did you see them disinfect it?
4. Did you think about the client that was sitting in the same seat before you?, Or the client before her?, Or the one before her?, etc.
5. Do you really think that you were the only client that walked out of the salon that day with a bleeding finger?
6. AND finally…….After receiving the injury, did you pay the technician money?

If clients continue to pay for these injuries, no matter how accidental it seems at the time, they are saying to the Nail Technician ”It’s really OK if you injure me”

Lets look at hairdressing as an example. If a hairdresser, acidentally nicks your ear with the scissors, more often that not, they would apologise (admit fault) and not charge you for the haircut. You would also acknowledge that it most likely was a once off genuine mistake.

If you went back to the same haidresser and it happened again at the next visit, would you be so forgiving?

Would you keep going back for more?

I don’t think so. There’s no way I would.

If you’re looking for a great nail tech, yes they are out there! Ask the Nail Tech what steps they take to prevent injury. Explain your concerns or previous experience. Remember you’re the PAYING customer you have the right to protect your health & safety. Open communication with your nail tech is paramount. Yes you can have acrylic or gel nails done WITHOUT PAIN, you just have to find the right technician.

Don’t support nail techs that don’t put client health & safety first.

Written by Christine Maher.

Executive Director, CNE (Senior educator of beginner nail technicians for 12 years and Nail tech for 20 years)

There are 2 things that damage nails,  and those 2 things are NOT Acrylic and NOT Gel!

Unfortunately, it’s always the products that get the blame, but that’s not always the case.

 The 2 things that can do damage to natural nails are:

1. Clients

This may happen in a few ways:

• * This type of nail damage ususlly comes from the client “removing” her own acrylic or gel nails with force. This type of damage can take up to 6 months to grow out.
• * Damage to the nail can also happen from neglecting the reccomended salon visits as the nails grow out, they become top heavy as they get longer and the enhancement product pulls up on the natural nail, tearing and damaging it.
• * And some clients like to have their nails too long over the end of the fingertip, this also puts pressure on the natural nail plate underneath and could do damage.

2. Nail technicians (and don’t get me wrong here, some nail techs are brilliant at their job!)

There could be a lot more causes here:

• * Over filing the natural nail before applying the tips, acrylic or gel
• * Over filing the natural nail when buffing the tips down
• * Over filing the natural nail around the edges and sidewalls when finishing the acrylic or gel
• * Over filing the nail when buffing during a re-visit (usually called a refill or rebalance)

> you can probably see a trend here now…….and there’s more

• * Forcing the nails off during a re-visit with nippers, a plastic tip, a cuticle pusher or even a scalpel!
• * Repeated soaking off of acrylic nails or gel nails in acetone
• * Applying too many coats of primer
• * Over filing with a drill (this can also cause a burning sensation which can lead to permanent scarring of the nail bed tissue under the natural nail)

If your nails have red patches in them after being done, your natural nails have been, unfortunately, buffed thinner. This will take 3-6 months to grow out.

If you’re ever concerned about quality within a nail salon, why get 10 nails done when you can ask for a free trial. Just get one nail done to sample their work. It will also help you determine whether acrylic or gel is for you, you can see how it looks, how fast it grows out, how it feels, and also find out if you’re tempted to pick it off or not.

And if the nail tech knows you’re just gettng one acrylic or gel nail done to try out their work, they will apply much more care, effort and attention to impress you with their skills and craftsmanship.

Written by Christine Maher

Executive Director, CNE (Senior educator of beginner nail technicians for 12 years and Nail tech for 20 years)

So is it Acrylic?

Or do you want Gel?

Or what about just Nail Polish?

To keep it simple, I say there’s 3 levels of strength:

1. Nail polish, or “nail enamel” as some call it. That’s the weakest. Most of us have tried nail poilsh at some time, so we know what the strength of that one is like.
2. Gel overlays or “Gel nails” as some would call it, that’s in the middle
3. Acrylic overlays, or “Acrylic nails” as some would call it, that’s the strongest product you can put on your nails to protect them.

So which one damages your nails less? well that’s another story, it’s not really the product that does the damage….. to be continued

Written by Christine Maher,

Executive Director, CNE (Senior educator of beginner nail technicians for 12 years and Nail tech for 20 years)