“ONE OF THE SECRETS TO STAYING YOUNG IS TO ALWAYS DO THINGS YOU DON’T KNOW HOW TO DO, TO KEEP LEARNING.” -- RUTH REICHL, AMERICAN CHEF, EDITOR OF GOURMET MAGAZINE AND GURU OF THINGS FOOD
One of the things that gives us the most joy is getting to know our YN community and the things that are important to them as nail professionals. All those front of mind questions get addressed here, right now.
WHAT IS BETTER FOR CHRONIC NAIL BITERS, SCULPTED NAILS OR TIPS?
Shout out to all you nail biters out there! We see you. Nail techs have to deal with this scenario on a pretty regular basis. It took Tracey years in the salon to discover the best way to deal with clients who gnaw their hands for self-soothing. Initially tips seemed like the only solution. Then one day a nail biting client came in and asked for sculpted nails. At first, the request seemed laughable. To our surprise, sculpting turned out to be the best way to deal with them and here’s why. Chewed up nail beds are completely flat. Nail tips come with a pronounced curve. No amount of glue would be able to provide the level of adhesion needed for the long term. When you sculpt onto a flat nail bed, it’s possible to pinch a curve. The best kind of adhesion happens when you can take an artificial product like acrylic or gel, and apply it to the entire surface of the nail. Stay tuned for a YouTube video on “Tips Vs. Sculpt For Nail Biters”.
HOW TO BATTLE FOOD STAINS (AKA WHAT TO DO WHEN HOT CHEETOS MEET NAIL ENHANCEMENTS)?
We’re living in a stressful time that invites perpetual snacking of salty, sweet, and spicy. Back when we worked with Fenty during Paris Fashion week, you could find Hot Cheetos everywhere backstage. Rihanna loves them, and do models, too! Did you know that super long nail enhancements with intricate nail art and Hot Cheetos should never ever be friends (unless eaten with chopsticks)? The potential for food stains is too great. So how do you deal with this problem when you come face to face with the discoloration caused by say something like curry, hair dye, or smokers’ nail? If the nails are stained prior to putting on a new set of enhancements, it’s really not a problem. Most stains can be dealt with during prep and a gentle e-file. Swipe the nails clean. Use a product like our YN Stain Resistant Top Coat can prevent most unwanted food stains. Stains from hair dye is a trickier situation. You can start by removing some of it. Proceed cautiously. You want to really protect the nail plate. Get as much as you can off but if it’s really tough. It might be a situation where it will have to grow out. Apply a Nude color acrylic or gel; then if the stain is visible, the best course of action is to use some Gel Polish over the top to further hide the stain.
DO YOU OWE YOUR CLIENT A PRICE ALERT ON NAIL ART AHEAD OF TIME?
We believe in a strict no surprise policy. It should never be a surprise at the end. This is one of those great opportunities to communicate clearly with your client. It’s really nothing to shy away from. It’s about common courtesy. Sometimes a client will treat nail art like a frozen yogurt shop with a really good toppings bar. Before they even realize, they’ve got a single cup of fro-yo with 3X the amount of toppings! In theory, your client should be able to do the math. Most people however just won’t. So think about it this way. When a client books an appointment, you already have an idea of the look they want. When they are sitting in front of you, be kind and before you start, tell them your nail art base price. Ask them what price range they want to spend on nail art and if they keep throwing in more toppings during service, let them know every time they are leveling out of the initially agreed upon price. A posted price list also helps.
HOW DO YOU REMOVE ACRYLIC FROM AROUND THE CUTICLE AREA?
The answer is very very very carefully! We know we’re stating the obvious. If at all possible, always check the cuticles during application. It’s easier to take care of acrylic on the cuticles right away, before it dries and connects to the skin. If it does happen to dry, take a Medium Cross Cut Bit and super lightly tickle the acrylic off. You can run the file at 4000 rpm, a very slow speed on a different part of the client’s skin to show them how gentle the process is going to be. It helps to pull the skin away. Let them know that it’s going to be more gentle on the skin than a hand file because the bit is so small.
SHOULD BOOTH RENTERS PAY RENT DURING THE SHUTDOWN?
We are hearing from nail pros who booth rent who are wondering how they should deal with rent during the coronavirus shut down. Again, every area is different. Some cities have had nail salons open for the very start and others are now just getting back to work. One of our mentors here in Orange County in Southern California said the owner of the salon where she booth rents was not charging (or was not allowed to charge tenants rent) during the shutdown. We imagine each salon owner will also have different financial circumstances and local regulations. The best recommendation we have for booth renters out there is to communicate with the salon owner, first and foremost. This talk with the salon owner needs to take place regardless of whether you can or cannot pay rent. It’s ok for you to be very transparent about where you are financially and see if something can be worked out. It’s better to check in and know what you’re up against, then stick your head in the sand. Don’t wait. It’ll be a relief.
WHAT IS THE BEST BEGINNER BRUSH?
Habib is more than happy to jump in and sing his praised for #8 brush and beginner nail techs. Tracey also loves working with a larger brush, anywhere between a size 8, 10, or 12 Greg’s Signature Brush can be really nice to with. The smaller the brush, the harder it will be for you to pick up a good size pearl. The tendency is that a smaller brush covers less area and makes it so you have to pick up multiple pearls. The brush size 8, 10, 12 picks up a nice range of pearls from large, medium, or small. Get a feel for the brush and learn about control. Getting the right amount of liquid on the brush is is as important to your technique as knowing how to pick up the product. No matter what, you will learn to get used to whatever brush you learn with. Another thing you can be sure of, you will definitely make mistakes. So don’t be afraid. Keep practicing!
HOW TO DEAL WITH RIGOR MORTIS HANDS?
Ever have a client sit across from you with stiff arms and hands in some sort of wild death grip? Sometimes this happens with a client and it’s their first time in the salon. Often the client is likely to respond in this way because they’ve had a prior bad experience in the nail salon. Lastly, there is always that one client who just wants to get up into it and rubber neck your work. As a nail tech, it physically hurts to work on these nails and the service tends to go really slow! Give their hands a little wiggle and gently prompt them, “You have to be gummy”. Help them relax and think about something else or allow them to become distracted by their phone. Speak up to address their level of comfort so that they can have a good experience. Notice their body language and offer them ways to calm down. You will have to come back to the prompt a couple times during the service.
**This is an adaptation from our YN Biz Talk playlist on YouTube, “BIZ TALK TOP NAIL Q&A #2”.
***Follow our YN YouTube Channel and click here to watch the full discussion: