It’s competition season with the Las Vegas Hair & Nail Conference and Premiere Beauty Shows coming up. Both offer quality competitions. So if you are contemplating testing the waters to see what you’ve got, these are both good choices.

Many nail techs never enter the competition arena because they are afraid. Don’t be afraid! It’s not about the trophy, it’s about the experience. If you compete for the right reasons, you will experience a positive environment of networking and critiquing that can only improve your salon work. Competing can open doors to experiences you would not normally be exposed to and it will definitely broaden your horizons. Here are ten top reasons to compete:

  1. The excitement of venturing into the unknown! This can be the fun part if you look at it like an adventure. Get your salon behind you. Sometimes travel is involved, you can take your model and make a weekend of it.
  2. Getting to know your product. This is a benefit for sure. You think you know the product you work with now, wait until it gets dissected in your critiques. You are going to see things you never noticed before.
  3. Perfecting your skills. You will definitely walk away from competing with a new perspective of your work. You will see where you excel as well as what areas you need to work on.
  4. Learning new techniques. If you can take a model that is another nail tech she can watch what the other competitors are doing and report back to you after the competition. Sometimes you will see a new tool being used or a different way someone applies the nails. Some of the other competitors will also share their secrets too.
  5. Seeing new products and new trends. You will see what products are hot and why. Might be time to try a new French twist technique you saw in the competition arena.
  6. Comparing your work against others’. It’s difficult to see where we need to improve until we compare our work to others. You will have a whole new perspective on your work and what you do well and what you don’t.
  7. Receiving a professional critique from a qualified judge. Hopefully this will confirm what you already see for yourself in your finished nails. Getting a professional critique gives you the opportunity to discuss with the judge what you can do to improve.
  8. Learn to set technical goals. Once you digest your critique it’s time to set out to improve. Take private training or a class and set a time line for mastering your goals.
  9. Seeing championship work up close. Always see the winning nails. You can not compare your work against the winning nails if you do not look at them. It’s especially important if you’re competing for the first time or do not know what a set of “competition nails” looks like. Do not be afraid to dig in and really look at them! All of us do.
  10. Networking. Meeting some of the big names in the competition circuit — the same ones you have read about for years — can be fun, and you will definitely meet techs just like your self. You never know, you may meet a competition buddy who you can travel with, share hotel experiences and competition experiences with!

Nail competitions are the best learning and networking environments available to techs and you can learn more in the competition arena than you do in most salons. I sure did.

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