Nail polish is a solvent-based coating containing pigments and/or dyes used to create decorative effects on fingernails or toenails. It debuted in 1900 as a glossy nail varnish (applied with a camel-hair brush) that wore off in a day, but today’s polish is the icing on the manicure — and pedicure — cake. More than 90% of nail technicians retail polish in their salons and spas, and more than half of nail technicians offer three or more polish lines in their services.
Required Reading
May 19, 2011
From tosylamide/formaldehyde resin to stearalkonium bentonite, ingredient names can sound more like a top secret formula for NASA than a recipe for regular old nail polish. Each of these ingredients, however, has a purpose and plays a part in the overall performance of the polish.
April 21, 2011
It always happens on the worst possible day. You’ve been at the salon since the wee hours of the morning, you’re finally on your last client — and then, oops, a red polish bottle slips and spills on your white shirt (or even worse, all over your new salon uniform). Before you resort to decorating the rest of your outfit with “artsy” nail polish spills to match, consider giving one of these pieces of advice from your fellow nail techs a try.
October 1, 2010
As fashion designers experiment with different textures on the runway, nail polish manufacturers keep up with an array of stylish nail polish finish offerings — from the traditional cream to the edgy suede. One nail tech shares her expertise to help you sort through all of the jargon and match the appropriate client to the appropriate finish.
September 1, 2009
Become a color expert for your clients.
July 1, 2008
Techs share their tried-and-true methods for avoiding “Oops, I dinged my polish.”
