There are a lot of seeming contradictions about our industry – myths that are perpetuated by every one of us, little “truisms” that aren’t really true. If what is so enjoyable about the salon experience is the slow, pampering way services are done, why do nail technicians think that the fastest products are the best products? Nail technicians continuously look for a product that dries or sets just a little faster.

If nail professionals are so protective of their professional integrity, why are OTC beauty suppliers such a fast-growing market segment? Why do nearly 40% of nail technicians buy their products at open-to-the-public beauty supply stores?

If sanitation is really the most serious issue facing the nail care industry today, why do so few nail salons practice even the most basic sanitation practices like washing hands?

If education is so important to the survival of our industry, why do products that are sold without education (whether through mail order or by OTC) so enormously popular?

If nail art is so popular (our research says 80% of salons offer it,) why do you see so few people wearing it?

If nail technicians want odor-free products, why are traditional acrylic systems still the most popular extension system?

If nearly every nail polish on the market claims to be chip-resistant and promises to last, why won’t polish stay on natural nails for more than a few days?

If nail technicians are only interested in the price of products, how do you explain that the top companies in the nail industry have built their business on quality products and education?

If manufacturers complain that there are too many tradeshows in our industry, why do they continue to support so many and why is the number-one complaint about shows from technicians that they “don’t have any shows in my area”?

If nails salons won’t retail, why has retails income in nail salons grown 93% in the past five years? And why do manufacturers keep making retail-oriented products if there isn’t a market for them?

As the commercial says, why ask why?

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