
6 Ways Self-Love Will Help You Crush Your Goals
From breaking free of external validation to creating joy-based goals, discover a more sustainable and fulfilling path to success.
Facing growing concerns over issues that affect both personal and community health, more and more manicurists are practicing strict, precautionary hygienic routines in their salons. Backscratchers sees this responsiveness as a tribute to today’s professionals and a reflection of the high caliber care you provide on a consistent basis through your own services.
The steps you take to protect your clientele and yourself from infection and cross-contamination should never interfere with your ability to deliver quality service. Often, though, these precautions seem to work against you.
Hygienic Elegance is a practical, pleasant-smelling lotion wash manufactured exclusively for health care professionals. Hygienic Elegance contains seven percent PCMX — the highest concentration of this ingredient in any medicated lotion wash. The proven antiseptic strength PCMX provides can mean an extra level of confidence in your salon.
Best of all, the skin-conditioning ingredients found in Hygienic Elegance also help to moisturize and condition skin, providing extra protection against the brutal effects of frequent washings. “We believe that the combination of ingredients found in Hygienic Elegance offers the best alternative toward establishing regular precautionary hygienic procedures in your salon,” stated Mike Megna of Backscratchers.
The active antiseptic ingredient in Hygienic Elegance is PCMX — parachlorometaxylenol — a product available on the European pharmaceutical market since the early 1900s. PCMX served as the official disinfectant of the British Armed Forces for many years, and just after World War II it was introduced in the United States as an ingredient in a variety of skin antiseptics.
Since its introduction here, the antimicrobial properties of PCMX and the characteristics it affords to products in which it is used have been widely researched and well documented, according to Backscratchers.
In two studies in 1976, PCMX was cited as having more antimicrobial activity than phenol, and was reported to retain activity even at low pH. Further testing has demonstrated that in varying concentrations, PCMX proves to be effective against every vegetative microorganism tested to date. Fungi, gram positive bacteria and gram negative bacteria are all controlled.

From breaking free of external validation to creating joy-based goals, discover a more sustainable and fulfilling path to success.

From acrylic monomers to airborne bio-dust, the air inside a nail salon carries risks most professionals never see coming. Aerovex Systems reveals the source-capture and room-purification strategies that are setting a new standard for salon safety.
Sponsored by Aerovex Systems

Products marketed as 'magic' or 'burst' gel removers may contain methylene chloride, a federally banned, highly toxic chemical.

Working in beauty doesn’t have to hurt. Learn how Somatic Movement helps hairstylists, lash artists, and other beauty pros release tension, improve posture, and extend their careers.

As a spa or salon professional, your clients expect more than just beauty—they expect safety, hygiene, and peace of mind. Fungal infections like Athlete’s Foot and Nail Fungus are more common than you think, especially in environments where tools and footbaths are reused without proper sanitation. This blog covers how to stop these issues before they start, using proven infection prevention strategies for salons and spas.

A federal initiative aimed at studying chemical exposure in nail salons has ended due to staffing and budget changes. Here’s what the project set out to do—and what its conclusion means for salon professionals.

For many people, a pedicure is a relaxing beauty ritual. But what most don’t realize is that this simple service, if done without proper hygiene and sanitation, can cause serious infections and long-term health issues.

Onycholysis is the separation of the nail plate from the nail bed. While it may look painful, it typically isn’t—at least not at first. But without proper care, this common nail disorder can lead to infections, deformities, and long-term damage.

Mckenzie Kool, Psychologist, MC, RPsych provides us with guidance on what may or not be helpful in speaking with someone who has suffered a significant loss.

Clients come to you to feel their best—not leave with a viral souvenir. Warts and cold sores can spread fast in busy salons, but a few smart habits make all the difference. Let’s talk about what’s really lurking in your salon (and how to kick it to the curb).

As Earth Day approaches, The Green Beauty Community Foundation and the Green Spa Network invite beauty pros to step forward and embrace sustainability through the Green Pledge--a powerful initiative designed by and for beauty industry leaders.

Don’t cancel Valentine’s Day altogether, urges Jill Palmquist. Instead, think of it as a (frilly, flowery, Champagne-bubbly) wake-up call to fall deeply in love with your own life.

Life coach and Culture Ambassador of Sam Villa, Andrew Carruthers, outlines how to tell if your burnout is temporary - or if it's time to make a bigger career change.

Cancer treatment can create very specific challenges for your guest when it comes to hair, skin, and also nails. Here are some tips for working with your salon client who is going through cancer treatment to help you provide a relaxing, enjoyable, and also safe experience.

For those clients concerned about exposure from UV lamps, the Sun Patch might be a solution. Sun Patches are waterproof, reusable (up to 10 wears) block 98% of UVA/UVB rays, and maintain their UPF 50+ rating all day long.

One of the most common conditions that affects the nail is onycholysis, which is the separation of the nail plate from the nail bed. Onycholysis occurs as a result of or along with a great variety of nail traumas and disorders. Probably the most common cause of onycholysis is a fungal infection of the nail.

Hairdressing is a physically taxing career integrating simple stretches into your daily routine can reduce the strain repetitive motion puts on your body, help you stay flexible and strong and eventually prolong your career.