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.
Nail Tech Designs Ergonomic Hand Rest to Prevent Injuries
After experiencing repetitive use injuries, nail tech Lori Halloway set out to create a hand rest for clients that helps nail techs do nails in an ergonomically correct position.
September 25, 2019
Lori Halloway invented her Ergo Lift to help nail techs sit in the correct position.
2 min to read
Lori Halloway (@themeticulousmanicurist) invented her new product, the Ergo Lift, to help prevent repetitive use injuries in nail techs. These injuries are some of the most common causes of nail tech burnout, and Halloway has personal experience with the toll they can take. “I was lucky to recover from a cervical spinal surgery and was adamant about maintaining my salon and clientele even after my neurologist urged against me staying in the nail business,” explains Halloway. “I fought through injuries like carpal tunnel and cubital tunnel early in my career. If I had had a hand rest to help prevent even those, I believe I would never have ended up having to have a neck fusion.”
When Halloway designed the hand rest, her goals were to prevent clients from pressing the weight of their body on her and to help with her own body posture. Patenting the product was a long process. “It took two years, four phases of prototypes, a product development company, a patent attorney, a mold manufacturing company, patience, and lots of money,” says Halloway. “Most people would have been discouraged by the entire stressful process, but I had a mission. I didn’t want other nail technicians to suffer the same injuries my career had imposed on me.” The value in the hand rest was immediately clear to other techs: When Halloway introduced her product at the Nail Tech Event of the Smokies trade show in June, she sold out in one hour.
Halloway's invention allows nail techs to keep good posture.
Halloway says the hand rest helps the nail tech in several ways:
1. It keeps the forearm, wrist, and hand of the client in perfect alignment to the center of the nail technician’s body, preventing ulnar and radial deviation. That’s the flexion in the wrist when the client tries to point her fingers toward the nail tech. The flexion causes stiff fingers you can’t see, causing the tech to lean forward with her head in an unnatural position.
2. It lifts the hand, allowing the fingers to hang over the palm rest. This allows the nail tech sit with their head over her shoulders in the proper body posture.
3. It removes all the weight of the client from the nail technician. A client can’t impose strain on the wrist, arm, shoulder, back, or neck of the nail tech.
Halloway’s website, www.theergolift.com, features videos demonstrating how the product corrects client hand positions, improves service times, increases productivity, and provides client benefits.
Learn more about ergonomics for nail techs.
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
More Wellness
The Invisible Hazard in Every Nail Salon and How to Fight It
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
Nail Safety Council Warns Holiday Shoppers About Toxic 'Magic' Gel Polish Removers
Products marketed as 'magic' or 'burst' gel removers may contain methylene chloride, a federally banned, highly toxic chemical.
How Beauty Pros Can Prevent Pain: Somatic Movement for Career Longevity
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.
Spa Day, Safe Day: Stop Fungal Infections in Their Tracks
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.
Federal Research on Nail Salon Safety Concludes Due to Budget Reductions
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.
by Anne Moratto
Opinion: What You Need to Know About Pedicure Safety
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: What Nail Pros Should Know About Nail Separation
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.
What to Say--or Not Say--to Someone Grieving
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.
Protecting Your Clients From Viral Infections
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).
Beauty Professionals, It's Time to Take the Green Pledge
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.
How Not to Be Cynical About Valentine's Day
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.
Temporary Burnout or Time to Hang Up the Shears?
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.
Nail Care and Cancer Treatment: 6 Tips for a Safe Nail Service
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.
Sun Patch Protects Hands from Sun Damage
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.
by Anne Moratto
The Nail Doctor: Onycholysis, or Nail Separation, Has Different Varieties
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.
Standing Stretches for Physical Longevity
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.