Technique
Acrylics Are Your “Bread and Butter”
Salons could easily charge, and get, $50-$60 for a full set. Those increasing service prices helped the overall industry growth upward this year (after a year that saw the overall business fall, this year we saw an increase in salon business from $6.43 billion to $6.45 billion).
Add Sunshine to Your Spa Pedicure
The nail care menu at Atlanta’s Salon Red offers two intriguing option: the $45 Bronzed and Buffed Manicure and the $70 Bronzed and Buff Pedicure. Both are spa-style treatments that include targeted sunless tanning.
Troubleshooter: Shaping Acrylic Nails Oval
Some diehard fans of the oval nail remain - causing problems for some nail techs who can’t seem to get the same result they would with the square look.
Building Custom Pedicures
Pedicures serve many purposes from the therapeutic to the beautifying to the pampering. Here we show you how to customize your services to the special needs and desires of pedicure clients in need of a touch up, an overhaul, or simply an hour of luxury.
Closing In On Ingrown Toenails
Wearing tight, closed-toed shoes is an invitation for ingrown toenails. Soreness, irritation, and pain are just a few symptoms clients live with. Here we give you tried-and-true solutions to ease client discomfort.
The Techniques of Filing
Which type of file is better: the classic abrasive or an electric one? That’s a question that can have nail techs debating for days. One thing’s for sure, however— both do their duties well.
Polished to [micro] Perfection
Taking a cue from a recent skin care trend — microdermabrasion systems — salons prove that having smoother; youthful-looking skin applies to other parts of the body as well, including the hands. And that’s a definite plus for nail technicians looking to enhance their services and profits.
Troubleshooter: Removing Acrylics Without Damaging the Natural Nail
Whatever the reason your client wants to go natural, it's a good opportunity to maintain her as a client by preserving her natural nail as only a nail professional can.
Secret Weapons: Ingredients that Give Services a Boost
Learn about — and leverage — the latest in specialty beauty ingredients and products to keep your salon’s competitive edge in the war against the ravages of stress, aging, environmental pollution, and life in general.
Foot Shy
What do you do when you already offer great customer service and pampering, yet you can’t get those shy clients to take off their shoes and put their feet in your hands?
Footspa Cleaning Guidelines for Nail Technicians
After last year’s bacterial outbreak in a Watsonville, Calif., salon, the California Bureau of Barbering and Cosmetology laid out cleaning regulations for salons using whirlpool pedicure footspas. Use this step-by-step guide to make sure you are getting your footspas clean enough to protect your clients.
Foot Shy
What do you do when you already offer great customer service and pampering, yet you can’t get those shy clients to take off their shoes and put their feet in your hands?
Reader to Reader: How Have You Advanced Your Career?
NAILS Magazine readers share their secrets to success.
The Help Desk
"I have been a nail tech for a little over two years and I still have trouble blending the tips so that they don’t show through the acrylic at all. Do you have any advice?"
Carpal Tunnel: Take Matters Into Your Own Hands
Once viewed as “ New-age alternatives,” massage, acupuncture, and the Alexander techniques are gaining ground as conservative approaches to preventing and alleviating the painful and sometimes debilitating symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome.
Patio Pedicure
Salon's signature service is a Margarita Pedicure outdoors.
Don’t Skimp on Paraffin Paraphernalia
As nail techs strive to be perceived as highly trained professionals with unique service and retail offerings, they need to consider the message they send out by using a retail unit.