If you leave a ledge of acrylic around the cuticle, most clients will be tempted to pick. During application, keep the acrylic 1/16-inch away from the cuticle and file the product flush to the nail plate. Then take the time to find out what leads to the picking. Boredom? Anxiety? Once you have established the scenario, offer a bottle of cuticle oil to apply to her nails in these situations, replacing a destructive habit with a beneficial one. — Jaime Schrabeck, Precision Nails, Pacific Grove, Calif.
Give your client a buffer block and advise her to buff problem areas when they are noticed. If she gets into the habit on relying on a buffer, she may not pick. — Michele Martinez, Chele’s Frills, Austin, Texas
Clients will pick at their nails if there is a ridge of product at the cuticle line or if lifting is apparent. Telling them to stop will not alleviate the problem. Try applying your product thinner at the cuticle line and buffing the product to blend to the natural nail, leaving no ridge or “bump” at the cuticle. This will remove the area of aggravation, and the client will have nothing to pick at anymore. — Preuss
Inform your client that picking will damage her nails if she doesn’t stop. If this doesn’t work, ask her to purchase a file—filing acrylic away is better than chipping or picking it away. — Stadamire