Health

Should I guarantee my work for nail biters?

May 14, 2007 | Bookmark +

I’ve been getting a few customers a week who are nail biters. Should I still guarantee my work as I do for others? What extra steps can I take to prep their nails, etc.?

Answer

Having a client base that needs your expertise is a blessing. Yes, you should guarantee your work, but I would institute a “Nail Biter” boot camp program. Sell this client a series of manicures and include a nail strengthener and a cuticle oil. This is a great opportunity for you to sell retail, while getting your client the results she is looking for.

Since the client is coming back to you on a weekly basis, she’s getting fresh polish and less likely to need your guarantee program. Best of all the health of her nails is improving and she’ll be less likely to bite her nails. — Samone Rhodes is president of Samone Spa Bar in Chicago.

 

No, I don’t feel you should guarantee work they may bite off. However, I do think you can try and help them by first telling them this is a process. It’s a commitment if they are serious about growing nails.

We first use a stone cuticle pusher to make sure there isn’t any cuticle on the nail bed. Next, we glue on a tip only a hair longer than the natural nail. We have them come back within one-and-a-half weeks to check and slightly refill if needed. We give them incentives and cost breaks on their service until they can push (with some growth underneath) to a two-week fill. The key is to keep the nail very short until you have a base to work with. Finally the end result is a soak off and natural nail overlay and a very happy client. — Renee Borowy is owner of VIP Salon & Spa in Riverview, Mich.

 

For more information on how to handle a nail biter, read the story “You Can Reform a Nail Biter” in our July 2005 Issue. — Ed.

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What’s the cause of the pinkish-red oval area on the pad of my client’s toes?

I have a client who has a recurring problem with her fourth toes during the winter months. Both of her “ring finger” toes develop a pinkish-red oval area on the pad. Then a month later, when I see her again, the skin has become dry and hard like a callus, with the layers of skin peeling away to reveal a deeper, dark epicenter.  It’s extremely painful for her and, needless to say, we do not touch it. But it clears up in the summer when she’s wearing open-toed sandals, so I suspect it has to be due to the boots she wears in the winter. Plus she never puts lotion on her feet or uses a foot file in between visits. What do you think causes this?

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What are the big white spots on my natural-nail client’s nails?

I have a client who has been with me for about two years. She used to wear acrylic nails but has been a natural nail client for eight months or so. She has these white spots on her nails — big spots that are dry, but not flaky, right in the middle of the nail. I did try to buff them lightly but they do not come off or grow off. I had a new client come in last week who had the same on her toenails. She said it started after she had a pedicure done at another salon. Can you help?

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