Perfect Nail
‘You are beautiful from head to yousparkly
toe nails and right back
out to your flawless finger nails.’
Acrylics - a chemical mixture
of monomer liquid and
polymer powder that can be
directly applied on the nails or
on artificial nails also called
nail extensor enhancements
Nail gel - a chemical
combination
similar
to
acrylics, also known as shellac
nails. Manicurist applies
several layers on the finger
nails or/and toenails and lets it
cure under a UV or LED light.
When the gel is cured it hardens
the nails. Gel is also common
in a polish form known as
gel polish, and, like other
forms of gel, also requires
a UV or LED light to cure.
PERFE
JoLynn Vensel
Prep Steps
There are three stages
to prepping the nail. According
to Sandra Engerran, corporate
nail technician at Star Nail
Products (Valencia, Calif.),
to help prevent nails from
lifting, the first step comes
before you even touch the cli-
ent’s hands. In other words,
you need to consult with your
client. She explains: “Find
out if your client is taking
any hormones or medications
and about her daily activities
and if her hands are in water a
lot. Sometimes overhydrating
the nail can cause lifting be-
cause there is a natural bal-
ance in your nails and if you
overhydrate, you break the
11
balance.
It’s
the
same
philosophy as stripping your
hair. So if a client has extra dry
skin, and the product you’re
using requires two coats of
primer, try priming the nail
once.” The second step is the
physical preparation, which
involves
sanitizing
your
and your client’s hands and
removing any polish. If
doing artificial nails, Lin
Halpern, director/new product
division
at
NSI
(W.
Conshohocen, Pa.), recommend
gently etching the natural nail
vertically from the cuticle to the
free edge to remove the shine
with a 180-grit file (or per the
manufacturer’s instructions).
Next, dust off the nail to remove
filings using a sanitizable,
nylon brush because you
don’t want to transfer oils or
recontaminate the surface, s
he explains. “One of the
most common mistakes nail
technicians make in nail
preparation is not paying at-
tention to the U-shaped cuti-
cle area of the nail plate,” says
Halpern. When etching the
nail plate, for example, Halp-
ern says many technicians pay
attention to the center of the
nail and don’t get along the less
visible sidewalls or near the cu-
ticle area. The result? Lifting,
which starts along the sidewall
and works its way to the cuticle.