NAILS

100 | NAILS MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2016Client: Would that change if Iwere getting gel-polish?``````Client: Then how can wekeep them looking nice?HEALTH}something to talk aboutYou know your client’s manicure would last longer with a little attention at home,but is encouraging her to touch your masterpiece your best decision?A nail tech knows basic maintenance will keep nails looking freshly painted, skin healthy, and hands and feetattractive. Clients understand this too and often want tips on how to keep their manicure and pedicure lookinggood between appointments. What’s your solution? Do you send your clients home with instructions and a nailmaintenance kit or, dreading the fallout, do you simply suggest they call you when necessary?It can be risky to encourage a client to maintain her nails at home. Sure, it extends a manicure, but one falseswipe with the file and you could be making more work for yourself on her return — or worse, she could weakenthe nail and be disappointed with a break.One way to handle at-home care is to think in terms of teaching clients to keep things basic while avoidingany heavy lifting. But how do you tell your clients to leave the real work to the professional? That conversationcould go something like this:``````Client: Is there anything I can do at hometo keep my nails looking good longer?``````You: Sure! Whether you have a natural-nail manicure or an enhancement,such as gels or acrylics, you can always pamper yourself at home to keepthe service looking fresh. Today we are doing a natural nail manicureusing traditional polish, so your at-home care would include wearinggloves when you’re gardening or doing dishes, and keeping your cuticlesmoisturized with a good lotion or oil. I’d also encourage you to add a verythin layer of top coat every day to keep the polish protected.``````Client: Do you think I shouldconsider acrylic or gel nails? Arethose maintenance-free?``````You: I’d still encourage you to protect your nails with gloves, but I’d also warn you that if you have any trouble withthe gel-polish, such as separation or peeling, to come in and see me rather than try to fix it yourself. The reason forthis is you could really damage your nail if you picked at the polish. That can happen with traditional polish, too, butthe bond on gel-polish is stronger and could take multiple layers of the nail with it if you were to pick it off.At-Home CareYou: I’d still encourage at-home care with enhancements, though for these services, theinstructions can sound like a list of what not to do. I warn clients not to use their nails as toolsto open cans, twist screws, etc. Since clients go longer between appointments, they are oftentempted to shorten their own nails. I discourage that because if the nails aren’t filed correctly,the enhancement could separate at the tip of the nail. This gives water a chance to get in andthe nail can break more easily, or worse, water could get trapped.``````You: I encourage clients to repaint the nails to cover the growth. This way,the nails look fresh and they are less tempting to pick. For all my clients, thebest solution is to schedule appointments close enough together that theonly maintenance they have at home is to keep the skin around their nailsfrom getting dried and cracked. By the time the nails need to be shortened,repaired, or repainted, they are back here and I can do the work.``````ISTOCK.COM/ IPROGRESSMAN