Nail germs.....friend or foe

"Sanitisation" the act of making something clean.

Do you really know where your clients have been, or more to the point does the client know where his/her therapists hands have been?
Your nails may be harboring germs that can make you sick. Researchers found that bacteria that cause vomiting and diarrhea are often found under people's fingernails.

Nail enhancements are worse in some respects than natural nails. They can mask whats growing underneath them, and therefore be harder to detect. Would you decline a handshake to avoid them??

Not to leave the boys out...but your hands are often found to be worse, with more dangerous germs camping out under them.

Surprise, surprise! nail biters nails can often be cleaner. But that's where it stops.The act of biting nails and therefore cleaning them out is great. Not so great, as more of those dangerous germs are swallowed and ingested....YUK! Enjoy your lunch people!

So hopefully, now, you have a small idea why we ALL should be carrying out a safe, clean and most importantly, professional nail services? Correct sanitisation is priority. Can you be sure you follow these guidelines? If not, why not?

Today is the start of a beautiful friendship between us and those deadliest germs......da,da,daaaa!
As a salon owner and educator, I have a duty to my paying clients and my students to give them the best services possible.
This is my quick step guide to how I believe safe nail prep should be carried out and why it is so important. As an educator, who visits salons in my area. It is still apparent that these simple steps are not being followed ans shortcuts are continuing to be made.
Correct preparation of the nail should consist of:

Sanitisation
Shaping of the nails
Cuticle detailing
Nail plate preparation

Sanitisation: before you begin any treatment you should use a sanitation gel on your hands and place some into the clients hands and begin to rub all over the hands, front and back.

Shaping of the nails: using a 240 grit nail file begin shaping the free edge of the natural nail in one direction only from sidewall to centre.

Cuticle detailing: using a clean cuticle implement ( Wouldn't be without my Lena White double ended pusher tool), dip the tool into the sanitation gel and begin gently pushing the cuticles back. It is important to mention that no AHA ( Alpha Hydroxy Acids ) are used or cuticle exfoliators during this nail prep for nail enhancements. However, if this was for a manicure or pedicure procedure, I would be recommend this. Cuticle exfoliators may have shea butters and AHAs in that can leave a residue on the nail plate, and therefore could then lead to enhancements lifting.
I do not encourage my students to cut away at the cuticle as this is there for protection. By continuously removing it, you are encouraging it to grow back thicker. I would only cut back anything that is sitting proud of the nail plate.

Nail Preparation: you are ready to use a sanitisation spray containing isopropyl alcohol and thymol, I recommend O.P.I NAS99 spray. This ensures the nail plate is totally clean, it contains no water, so therefore can be used on all metal implements and on nail files. Plus it has an added ingredient called Thymol which is a fungus inhibitor. One of the common complaints from enhancements is lifting and water getting under the seal. Water +warmth = mould.
Mould under an enhancement can go undetected for sometime, until it looks so unsightly, green and brown in colour. Just like the mould you can find in bathrooms not mine I hear you shout! Yes..indeed in our own bathrooms, the same type of mould.
Finally before you are ready to apply your nail enhancement, I would recommend a nail PH balancer to ensure good bonding between the nail enhancement and the nail.

Congratulations! You are now ready to proceed into your enhancement application whether it be gels, coloured gels or acrylics. If you are following safe practices such as what I have described. You can rest assured that you will have happy customers, with safe, beautiful nails time and time again.
So, take a good look at your working environment. Are germs your friends or foe? Step out of your comfort zone....and learn a little about safe practices. Don't put yourself at risk. Most importantly, don't put your paying customers at risk. Its only a matter of time before they will find out.....

To find out more about the different courses Caroline offers email elysium.beauty@tiscali.co.uk

Look out for my next beauty geek blog coming your way soon : )