Nail Structure & Application

Best Angle To Look At Nail Enhancements
After checking the free edge shape with the client’s hand facing you upright, bend the fingers down back towards the client and look down the barrel from the back of the enhancement. This will allow you to see if the convex is a perfect tunnel the whole way to the free edge.
How thick should your nails be?
As a comfort blanket, many techs apply too much product across the whole surface of the enhancement and rely on filing to remove this. It is a waste of time and product to apply excess product only to remove it straight away, any waste of time and products is also a waste of money.
Why Did My Nail Break?
I’ve once had a client return saying all 10 nails washed away in the shower! As professionals, we know this isn’t possible. In this situation, it is important to inspect the nail to identify the cause of the break so to prevent future occurrences
How long should you leave in-between nail appointments?
While a client may not appear to need a full maintenance service at this time, they will require an infill and check-up. Remember, it is important to rebalance and maintain the nails before they need doing, rather than after.
How To Rebuild A Damaged Toenail
Damaged, broken or bitten toenails can be an extremely common concern, but it is something your client needn’t be embarrassed about. The damage can occur from sports, running or an accident, poor fitting shoes or through keeping toenails too long. It’s more common than you think and a simple 20-minute appointment can allow the tech to safely rebuild the damaged toenail, leaving your client feeling confident.
How To File Different Nail Shapes
The way you hold your file is important when filing all parts of the enhancement, including your sidewalls/lower arch, parallel sides, apex and free edge.
Choosing The Right Nail Shape For Clients
Square is typically seen as the classic L&P shape — straight side walls, two sharp points on the tips, and a deep C-curve. However, a true square shape is difficult to pull off when the natural nail or fingers aren’t slim and straight and instead, tend to be short and wide. A sharp square nail can actually make the nail appear shorter and stubbier and can be difficult for many to pull off, especially if the client is wanting just a short extension.
What are the best nail forms?
Form fitting can seem like a minefield and with so many different types on the market, it is hard to know which form you should be using and why. This blog will explain what you should be looking for when purchasing your forms and how using the right form can make a huge difference your application and ease your working technique.
How To Correctly Remove Lifting Enhancements
Many techs incorrectly and carelessly remove lifting by using nippers or tools to pull the lifted product away from the nail. This could be due to incorrect education or just poor technique. Not only will this method blunt and damage your tools, therefore leading its own problems such as torn skin and cuticles due to using ineffective tools, it will also damage the client’s natural nail.
How To Prolong Nail Polish Wear
Due to the nature of nail polish, I always educate my clients that nail polish can last between two days and two weeks depending on their lifestyle and home care routine. This is true, but there are a number of other reasons why nail polish application may also not last as long as expected. These are mainly to do with inadequate nail preparation, the consistency of the nail polish used and the time and care spent on application. If the nail polish has become chipped or starts to peel, it should be removed and not painted over.
How To Store Nail Products Correctly

It is important for techs, not just salon owners to know a product’s shelf life for effective purchasing and usage. Sometimes you need to throw away products that are contaminated or spoiled, so you also need to know the correct disposal methods.

You cannot use an expiry date as gospel because you have no way of knowing how long a product has sat on a distributor’s shelf, so something that you think may last year may go bad in a couple of months. 

Are nail forms or tips better?
Sculpting also offers the ability to create extreme shapes which are perfect for photoshoots and competition work. Also, thanks to the KB PROtects you can protect your fingers. You don't get that experience with nail tips, they are a one size fit's all solution that only allows a limited amount to be learnt with them, not all the educators agree with me though.