Working faster and working smarter by utilising key techniques, you can dramatically impact your earning power.

In this article, I am going to cover a few tips on performing high speed applications to save you time in the salon.

Preping for speed

The basis of all speedy applications is good solid preparation of the nail.

A solid preparation procedure ensures that you don’t spend wasted time and money on costly lifting and infections. This is not an area you want to take shortcuts on, but there are some techniques to help speed you up.

The first technique for speeding up is to use an effective Cuticle remover. I use Creative Nail Designs aptly tilted "Cuticle Remover" to soften up the true cuticle on the nail plate.
One of the more common reasons for lifting is leaving cuticle behind during your prep. Your product will not bond to skin and within days it can begin to lift if left behind.

Cuticle Remover needs to be rinsed off for optimum performance as well as to neutralize the pH. Having your client wisk off to the ladies (or the mens) room to wash can cost you dearly in the old father time department (especially if they dont return until they have finished reading the latest Readers Digest novelette of War and Peace)

An easy and fast technique for removing Cuticle Remover is to have a CitruSoak pump at the table.

CitruSoak is a mild hand soak and cleaner used in the SpaManicure range. A small amount of CitruSoak in the pump with water acts as a great cleanser that you can do right at the table. Change this daily and apply with a lint free fibre free pad to really cleanse it off.

Tip: You only need the smallest bit of Cuticle Remover per nail. Also, try to avoid getting it onto your own skin.

On of the freakiest things that I just clean don't get is the fact that some people do not use professional formulated cleansers during their preparation. Some people use Acetone, some use Formula 409, while others use Everclear.
This cost of using a professionally designed product (i.e. ScrubFresh) to cleanse, sanitise, and prepare the nail plate runs somewhere in the neighbourhood of £.1 per full set.*

One of the more common mistakes that Nail geeks run into is not scrubbing effectively enough. Concentrate on ScrubFreshing each nail for five freaking seconds. This will ensure as clean of a nail plate as possible, thus ensuring that the nail plate will be much less likely to lift.