Cracks are a real problem in salons. Preventing them is easier if you know some basics.

Liquid monomer is a unique blend of many of millions of tiny molecules. As the nail enhancement hardens, these millions of tiny molecules link together to create thousands of long polymer chains. These chains are like long strings of microscopic spaghetti. Some of the molecules are highly specialized. These special molecules can link the spaghetti like chains together into netlike structures. The result is a gigantic, intertwining mass of cross-linked polymer chains that we call... the nail enhancement!

Liquid & powder, wraps and UV gels, all cure in this fashion, without exceptions. Interestingly, when more than 50% of the molecules have joined together into a chain the enhancement will click when tapped with a brush handle. That click means the product is “set”, which occurs after about 2-3 minutes of cure. When the client leaves the salon, her freshly applied enhancement product is about 60-80% cured, depending on your mix ratio. As the wriggling mass of polymer chains gets longer, it gets harder for the molecules to fi nd the end of a chain, so the chemical reaction slows down. At the correct mix ratio, full cure will normally take 24 hours. Slightly wetter mix ratios take twice as long. Extremely wet mix ratios create nail enhancements that will never fully cure.

Freshly applied product is more sensitive to damage. The nail enhancement is a little softer and shouldn’t be subjected to punishment. Warn clients to be especially careful during the fi rst 24 hours after applying a new nail or full set. Fresh product applied during a rebalance is fully supported, so it isn’t as likely to break. Still, cracks are more likely to occur in old product. These cracks start as an extremely small tear in the mass of polymer chains. The tiniest cracks that can form in the enhancement are called micro-cracks. These are much too small to see with the naked eye, but they are visible under very powerful microscopes. Sudden impacts or other unusual strains (bends or twists) will drive these micro-cracks together into even larger cracks. These cracks will join with others to create still larger cracks. Before you know it, there is a visible crack in the nail enhancement. That same crack started as an invisible micro-crack.

Only one thing can create a micro-crack. It is the same thing that causes a crack to become a broken nail. It is called “force”. Force creates energy and energy causes cracks to grow. Whenever the force becomes excessive, the chance of creating a micro-crack or break will greatly increase.In short, things that create increased force, create microcracks: the seeds of all cracks.

Here are some “rules of thumb” that will help you locate the sources of these excessive forces in your salon:

• As filing pressure increases, so does the force.
• The lower the grit number, the more force the file creates.
• Drill bits spinning at high speeds create lots of force.
• Nipping forces just create more lifting and cracking.
• Lengthening the extension increase the effect of all forces.