Product Control!! Part 1 – Mix ratio

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If you want to have perfect control with your brush, it does go hand in hand that you must also have perfect control of your product.

Despite claims to the contrary by some companies, it is essential to mix your product correctly, and there is no such thing as a product that works and lasts perfectly, no matter what ratio of liquid to powder you use!! It would be nice, but it is not real life.

Obviously there is an ‘ideal’ mix (which varies with different products), however it is not the end of the world, and you will not encounter big problems, if your mix varies either toward slightly too wet or slightly too dry. The problems come when one is way out on either side of the perfect mixture. Not only will there be problems with the enhancements you produce, but your brush will not be able to control the bead, which will make your life as a nail technician much more difficult than it needs to be. Learn to make the correct mix always. Here’s how!

There are so many ways to achieve the correct mix, and they are all right, if at the end of the day, you have got it right! Brushes vary as to how much liquid they hold and people vary as to how long they leave the brush in the powder etc.

To try to help you, I will tell you my method and you can give it a try ...
I use a Creative Prostyler Brush. It is important to know how much liquid your brush holds.

To make a medium size bead: First (when starting with a dry brush) gently flatten out your brush in the bottom of the dappen dish of monomer, to release all the air that is trapped in the brush. Fully load your brush with liquid. Now …. Draw your brush gently but firmly out against the side of the dappen dish (not just the tip of the brush but draw down the entire length of the hairs of the brush from the shaft to flags) this will flatten the brush and release some of the liquid... do this first on one side of the brush and then the other. Use medium pressure (the hairs of the brush should not bend) and watch the side of the dappen dish to see how much you have squeezed out. It is surprising how much liquid is released from the brush.

Next balance your wrist on the table near the dappen dish and, holding your brush so that the handle is straight up in the air ... draw a line in your powder, with only the flags of the brush, about 1/4 of an inch long.

Lift the brush out of the powder and then watch the bead absorb the powder. It should take about 2 seconds or the time it takes you to say going ..going .. gone! (as if you were counting to 3)

If the powder has absorbed straight away and has a slick shiny appearance, before you can finish saying, “going, going gone”, then the bead is too wet. If there is still a bit of powder on the top of the bead that is not being absorbed, then it is too dry …

If too wet, try again doing everything exactly the same but remember to either keep your brush in the powder a little longer, by drawing your line a little longer, or alternately, squeeze a bit more liquid out of your brush, before drawing your line the same length as before. One thing or the other has to be changed to alter the mix ratio of the bead.

If too dry, start again and remember to draw your line a little shorter this time.

Never wipe your brush prior to dipping into the powder in order to eliminate liquid from your brush. This is a costly waste of liquid, creates much more vapour in the air, and therefore more smell. It also creates an overexposure hazard.

The tell tale signs of a mix that is incorrect are that if the product is a bit difficult to handle once you start to work it on the nail (either difficult to control or difficult to press out) then your mix ratio is wrong. Your bead should be easy to handle and to control and there should be no residue of product left on your brush when you finish working the bead.

Once you have the method that works for you - do it every time. You'll need to have a method for small, medium and large beads. Usually this is only a matter of releasing a bit more liquid from the brush when you want to size down.

Once you have created a bead that has the look of wet sugar or wet snow, press the bead onto the nail - and take a breath (again like your counting to 3) - before starting to work the bead. In other words, give the polymerization process a chance to get going for a second or two before you start to press out the bead. By relaxing a little and letting the process get going, you will eliminate the chance of bubbles in your product. You will know when to start working the bead when it changes and looks nice and shiny and wet on the nail.

Important things to remember

Only dip the flags of the brush into the powder when creating a bead.

Make sure your fingers do not come into contact with any monomer liquid when holding your brush.