File control!! Part 4 - During the Rebalance

geeg

File control!! Part 4 – During the Rebalance

The rebalance is the procedure most often carried out by nail technicians. Many new technicians are surprised at just how long this process takes.

The rebalance actually is a relatively quick process if there are no problems to correct, but enhancements are not indestructible and inevitably problems such as breakages and lifting can occur during the time between appointments. These things should not however be the norm, but rather the exception.

For instance, you should not have to thin the cuticle area during a rebalance other than to tidy up the area and check that all the edges are sealed, as it should already be so thin you cannot tell where it joins the new growth of the natural nail. You should not have to ‘thin out’ or remove half the product on the enhancement before reapplying … only in the areas you need to adjust.

A normal the rebalance should be about assessing the nails and then maintaining them with an eye to preventing future problems rather than correcting present ones.

This tutorial is to emphasise a different method of using your abrasive to get the job done quickly and efficiently. Many technicians do far more filing during the rebalance than is necessary. Remember, filing for long periods of time when there is no need is boring for everyone!! Let’s avoid it where we can. Lots of filing = lot of dust. It is good to work with an eye to reducing dust and not creating it. Lots of filing can = unnecessary trauma to the natural nail. Lets avoid it where we can.

Firstly start by using a good sharp new abrasive always for the rebalance - makes the job much faster and easier. I use a 180x240 grit abrasive.

How to tackle the dreaded problem of removing lifted material.

One thing you must look at first, is whether or not you are seeing more lift on your clients’ nails than you should be. It is common for amateurs to get lifting at the sides and the cuticle area because they go too near, or they touch the skin with the product in the first place. Sometimes the lift is due to product being applied to thickly (another part of the learning curve). Keep a small margin around the nail plate free of product when you apply. Work with less product and lifting will become a thing of the past, or at least a rarity.

Many technicians spend much energy and time ‘chasing the line’ of lifted material down the nail plate, filing and filing until half the product has been removed. There is no need.

Do you know why you are chasing the line down the nail??? Because you are filing ON TOP of the area that is already lifted instead of filing on the part of the enhancement that is still adhered firmly to the nail!! This creates unsightly and unsanitary ‘fill lines’ which remain visible on the completed nail.

When you file on top of the lifted product, which is ALREADY loose, you just shake loose everything below where you are filing and end up chasing the line until you reach an area where the product is thicker and so therefore will not shake loose so easily. What a waste of time and effort. What a chore!

If you concentrate instead, on filing just BELOW the lifted area (where the product is firmly attached), you won't loosen anything further and when you ‘break through’ to the natural nail, the lifted bit will just pop off and there will be NO fill lines and No nail damage either. Get it??

Take this little gem of information - use it - and your life as a nail technician will be changed forever.

MOST technicians when faced with a rebalance look at the nails and head straight for the problem area on each one - i.e. the lift if there is any. And yes, if that is what you do then removing the lifted material by filing thru the product immediately would be time consuming. BUT if you tackle the rebalance Zone by Zone - in the same way as you would apply the product or thin and blend a tip, then the whole job is quicker and more efficient.

Change your mind set … dare to think in a different way and, ’hey presto’ job’s easy.

Start at Zone 1 (the tip) first, shorten it, thin it and reshape it.

Then move on to zone2 (the stress area) thinning it slightly and checking carefully for any cracks, bare spots or weak spots. If all is well, move on to zone 3.

When you get to zone 3 (the cuticle area which is already the thinnest zone anyway, and where the lift will normally be if there is any) you will already have been thinning it as your abrasive has moved up and down, during the process of preparing zones 1 & 2, so the product will already be partially thinned when you start to work in this area.

Use the 180 side to do the bulk of the work, and switch to the 240 side as you get nearer to the natural nail and the last bit of lifted material will flake away. Carefully and gently blend any ledge of product seamlessly into the nail plate. Remember to keep the abrasive moving firmly and evenly so as not to cause any fires!!

After you have reapplied your new product, your rebalanced nails will look like a brand new set.