I've heard this from many clients also. I couldnt believe what they do. I'm also sick of hearing "I want gel because that acrylic stuff ruined my nails before" It makes me so mad.

I would love to know how they get insurance and qualifications when this is what they are doing to our industry.

In my 7 years as as nail tech, ive seen so much damage from the nss salons.

One lady had a hole in her nail plate when id soaked them off!!! She kept complaining it was burning so i got her to take the finger out and saw the hole. What can you do with that, did my best and shes now a loyal manicure customer!

The nss in my area use cuticle nippers to take off the acrylic!!

OMG, I know exactly how you all feel. I do rant a bit at my customers who have been to the local nss, when they tell me they want them removing and a new set put on, I dread it coz it takes FOREVER!! I've had ladies with bleeding cuticles who've just visited there, wanting my advice. My advice? Don't ever go there again!!! But like so many of you have said, people keep going back because 'there so strong/I only need infills every 4-5 weeks' etc etc. Yes thats because your nail beds are stunned into not moving!!! Apparently, they use an Argos catalogue to rest clients hands on then just simply rip off that page when they're done. No towels, couch roll etc in sight! Oh, and a client ( now mine of course) had a pedicure, the tech removed her flip flops to give to the client to wear while she had her nails done- she politely declined!!
Sorry to rant, but IT MAKES MY BLOOD BOIL!!!

The Salon i used to go to before i started training was hideous!! But until you learn about the natural nail and how delicate it is you just consider it as a hard bit on the end of you fingers thats good for opening cans of diet coke!
All you can do is try and teach as many people as you can about the right procedure and hope they'll recognise the wrong one in future.
I've just spent the last few days informing my friend that its not ok that her nail tech doesnt do any prep work. Just gets out her file and slaps on a bit of acrylic.
The only time she is asked to wash her hands is just before her polish to get the dust off.
Hopefully when i'm fully trained i can show her the correct way to do it and provide her with a set of nails that dont lift or fall off after a week!

There is a nail bar opening up across the road from where I currently work. The salon owner (also one of the nail technicians there) came in yesterday to offer me a free treatment and then tell me that a full set of nails was going to be £20 for future treatments. They are opening up the salon in two days, and so far all that is in there is a neon window sign.

Anyway, the whole thing set alarm bells ringing, so I got chatting to him. In a two minute conversation he managed to tell me that;

• Everybody knows that false nails are bad for your naturals nails, that's just the way it is
• The only people that have false nails are those that can't grow their own
• The stuff they use is really really strong so that it never breaks.

I told the man that I can't wear false nails for work, so he said he'd give me some free nail art - using their spray system. I may be being presumptous about this place, but I think I'll be giving it a miss all the same!