Do you still offer nail varnish?

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This is a great question! I have over 200 nail polishes as I got into nails by doing nail art to ease my insomnia boredom. I've recently done a clean of all the old gloopy polishes but I don't want to bin them! I don't have any clients really just some one offs but I have decided to start using them on my own nails, as I end up changing them so regularly to save from all the removal hassle. I've also just got back into stamping and don't have any stamping polishes yet so my polishes are great for practising! X
You can get polish thinner. It replaces the solvents that will have evaporated.
 
I use the Morgan Taylor React base and top coat with all of my polishes. It works really well, and gives a great finish. Most of my ladies have this for their pedicures as it lasts as long as a gel would, isn't as thick as gel and it can be removed much easier. I tend to upsell a brow wax or tint whilst they are waiting for it to dry, but it's really quick. Ditched my gloopy vinalux months ago.
 
I use the Morgan Taylor React base and top coat with all of my polishes. It works really well, and gives a great finish. Most of my ladies have this for their pedicures as it lasts as long as a gel would, isn't as thick as gel and it can be removed much easier. I tend to upsell a brow wax or tint whilst they are waiting for it to dry, but it's really quick. Ditched my gloopy vinalux months ago.

That sounds very interesting. Do you know whether either product contains any acrylate based chemicals as I'd love to wear something that's a bit longer lasting?
 
It's the acrylates in the products that cause my problems. I'm think you'll find them in most, if not all nail enhancement products.

Acrylics and gels are usually from the methacrylate family of chemicals whereas the dip nail technology is from the cyanoacrylate family of chemicals. You could do a skin test to see which one in particular you are allergic to.
 
That sounds very interesting. Do you know whether either product contains any acrylate based chemicals as I'd love to wear something that's a bit longer lasting?

Gels and acrylics are generally 2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate (HEMA) (the ones I use in Gelish use this) but still from the methacrylate family.

I'll copy it from the REACT base coat refill set I have - it does have a methacrylate based ingredient which I have put arrows in it:

Ethyl Acetate
Butyl Acetate
Alcohol Denatured
Nitrocellulose
Adipic Acid/Neopentyl Glycol/Trimellitic Anhydride copolymer
Isopropyl Alcohol
Triphenyl Phosphate
Trimethyl Pentanyl Di-isobutyrate
Sucrose Acetate isobutyrate
Etoctylene
Acrylates coploymer
--> Dimethiconol Methoxydiglycol Methacrylate <--
Dimethicone
Red 7 (CI5850)
Yellow 11 (CI 47000)
Mercaptopropionic acid

Might be worth doing a small patch test to see if you react* to this base and top coat.

* no pun intended :)
 
Acrylics and gels are usually from the methacrylate family of chemicals whereas the dip nail technology is from the cyanoacrylate family of chemicals. You could do a skin test to see which one in particular you are allergic to.

I've already seen a consultant dermatologist and after completing the tests, she advised to keep away from all varieties of acrylates (amongst other substances). I was just grateful that I wasn't allergic to hair colour.
 
Another general thought to those who have or are thinking of withdrawing nail polish from their treatment menu.

Assuming there aren't many clients who only want ordinary polish, would you consider charging an application fee if the client brought their own polish with them rather than turning them away?
 
It's the acrylates in the products that cause my problems. I'm think you'll find them in most, if not all nail enhancement products.
Sorry to butt in, was just reading some bits and came across this
"CND Brisa Gel - The first acrylate-free gel system in the world. Brisa is hypo allergenic and odour free. Brisa Gel creates high-shine, no fuss nail enhancements with a fast, easy application process that results in the most striking nails you will ever have seen! Not only does it build strong, natural looking enhancements but Brisa Gel can also be used as an overlay on your natural nail, to provide that little bit of protection while you grow out your nails to your desired length."
 
Sorry to butt in, was just reading some bits and came across this
"CND Brisa Gel - The first acrylate-free gel system in the world. Brisa is hypo allergenic and odour free. Brisa Gel creates high-shine, no fuss nail enhancements with a fast, easy application process that results in the most striking nails you will ever have seen! Not only does it build strong, natural looking enhancements but Brisa Gel can also be used as an overlay on your natural nail, to provide that little bit of protection while you grow out your nails to your desired length."


Looking at the list of ingredients, I see PEG-2 Dimethacrylate and Hydroxypropyl Methacrylate.

May contain: Acetoacetoxyethoxy Methacrylate, Phenyldimethoxyacetophenone, Titanium Dioxide, Diethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate, Colorants.

https://cnd.com/pdf/Product Profile/Brisa_Sculpting_Gels.pdf
 
I'm weeks away from qualifying and I plan to include regular polish. There's a few reasons for this; 1 - I want to offer mini manicures for girls birthdays and I'd (obviously) never apply gel to a child. 2 - I want people to have the choice. 3 - I think pedicures are just as good as gels with regular polish and a good top coat, they're easier to remove for me if the client returns and easier for them to remove if they want too. I would offer gels for the feet though, but I would mostly use a regular polish for pedis and charge for a removal if they did have gels.
 
Another general thought to those who have or are thinking of withdrawing nail polish from their treatment menu.

Assuming there aren't many clients who only want ordinary polish, would you consider charging an application fee if the client brought their own polish with them rather than turning them away?

The reason I don't either withdraw it or whack on a charge is that I don't want to lose them.

I'll be plodding on for a bit I guess, but think I might start charging any new clients requesting polish an extra £5 which would probably push them into having shellac.

I'm not buying any more polish though, think I will tell people I'm phasing it out.
It's not worth buying more choice of colours for the number of people that have it.
 
I doubt this to be true Joe, the dipping systems still use acrylate powders which is what most people who are allergic to gels and acrylics and allergic too, I would tread very carefully with dipping systems with someone with an allergy!


Doug Schoon's response.

"...It would be unlikely that a person would be allergic to “all acrylates” in general, since some are highly unlikely to cause allergic skin reactions. It’s more likely that a person would develop an allergic sensitivity to specific acrylates."

http://www.nailsmag.com/qa/94666/ar...s-that-do-not-have-acrylates-as-an-ingredient
 
Doug Schoon's response.

"...It would be unlikely that a person would be allergic to “all acrylates” in general, since some are highly unlikely to cause allergic skin reactions. It’s more likely that a person would develop an allergic sensitivity to specific acrylates."

http://www.nailsmag.com/qa/94666/ar...s-that-do-not-have-acrylates-as-an-ingredient

Doug does not hold advanced research degrees or any medical qualifications but has been employed by CND, so I'll take what he says with a pinch of salt compared to my very experienced medically qualified Consultant any day. :)
 
Doug does not hold advanced research degrees or any medical qualifications but has been employed by CND, so I'll take what he says with a pinch of salt compared to my very experienced medically qualified Consultant any day. :)

That is nonsense in not having a senior research degree you can't do post doc work! I successfully defended my thesis last year and my external examiner only had an MEng. What sets him apart from the others is that he has extensive experience from other PhD's and numerous publications and citations from prestigious investigators from world renowned Universities equivalent to that of my Professor.

It is true that Douglas does not have an advanced senior degree such as an MPhil or a PhD degree (but I do) and he has a Masters degree in Chemistry, but note that Doug also stands as a witness in litigation cases and has authored a number of books and scientific publications and some are cited on google scholar. The importance of having such publications is that they are peer reviewed; where a body of newly created research is scrutinised by other researchers who are independent and verified if the facts and methodologies used are correct and if passed, it is accepted for publication. One thing I do notice is that there is a lack of conferences for nail technology.

One key skill you learn in doctoral training is the tone of language that the author uses and if there is any bias involved. I have one of his books; it is very toned down suited for the nail technician and I don't see that he actively promotes CND or any other products in any way - in fact he is neutral like science is intended to be. If I detected any bias, I would be the first to throw the book out of the window and consider it pseudo science.

https://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?q=douglas+schoon&btnG=&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5

With regards to consultant physicians, they are humans and they make mistakes and their knowledge is dependent by research output since most of the knowledge creation is taken from by reputable researchers - Universities is an example of a knowledge creation institute.

I'll give you an example of "very experienced and highly qualified" consultants work. My girlfriend had a very rare condition caused by a crush injury at work and it took a number of consultants to reach not one, but several diagnosis ranging from vascular to cancer, and none were accurate. As a consequence, she had to take a number of painkillers which you only see in palliative care. It took her 10 years to finally pinpoint what it was and the tests were done at UCL London by a number of researchers and Professors.
Another cod example is the obesity epidemic and how medical physicians diagnose people with obesity simply by measuring the BMI (note I don't use the word "doctor" since doctor in latin means "docere" or "to teach"). If you think weight is an indicator to obesity, you are wrong and new research now points that sugar (namely Fructose) is the culprit for a number of reasons. Google search Robert Lustig Fat Chance 2.0 for UCLA lectures.

Just to clarify, my research is not what Doug does which is Chemistry, but one of my interests is what Katia Vega from MIT does in using nail technology with computer science and how can we interact with devices in the future by using everyday cosmetics.

The point I'm trying to make is that if you go with what your Consultant says and take it holy, by all means go for it. But also take it into consideration that in 10 years time, he MIGHT be wrong.
 
I appreciate what you're saying but having briefly read some of his work, I'm still not enamoured.

Prior to doing hairdressing, I used to sit on the Research Degrees Exam Board (PhD's and Higher Doctorates) at a Russell Group Uni so I'm well aware of what's involved in producing a body of research to an international standard. But I've left that environment behind me now. ;)
 
Doug does not hold advanced research degrees or any medical qualifications but has been employed by CND, so I'll take what he says with a pinch of salt compared to my very experienced medically qualified Consultant any day. :)

What he says is completely true, Its highly unlikely that a person would be allergic to ALL acrylates, HOWEVER, once a person has developed an allergy to one type of acrylate is very likely they will be sensitive to at least one or two other type of acrylates that have similar properties to them.

dip systems are very close to acrylic powders, and if a person has an allergy to some type of acrylate, it would best to use extreme caution, I would at the very least try one nail first and leave for 24 hours to see how they get on.

Better safe than sorry, as reactions tend to be quite sore for the client and look unsightly :)

Love & Respect
Noreen x
 
I've today adjusted my price list .... polish on extensions or infills is now the same price as shellac

I'll keep it the same for my current clients for the time being and will increase in small increments for them, but any new ones will be given my price list
 
What he says is completely true, Its highly unlikely that a person would be allergic to ALL acrylates, HOWEVER, once a person has developed an allergy to one type of acrylate is very likely they will be sensitive to at least one or two other type of acrylates that have similar properties to them.

Would you tell a peanut allergy sufferer that they're highly unlikely to be allergic to all nuts or would you respect the medical advice they've been given?
 
Would you tell a peanut allergy sufferer that they're highly unlikely to be allergic to all nuts or would you respect the medical advice they've been given?

most nut allergies are quite specific and they would be allergic to only one/ few type of nuts but common sense dictates to stay away from all nuts just in case

same with the nails , it's best to avoid acrylates all together although the person may not react to every type of acrylate there's a much higher chance

It is possible they won't have a reaction ... but i personally wouldn't take that risk ... if a tech wants to try something out for a client then that's a risk they are taking and i suggested at the very least using extreme caution and doing a patch test by doing one nail first :)
 
I appreciate what you're saying but having briefly read some of his work, I'm still not enamoured.

Prior to doing hairdressing, I used to sit on the Research Degrees Exam Board (PhD's and Higher Doctorates) at a Russell Group Uni so I'm well aware of what's involved in producing a body of research to an international standard. But I've left that environment behind me now. ;)

Sadly some of the Russell group of Universities have recently been mired in a number of cases where PhD's have been withdrawn from successful candidates due to plagiarism and cooking results. ;)

Anyways, we are veering away from the main OP.
 

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