3 hours to do nails! What the heck happened!!!

[tigi]

please can someone tell me if this is normal. I have been doing nails for about a month now and have got it down to 1hr 45- 1hr 55 which is still slow I know, but last night I went to a lady and they took me three hours!

I dont understand it, why would this suddenly happen? I had a few problems sizing her nails as she had larger than i have seen before plates, but I dont get it. 3 flipping hours!! am i going backwards instead of forwards??????

 

[ank]

Hi, did you have a good old chit chat with your lady?? Im always talkin too much and because i know my clients really well, we end up talking far too much. Dont worry too much as long as your lady was happy with the end result x x

 

['chelle]

Same as Ank said!

I have 2 or 3 clients who, when they book in, I know I have to allow an extra half an hour because we natter away so much!! Admittedly it's one of my weaknesses that I have to work on, but I love the fact that these ladies come to me for the chatter and the salon experience as much as the quality of the nails.

Another thing to consider: did you do anything over and above what you'd normally do? Did you have to use tips that need blending when you'd normally used pre blended no contact area tips? Even something as little as a bit of nail art, a few diamantes etc can add time onto your service.

Bottom line is, dont beat yourself up over it. Do have a think, go back over all the things you did and try and identify where you took the extra time, if you can pinpoint something you can improve on do it, but ultimately if the end product was of good quality dont worry yourself too much.​

 

[essentia]

I agree with the others - do not beat yourself up over it. Chatting is the biggest culprit and over faffing (sp) about. I used to do a client for a leg wax and uA wax and she took forever! She took ages to get on the couch, filling out her consultation form was agonising and I could not believe how long it took me. Some people just have a combination of things that make you take longer!

 

[del3]

Don't beat yourself up about it...if you've got your average time down to 1.45hr after only 1 month that, imo, is preety good going:hug:.
The minutes do creep up if you hit a snag like having to size tips differetly to normal and when this happnd to me I found it hard to shift gear, so to speak:lol:, and make up time.
Time and experience will be your best teacher...oh and this site :lol:
xxx:hug::hug:xxx

 

[tantastictina]

i have been doing nails for sixteen years and do them n half an hour, its complicated, why does it take longer sometimes, i dont think its talking, sometimes when u are not aware you will put on more acrylic , which means more filing, obviously if theyv have large nail beds sometimes u can over compensate, when i teach i always say remember what you put on is what u file of. hope am of little help

 

[Missy G]

I had a new client before xmas, when I came away from her house I looked at the time..3 HOURS ID BEEN THERE..AND ORIGINALLY SHE WANTED THEM POLISHED BUT THEN DECIDED AT THE END SHE DIDNT ..GOOD JOB ID PROBLY BEEN THERE 3 1/2 HOURS... LOL.But she was a fidget, kept getting up and down, so that probly didnt help!

Did she need alot of prep doing,having someone with naff cuticles could add time on.

 

[ValencianNails]

i have been doing nails for sixteen years and do them n half an hour

Don't mean to seem picky, but how on earth can you do a set of quality nails/rebalance incl consultation in half an hour?

 

[redsadie]

i have been doing nails for sixteen years and do them n half an hour

I would like to know this too

Also I have been qualified with Creative since October and most of the clients I perform an enhancement service on take around the hour and a half mark, maybe a little longer BUT I did some hristmas Ruby Slippers glitter tips on my sister and they took me 3 hours!!!

Thing is my sister has very sensitive cuticles and although I was no-where near them, every time I attempted to file near them, she would pull away :irked:. I let her file near them in the end as it was doin my head in, would I have let a normal client do that, I don't know but I don't think they would have acted in that way to me anyway.

Every time you do a client they are going to be different, as has been said, don't beat yourself up hunny :hug:

 

[champagne]

How do you do a full set of nails in 1/2 hour inc prep with the exeption of poppits????

Hope im that quick one day ...... only 15 & 1/2 years to go ...

 

[tigi]

THANK YOU SO SO MUCH.

I have been sat here worrying my bottie off that I have had some sort of relapse!

Yes we did talk loads, she was my photographer at my wedding and we hadnt seen each other since october.

THen her nail plates were the largest and flatest i had encountered so far, so i was struggling with tips and I was struggling, I normally use sizes 3-7 on my clients but she was needing sizes 0-4, I had to file each one into shape first before putting them on her nails, also I was finding it hard to pick up a big enough bead , so that was probably were I went wrong.

I think ill grab eldest daugther tonight and do her nails in a bid to gain a bit of confidence back.

thank you again and i am so grateful for your responses.

tigi

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

[1999judy]

OMG 3 hours!!
hehe if you're anything like me you can talk the hind legs off a donkey.....have a break for a cuppa...chat more?
Sometimes you just have a client who doesn't speak much.....tbh you don't even look up at them much...no offense but that's the job. 1 hour?
I have had clients that I would ONLY recognise by their HANDS!
The 3 hour clients are usually the ones with the juicy gossip
Try not to worry hun....your time will go down honestly (well maybe not always....it depends on the goss...and the friendship you build sometimes..... lol) x

 

[~Emmsybabes~]

I think 3 hours is quite quick lol...
seriously though I have had ladies in my house over 5 hours !!!
Ok not all nails of course the odd brew may pop into the equation :lol:
But I have worked solid on some sets for 3 hours if I am gabbing..
Sometimes like yourself, you find some things about the set tricky to do all the extra minutes spend add up..
Don't panic lol....

My sets..(full sets) start to finish vary from around 55 minutes (basic French white tips with overlay) to 3 ish hours (rebal or removal with new set glitters, cbm etc)
I DO need to work on my timings, and it is one of my main priorities this year, I think I am maybe doing a lot of un-necessary things during my treatments that are all adding time on...
It is on my 'trouble shooting classes to take' list for this year (it's a long list believe me :green

 

[Deena]

Well, I think your timings are amazing for someone so newly qualified. I did my foundation course in the summer of 07 and I certainly can't do that. Two hours is my absolute minimum and it's nearer three for more the more fiddly stuff.

I've always struggled to get willing nail victims <err models> and so I recently decided I had to do something a bit drastic about it. I've done myself a set of slightly 'Unconventional' talons and it's working, as I'm starting to get people in shops etc commenting and asking for my number. I just want more regular practise at the moment and so I'm really chuffed. Desperate times, desperate measures!

 

[tigi]

well last night i decided to do a set on my daughter, bless her she is a willing victim and loves having nails on, shes 17 almost. anyway, i did in wait for it, 1 hour 18 mins! I am so relieved , i was so worried about the 3hour marathon and am going to buy a clock (I dont wear watches as they stop on me and I dont touch other peoples as they stop too)
and have it on the table when i do a clients nails.

Deena, you cant tease us with your statement about your nails and then not show us a picture!!!! picture please!

 

[Deena]

well last night i decided to do a set on my daughter, bless her she is a willing victim and loves having nails on, shes 17 almost. anyway, i did in wait for it, 1 hour 18 mins! I am so relieved , i was so worried about the 3hour marathon and am going to buy a clock (I dont wear watches as they stop on me and I dont touch other peoples as they stop too)
and have it on the table when i do a clients nails.

Deena, you cant tease us with your statement about your nails and then not show us a picture!!!! picture please!

I hope to get some uploaded into my album over the next few days, Tigi. I just decided to go a bit mad with various colour combinations and all on the same set. I doubt they'll turn the more experienced heads on here, but they were certainly swivelling in my local Tesco's! :lol:

 

[tamh]

What is the average time for a set of Bio Sculpture Gel sculptures(French) as I found this also ended up taken me 3 hrs at my last client!(Yes, there was also a fair amount of chatting at the same time, but just wondering if anyone else who does Bio has the same timing?) x Tammy

 

[Susie H]

When I was doing them regularly I got it down to 1 and a half hours but I had to ladies who I always booked for an extra hour because of all the gossip and coffee:green:
I've only ever once managed to do a set quicker 55 minutes the lady didn't speak a word of English bless her she stared out the window the whole time.:lol: