Acrylics going out and gels coming in??

[nixnewcastle]

Has anyone else noticed that hardly anyone is getting acrylic nail extensions done anymore? All of my clients are now soak off gel crazy and no one is wanting long fake looking nails anymore. Thoughts please?

 

[dellaznailz]

All nails are acrylic!

I make sure all my nails be they L&P or Gel look natural

I still get the odd one or two Prom girls who want the whiter than white square look but I keep them thin :green:

 

[kdmb212]

After doing an extensive amount of research before I signed up for my CND Foundation (SOOO excited!), I came from the other side of the nail desk with a lot of misinformation under my belt. A lot of the information I saw started with the myth that gel nails are better as they allow the nails to "breathe" which I know now is a complete absurdity. I'm not sure if this has anything to do with the change in trend or not, and the fact that when I told people I was going into the nail industry (starting with acrylic) many of them said OH NO they RUIN your nails! I have spent quite a bit of time saying NO, bad techs and inferior products do. Not to offend anyone, but in America we used to call the very long French acrylics "porn star nails." I never really liked them myself, and prefer the more natural looking (but I do like going outside the box as well). It will be interesting to see what happens when CND sets me loose on the public. Hmm...think this may have gone off topic! :o

 

[user 25446]

Liquid & Powder (commonly referred to as acrylic) is the original material for nail extensions and still most popular in the USA, while in Europe gel is most popular.

Both have their advantages and disadvantages, so the nail tech should determine the clients lifestyle and choose the appropriate material.

However, many nail techs tend to learn one system and not develop skills for the other.

 

[Bev Rose]

I would tend to disagree with the original poster about gel being more popular that liquid & powder.

When someone comes into my salon & asks for Gel, there is usually the same old 'acrylics are bad for you waffle'. I then give them the correct information regarding acrylates, bad tech etc etc.

I also assess someones nails & lifestyle before advising which system would best suit their needs (I used CND and Brisa Gels).

Generally, I have about an 75/25 split, with 75 being l&p & the 25 being gel.

 

[Nataliya]

I would disagree also. I choose whats best for my clients natural nail condition.

 

[shell28]

I would also disagree 99% of my clients have acrylic its very rare someone asks me for gel.

 

[eskimonailtech]

Gels are pretty big around where I live. I learned the whole "acrylic is a swear word" thing in esthetics school.

I choose not to do them because of the smell since I'm in my home right now. I may infact decide to delve into acrylic once I get my own shop set up. I think everything has a place.

 

[jodie_glo]

In my area hardly anyone offers gels. Its all L&P but in my immediate area there are hardly any decent nail salons they are mainly nss. i can only think of one non nss of the top of my head!


Jodie x x

 

[angel fingers]

i definately think its a regional thing. probably in the more affluent and fashionable areas there is a bit more of a leaning toward gel enhancements. they seem to get more positive coverage in the glossy mags and with fashion followers anything they percieve as 'new' or more upmarket will get more of a buzz.

certainly the fact that we are infuenced by both europe and the usa has an effect on us here in the u.k and we are a sort of hybrid between their choices. i think to be successful as a technician it is vital to be proficient in both l/p and gel techniques so that you never have to turn away a client.

 

[franjess]

I've been having people come in saying they need fills on Gel nails, just to found out they have acrylic enhancement with gel overlay. I also had an asian person work in this Salon that has a Gel Powder acrylic and they charge more for it, so clients think they have Gels.

 

[eskimonailtech]

i definately think its a regional thing. probably in the more affluent and fashionable areas there is a bit more of a leaning toward gel enhancements. they seem to get more positive coverage in the glossy mags and with fashion followers anything they percieve as 'new' or more upmarket will get more of a buzz.

certainly the fact that we are infuenced by both europe and the usa has an effect on us here in the u.k and we are a sort of hybrid between their choices. i think to be successful as a technician it is vital to be proficient in both l/p and gel techniques so that you never have to turn away a client.

yeah that's so true! I've also noticed in my city, women tend to be more conservative and less into the whole nail art thing. But I hear up north in Edmonton women are more into trying different types of nails and having nail art etc. That's very frustrating for me because I love nail art and I don't want to move to Edmonton! I guess I'm going to have to start a nail art revolution here!

 

[nixnewcastle]

What I meant was im finding clients aren't wanting nail extensions they are wanting natural nail overlay with the soak off gels. I have a huuuuuuuge clientelle base for the soak off gel polish and none of the clients are wanting a nail tip put on underneath just their own natural length nails with either a colour or french application. Im finding soak off gel toes huge now as well

 

[honeycure]

It's probably a regional thing, because in my area, "acrylics" are still what most people expect, and when I say "acrylics" I don't mean the lovely l&p that the geeks on here do. I mean 20-dollar-trash-the-living-hell-out-of-your-nails-and-smack-on-mystery-product-at-a-nss-acrylic-nails. Actually I don't know of any salons in this area that aren't NSS.

I only offer soak off gels at my salon, so sometimes I get people walking in wanting a full set extensions for 20 bucks, and some of them throw a hissy fit because we don't offer l&p, and we charge 70+ for gel extensions.

"WHAT? I can get those california gelz (calgel??) done at the salon down the street for 20 bucks! You guys are ripping us off!"
California Gels!

 

[eskimonailtech]

I'm a n00b to this forum so don't flame me but what does NSS mean? :o

 

[Cutesteph]

NSS- Non Standard Salon

The NSS in my area also always do acrylic with a gel overlay and most people really have no clue what they got

 

[eskimonailtech]

is that a nice way of saying a little chop shop? because that's what we called them in nail class haha

 

[nailzoo]

I think clients are getting over what I call "whore hands", it's typical of the look from chain salons, or as I call them " The Lumpy Bumpy Nail Company".

It has nothing to do with gel or acrylic, it's up to us to educate clients, not magazines saying one is better than the other.

You can achieve any look you want with either system.

Personally I find gel has a chalky consistency when filing,(it makes my teeth go on edge) and a dangerous super fine dust.

Acrylic has a heavier dust and seems more permeable, workable without that talc-like dust flying into my breathing zone (that includes gel topcoats).

I can never be bothered with cure here, apply there, swap over and repeat a hundred times, when I can apply acrylic, buff (no, not file, I know how to apply).

I find the only advantage gels have is the chemical resistant glossy finish, which many of my clients have refused as they think it makes the nails look "far too plastic looking".

We (the technician) ........ (and our clients) have many and varied opinions.

I am mainly concerned about the superfine dust that gels create.

 

[TweezerHappy]

"whore hands"

:lol::lol:

 

[Amelie]

In my area hardly anyone offers gels. Its all L&P but in my immediate area there are hardly any decent nail salons they are mainly nss. i can only think of one non nss of the top of my head!


Jodie x x

Sorry guys newbie here what is nss?????????? Please help