Bitten Nails

[Winky]

Hi,

Last week a client walked in that had the worst bitten nails I've ever seen! On top of that her nailbeds were extremely wide. I used tips and kept the enhancements short as I was taught to do in such cases. When I was done, her nails looked a lot better but she complained that the thumbs were a bit too wide. I told her that they would look even better once her own nail had grown and she could have more length.

Another client told me that one of her thumbnails is always different from the other, so I checked it out and the nails were exactly the same length, the french manicure was the same size and shape on both fingers. I was confused and asked her how she felt that they were different. Finally she tells me that one of the nailbeds is longer than the other! What is the best thing to do in this case?What do you do with clients that expect you to perform miracles and change the shape of their fingers?

Also, any tips for doing great enhacements on the type of bitten nails that I described (very short, very wide nailbeds)?

 

[geeg]

Ugh nail biters!!! The worst and sometimes the most demanding clients.

Demanding because they do expect miracles even though they present you with the ugliest nails and
The worst, because generally speaking they poke and pick and do not look after their enhancements.

Of course there are different degrees from pickers and nibblers to cannibals! Your client sounds like a cannibal who has been abusing her nails for many years to the point of disfiguring them.

You did the right thing in going short and using tips - you just need to explain that it will take, in such an extreme case, , many months, of loving care and attention to her enhancements before the client gets the results she personally is looking for and even then the disfigurement she has caused may be permanent.

 

[VanessaB]

I have managed to successfully tip and overlay a couple of ladies now but I find that because their nails are so very short, once I have finished they dont have a c curve but are sort of sticking straight up out of the bed. Is there any way of over coming this?

I hope you know what problem Im trying to explain!!

 

[geeg]

You can try 'angling' your tip when you apply it, to add some curvature to this very short-straight type of nail.

So in other words, use GelBond and hold the tip at a more downward angle than you normally would and let the GelBond fill in the gap.

GelBond was created for this type of nail and for this type of procedure.
You may have to hold for just a tad longer than normal before it dries.

 

[VanessaB]

Thanks I will definately try this now.

Although one question -

If the nail is so low, how do you angle it so it doesnt stick to skin?

One lady came to me and her nails were so low I didnt have the confidence or knowledge to try so I had to turn her away. She was very disappointed and so was I as I could see how much she wanted nice nails.

 

[Aphrodite]

You can buy extra curved nail tips from quite a few sites, i think they're a bit more expensive but they might just do the trick!!