Canni,
You are reading Bob incorrectly; he never said you said that. The issue he is trying to present is that many of the chemicals we use (legally) as nail techs are dangerous in untrained hands. The reason that many of our products are not sold to the general public is not a matter of exclusivity, but of safety. Perhaps you ought to head over to some of the DIY sites and take a look at the serious rise in allergic reactions because of the use of these products, particularly the mismatch and poor use of UV/LED lamps. Companies, and especially counterfeit brands like Bluesky, by selling to the general public, contribute to this untrained usage and dramatic increase in allergies.That's the ethical issue, and it's something we as professionals ought to be concerned about.
That said, I have noticed and been concerned with a number of new members coming into the forum who blow off concerns for products safety, professional products, appropriate lamps, manufacturers' instructions, etc. This is a professional forum and one of its most important responsibilities is to uphold professional standards and practices within this profession, and to encourage newbies to conduct themselves in a responsible, ethical, and professional manner. We do this for their sake, our sake, and for the sake of the profession. While we each run our businesses as individuals, we rise and fall only as the profession as a whole. The forum's role is also to review and to support vendors and manufacturers who support nail professionals, rather than those that skim off profitable areas and contribute little back. How a product performs often goes beyond what is in the bottle. That is what professionals know that the general public does not, and that is another reason to use professional products. Still, no one is arguing that one should use only "professional" products, especially since what that means is already hard to decipher. I mean, is a cotton pad sold at CVS or Sally unprofessional?
