Gelish still taking me ages

[Nats5125]

I've only been doing nails since March and have slowly managed to get to the point where I have 3 clients a week (not much I know but I have young kids so working around them right now)

I don't feel that I'm getting quicker at my prep and application. I'm taking 1hr 15 for Gelish removal, filing nails, cuticle work, buffing and reapplication of Gelish. And if there is any nail art, glitter or more than 2 coats of colour it takes me longer...

I know my filing takes me a while and I know I'm not doing enough clients a week to get enough experience but how on earth can I speed up? It's beginning to get me down,

Thanks
X

 

[ch-ela]

Have any of your clients complained?

I wouldn't worry about your timings just yet. I think that you are offering a nice service in that time, not rushed and that's what makes our clients feel special. When you get busier and you are under pressure to finish before your next client arrives, you will automatically become faster.

 

[kelly@tiptotoe]

Hi,

I'm exactly the same, been doing nails since March, I only do them eve and weekends as I have a full time job. It takes me a similar time. Acrylics take me forever and if they have both, well they might as well move in! I have done a few things to try and help speed things up, only little things like label all my colours to find them quicker and put my cleanse in a pump bottle to save taking lid on and off. I guess it takes time to get quicker xx

 

[Nats5125]

No, no one has complained, I'm just conscious of it, I can't believe it takes me so long when I know it takes others half the time.

I know the more I do it will get better, thanks for your reply x

 

[char1112]

Someone on here posted a great tip which helped me speed up.

Time each step you do, so filing, cuticle work etc etc, see how long you take at each step and see if you can speed up one step at a time. It takes practice but I found when you actively time yourself it really helps xx

 

[Pinkbunny28]

The easiest way is to set yourself a time limit and do it in that. If you give yourself longer you will naturally take longer.

For example when I was training in lashes I never gave myself more than 2 hours...yes my first set was terrible as there were hardly any lashes on but I got there and now I can do a nice full set in 1.5hrs and I hardly ever get practice for them. Shellac can take me an hour if I dawdle and chat and don't pay attention to the time when I've been in and out a house in 45mins so I know I can do it quickly! x

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[bluesmith5]

I've had the same issues you have and can now do Gelish in 30 - 45 minutes even if doing a soak off. Some things that have helped me... heat helps soak off go faster, I use hot towels, especially when a client has cold hands or it's chilly room or chilly weather. Or, if you're simply pressed for time and want to get off the gel quickly, heat really works. Tell the client it's a free hot towel treatment for them, you can even use lotion with it to help hydrate their skin, and they look at you like you're awesome for giving them this extra step for free

As for timing...make sure you follow a standard procedure and stick to that for every client. By that I mean you always start with the client's right pinky finger and remove polish on all 10 fingers, then you shape all 10 fingers, then you push back the cuticles on all 10, etc. When you have a standard procedure for each service and do all 10 fingers for each procedure you get faster because it's efficient and you end up always remembering your process.

Also, keep a timer or a clock close to you so you can see it (not your client) and can just glance at it without them noticing. That way the clock is always there to remind you to keep up with your timing and your client won't see you turning your head to look at the clock every few minutes.

Finally, it may seem rude but do not look your client in the eye when they are talking to you. Keep your head down and never stop moving...never stop working on their nails. You can let them know you're listening by saying "uh, huh" "oh, yeah?" etc. That helps a lot.

I hope I have helped in some way.

 

[Nats5125]

Thanks everyone, I never look up but do engage in conversations with my clients which I'm sure slows me down...and the more tired I am (have young kids who don't sleep!), the slower I must be. I think I'm slow at painting also, just need to practice more to get quicker!

Will time myself though, good idea x