Is 3 hours too long?

[becky_1992]

i swear i posted this just a minute ago but cant find it now
can probably tell im used to this but anyway ive been doing gel nails for over a year now and for some reason it always takes me 3 hours to do a full set whether its infils or a bran new set, i dont know if its right or not?
the lady who used to do mine also took 3 hours and she also uses the same product as me (NSI)
So im just wondering if this is normal with the nsi nails, here is what i do ;

Sort the cuticles
File Nail Shape and length
File nail down so all even, thin and previous design has gone
File shine,
Remove / wipe away any further products (NSI Cleanse)
Apply primer
Apply base coat / 1st coat of nsi gel
put under uv lamp
wipe away stickyness and file shape if it was a new nail,
add new design
put under lamp to dry
Add final coat of nsi gel (thick layer)
put into lamp
take out lamp and remove / wipe stickyness
file final shape and curve etc
then buff a little bit
then finaly apply glaze and go and put under lamp till dry

i dont mind taking 3 hours as im happy with the result but need to know if im actually doing something wrong ha x:lol:

 

[mizzy_dizzy]

Go back over your list of what you do an put a rough time next to it ,

Then you will be able to see at a glance what is taking the most time and what you can do to speed it up a bit

 

[karenrose]

I think 3 hours is a bit long to do a full set. Iv got my time down to between 1hour 15-1hour 30. But I dont do gel nails so unsure of the time difference to do them compared to l&p
I think thats a good suggestion to write down how long its taking you to do each thing then work out how to cut down on the things that takes the longest. I used to spend ages shaping the tip once I put it on, only to then reshape again when Im filing after applying the l&p. So that cut out some time as I just done a quick shape then properly shaped after applying l&p.

 

[XeLeGaNcEnAiLsX]

i swear i posted this just a minute ago but cant find it now
can probably tell im used to this but anyway ive been doing gel nails for over a year now and for some reason it always takes me 3 hours to do a full set whether its infils or a bran new set, i dont know if its right or not?
the lady who used to do mine also took 3 hours and she also uses the same product as me (NSI)
So im just wondering if this is normal with the nsi nails, here is what i do ;

Sort the cuticles
File Nail Shape and length
File nail down so all even, thin and previous design has gone
File shine,
Remove / wipe away any further products (NSI Cleanse)
Apply primer
Apply base coat / 1st coat of nsi gel
put under uv lamp
wipe away stickyness and file shape if it was a new nail,
add new design
put under lamp to dry
Add final coat of nsi gel (thick layer)
put into lamp
take out lamp and remove / wipe stickyness
file final shape and curve etc
then buff a little bit
then finaly apply glaze and go and put under lamp till dry

i dont mind taking 3 hours as im happy with the result but need to know if im actually doing something wrong ha x:lol:

Hi Becky,

Can I just ask why you file the nails after the first layer of gel? I use NSI Balance and I only file first the natural nail and then after all of the gel is applied.

Also when you say file nails so they are all even and 'thin' what do you mean by 'thin'? Which bit of the nail are you thinning?

The design you are putting on the nail is that nail art?

Lucy x

 

[BobSweden]

3 hours is too long - sorry. But on a positive note, I love that you have standards and do the best nails that you can!

Vicki Peters does a class on this in the USA and essentially she suggests:

- breakdown each part of your service and work on making it quicker
- chat for the first 10 minutes and then focus on the job

Having said that, the US techs are a bit nuts and focus a lot on reducing time to make more profit. But still, you have to think of the customer sitting there.

1.5 hours is OK if the nails are really good. Some people are rumoured to do this in 20 minutes, but I'd love to see their nails!

My feeling is that you will lose business unless you can get the time down. You can do it -I'm sure. A year is not so very long and some people just take longer to get their times down. Why not take an extra class and get some one-on-one help?

 

[angel fingers]

a normal salon timing is 1 1-1/2 hours but of course this varies according to the clients requirements.

have you been doing nails full time for a year or is it an occasional treatment you offer? its not easy to reduce your timing unless you get lots of practice.

if you can work out what is taking you the longest you can concentrate on reducing this part of the service.

for instance if filing away lifted product on your rebalance is taking a long time, then you must look at reasons why you are getting so much lifting and work on preventing it rather than having to deal with it.

 

[becky_1992]

Hi Becky,

Can I just ask why you file the nails after the first layer of gel? I use NSI Balance and I only file first the natural nail and then after all of the gel is applied.

Also when you say file nails so they are all even and 'thin' what do you mean by 'thin'? Which bit of the nail are you thinning?

The design you are putting on the nail is that nail art?

Lucy x

I only file the nails after the first layer of gel if they are uneven but this doesnt actually take to long,
im thinning the false nail so i can rebalance it i.e so the previous design is off so i can put another design on, and yeahh the design i put on is nail art so i do it all by hand,
i normally take 2 - 3 hours depending on the nails
but like i said the woman who used to do mine who does it full time always take 3 hours :s
xx

 

[becky_1992]

a normal salon timing is 1 1-1/2 hours but of course this varies according to the clients requirements.

have you been doing nails full time for a year or is it an occasional treatment you offer? its not easy to reduce your timing unless you get lots of practice.

if you can work out what is taking you the longest you can concentrate on reducing this part of the service.

for instance if filing away lifted product on your rebalance is taking a long time, then you must look at reasons why you are getting so much lifting and work on preventing it rather than having to deal with it.

i dont do it in a salon i do it mobile, but i guess that sort of includes me setting up my stuff but thats only like 10 minutes, i do it part time but my bit that takes the longest is the infils (filling away original gel nail so designs gone) But like i said before the women who does mine she takes 3 hours and she does it full time and has been for years, maybe its just the steps im doing it in?? xx

 

[mizzy_dizzy]

How about your clients ? Do they feel it is to long?
I'm guessing that you think it is as your asking right?

If you brake down the timings of the steps like I said dose that help to see what is taking so long?

It could be something really easy like your file techniques , learning how to use a file correctly cut my times almost in half straight away!

Maybe your using tips that are thick and take along time to blend?

As your mobile 3 hours and the time it takes getting there and back ect I'm thinking that to make it worth your while you will need to figure out what it is that's slowing you down,

 

[dellaznailz]

It could be something really simple like chatting too much :lol:

I have cut down at least 20 mins off a full set because although I do a really in depth consultation I used to also discuss design shape colours etc before actually starting. Now I check for contra indications, clients signs form etc but then get straight on with prep and chat whilst doing that.

It makes a big difference!

 

[MissOwen]

I agree, its too long and also that you need to break down your times to see which bit is taking you longer than it should.

How much of that time is taken up on the design and what sort of designs are we talking about? 3 hours with complicated handpainted nail art is probably expected but if its a few flicks and dots its a different matter

I passed my course Last August and it takes me around 1.5 - 2 hrs to do a full set :hug:

 

[JesseDavidNailDesign]

3 hours is too long - sorry. But on a positive note, I love that you have standards and do the best nails that you can!

Vicki Peters does a class on this in the USA and essentially she suggests:

- breakdown each part of your service and work on making it quicker
- chat for the first 10 minutes and then focus on the job

Having said that, the US techs are a bit nuts and focus a lot on reducing time to make more profit. But still, you have to think of the customer sitting there.

1.5 hours is OK if the nails are really good. Some people are rumoured to do this in 20 minutes, but I'd love to see their nails!

My feeling is that you will lose business unless you can get the time down. You can do it -I'm sure. A year is not so very long and some people just take longer to get their times down. Why not take an extra class and get some one-on-one help?

I don't think profit is the biggest thing. Americans are busy people too, and they get 'antsy' if you take more than an hour to do their nails.

You can check out Joseph Pham's (Da Professor) video on youtube. He has a video in which he completes a french back-fill in 20 minutes. Of course he's been doing nails for a long time.

 

[geeg]

Many people brag about how quick they are but that means one big fat nothing if the nails don't look great at the end of it.

You are taking quite a bit longer than you should be doing, but it is hard to tell from your posts, how you are timing the service. Are you including nail art application? Are you including set up and break down time?? Are you doing one set per week or 40 services per week?

I find that when starting out you will tend to fill the time that you have. If you have 3 hours you will take 3 hours if you only have 2 hours .. you'll speed up and take 2 hours. You need to put yourself under some pressure and do what you are doing only quicker.

Analyze what you are doing and where you are loosing the time you are loosing.
It really dosn't matter if your former nail tech also took 3 hours - that doesn't make it OK to do so ... 3 hours is way too long for a professional to be taking. You can't make any money taking that sort of time unless you are charging and getting 3 times as much as the pro who takes one hour (and I doubt that you are doing that).

 

[becky_1992]

well my customers dont mind that it takes 3 hours because of the outcome of the nails and also they last a while so they dont actually mind, i think what takes me the longest is the filling it down to do infils takes me the longest, so do you suggest any certain fileing technique for it? my latest nail technician always uses a electric file but i think they both take the same amount, guess ill have to go through my steps again and again till i know what it actually is :s x

 

[mizzy_dizzy]

Honey stop comparing your self to your old tech , I'm guessing you had different training from her ? And use different products and have been doing it for a different length of time so you cant really compare its not fair to your self and in the long run it will restrict your own growth as a tec if you don't find your own path and follow some one else instead IYSWIM ?

Don't be down on your self ever :hug:

you know your self 3 hours is to long, you would only manage 2 clients a day 3 if you worked almost 12 houer day inc travle and lunch brake,
when you brake it down like that you see how you would benifit by being quicker right?


These are some fab file videos on you tube and also tutorials on here by Gigi
http://www.salongeek.com/nail-finishing-maintenance/8286-file-control-part-1-getting-grip.html

 

[becky_1992]

ahhh thankyou, i do think 3 hours is too long too so will go through it tonight and see
ill have alook at those videos tonight to so thankyou xx

 

[angel fingers]

is it taking a long time to file because of lifting ?

or is it because the design is deep down in the nail?
when painting a design it is best to make and file the nail to your requirements and then paint your design before finishing with top coat gel. this way its just under the surface so this will not take any longer than a plain nail to prepare for maintenance.

if you are inlaying anything then it will need to be in the lower layers to fully enclose it and you can expect that to take longer to file away.

 

[becky_1992]

is it taking a long time to file because of lifting ?

or is it because the design is deep down in the nail?
when painting a design it is best to make and file the nail to your requirements and then paint your design before finishing with top coat gel. this way its just under the surface so this will not take any longer than a plain nail to prepare for maintenance.

if you are inlaying anything then it will need to be in the lower layers to fully enclose it and you can expect that to take longer to file away.

oooo thats just made me think i dont have problems with lifting thank god but yeahh i normally put the design in the 1st layer of gel so it cant be filed when shaping, and then i apply the thicker / last coat of gel after..

i may try what youve just said on my mum and see how long itll take xx

 

[taraleaesthetic]

I also do Gel Nails....exclusively 25-30 ladies a week. It takes me 45 minutes to do a french fill 30 minutes for a french new set. With nail art between an hour and 15 to an hour and a half. Almost all my sets have nail art. Nail art should be done once the nail is filled and under your sealer. Also with my gel line only file twice: first to prep nail to receive new product and then to shape and finish. Hope this helps. You can check out Tara Lea Esthetics | Facebook
to see photos if you like.

Tara

 

[becky_1992]

I also do Gel Nails....exclusively 25-30 ladies a week. It takes me 45 minutes to do a french fill 30 minutes for a french new set. With nail art between an hour and 15 to an hour and a half. Almost all my sets have nail art. Nail art should be done once the nail is filled and under your sealer. Also with my gel line only file twice: first to prep nail to receive new product and then to shape and finish. Hope this helps. You can check out Tara Lea Esthetics | Facebook
to see photos if you like.

Tara

Ohh thankyou may i ask what gel products you use as im thinking of changin my gel products, guna try a new technich on my mum 1st just incase i do it wrong ha,
ive seen youve done a 3d one on your profile? can i ask what you used to do this as i want to try it on my mum but dont have a clue where to start ha, i will have a look at the facebook photos once i have finished work as im at work atm (N) xx