Millennium acrylic monomer smelly!!

[Puffle]

Hi all, I've recently done a nail tech course and used Millennium products to train with. I've bought the kit from them so am now getting around to doing lots and lots of practise.

My problem is that the acrylic is REALLY smelly, when I'm practising on myself in the evening the kids are moaning in bed that the house stinks - and I've only done a couple of nails!!

I've had my nails done plenty of times by a mobile tech and although it smells, I don't remember it being too bad. Is Millennium known for it? Should I switch to another brand?

 

[Annemarie]

Hi all, I've recently done a nail tech course and used Millennium products to train with. I've bought the kit from them so am now getting around to doing lots and lots of practise.

My problem is that the acrylic is REALLY smelly, when I'm practising on myself in the evening the kids are moaning in bed that the house stinks - and I've only done a couple of nails!!

I've had my nails done plenty of times by a mobile tech and although it smells, I don't remember it being too bad. Is Millennium known for it? Should I switch to another brand?

That is one of the reasons why I changed over to another brand. The smell takes your breath away and it was also giving me a headache. Some of the clients in the salon I work in were complaining of the strong odour also.

 

[Puffle]

Mmm...not good! I'm wondering whether to switch to a different brand as I really need to practise, but it's not great when everyone is moaning about it!! Seems silly to be switching straight after a course though...wish I'd read up more about it before booking the course.

 

[geeg]

Actually no one should have to get used to the smell of monomer as it shouldn't be so strong in the area where you are working.

You can work with acrylic monomer and not make an unpleasent atmosphere for your clients or co-workers by observing all the smart rules, the most important of which is to have an extraction ventillation system for dust and to work SMART with your monomer. I do it ... thousands of others do it and so can you.

CND is a low odour monomer in any case and even easier to minimise the odour when you use it. I personally would nver use an odourless (no such thing actually) monomer as the nails are not nearly as long lasting nor as beautiful in my opinion as using a monomer with esters. I have much experience with odour free products and have never used one that is a patch on the results I get with my CND.

Biggest cause of odour is the bad habit of wiping your brush on a dry paper towel. NEVER do that. The product spreads out and causes much more odour than if you dedicate a pad, dampened with your sanitiser, for each client application and wipe your brush if you need to on that! It will remove 70% of the odour you are creating immediately from the area. Then be conscientious about emptying your covered metal waste bin regularly ... always use a covered glass dappen dish and never use pumps for your monomer and you should see a noticeable difference.

The product you are using is pretty 'raw' and when you are more experienced you can convert to a more upscale product .. in the meantime, there are a few things you can do to minimize the problem as detailed above.

 

[Puffle]

That's great Geeg, thank you. On our course we wiped the brush on dry couch roll, and the dappen dishes are open ones. I'll have a look for some covered. Thanks for the tips...as I would rather try to perfect the skill before worrying about changing brands.

 

[geeg]

Please post on the site about the improvement andmaybe then more people will learn to work smarter.

Monomer can be detected at only 5 ppm .. that means only 5 parts of monomer in one million parts of air!! That is a tiny amount to be able to smell it, but that is the way some substances are ... like perfumes which are similar. So just because it may not be the nicest smell in the world, does not mean it is going to kill you or is dangerous. Still, with a raw odour such as the odour from the monomer you are using, it is best to minimize it as much as you can with good intelligent solutions.

Any small glass recepticle with a lid .. metal or glass.. will be better than an open dish!! I can't believe that colleges are not teaching basic health and safety precautions when using monomer... it's crazy.

Remember I am a CND Senior educator and I teach information that is basic on all CND classes. Much of what I teach here on the site is never taught on other nail classes.

 

[Puffle]

Thanks, I've purchased a couple of dishes with lids so I'll let you know how it goes. Unfortunately, when I booked the course I hadn't realised there was such a difference when it came to the brands of the products used. Once I get better with my applications (one did the odd nail on the course, not a full set!) I do plan to change, but obviously have a long way to go!

Thanks for the advice.

 

[geeg]

Thanks, I've purchased a couple of dishes with lids so I'll let you know how it goes. Unfortunately, when I booked the course I hadn't realised there was such a difference when it came to the brands of the products used. Once I get better with my applications (one did the odd nail on the course, not a full set!) I do plan to change, but obviously have a long way to go!

Thanks for the advice.

Don't worry Julie, as I have said for years, "The cream always rises to the top eventually." :hug:

 

[Annemarie]

Mmm...not good! I'm wondering whether to switch to a different brand as I really need to practise, but it's not great when everyone is moaning about it!! Seems silly to be switching straight after a course though...wish I'd read up more about it before booking the course.

How come you only did one nail on the course and not a full set?

 

[Puffle]

Well it was a 'bit of everything' so I came home with all nails having tips on, but some acrylic, some gel, fibreglass etc. So we didn't actually sit and do a full set of just acrylics.....

 

[Jenski]

Biggest cause of odour is the bad habit of wiping your brush on a dry paper towel. NEVER do that. The product spreads out and causes much more odour than if you dedicate a pad, dampened with your sanitiser, for each client application and wipe your brush if you need to on that! It will remove 70% of the odour you are creating immediately from the area. Then be conscientious about emptying your covered metal waste bin regularly ... always use a covered glass dappen dish and never use pumps for your monomer and you should see a noticeable difference.

.

Fantastic advice Geeg, I've always used a covered dish. But i used the pad dampened with sanitiser today and hey presto!!! minimal odour Thankyou so much :hug: