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Judge Gigi-Honorary Geek
The subject of MMA monomer seems to be a hot one at the moment as apparently salons using this substance are opening all around.
No one seemed very interested in the subject when it came up 3 years ago in the magazines and show symposiums, but now that the effects of these salons is being directly felt by others operating in the same areas it is time again to address the issue.
Salon owners and mobile nail technicians seem to be at a loss in dealing with the speed at which the MMA technicians operate, the cheapness of the service they give, and the apparent longevity of the product they use. What can one do to compete against what seem to be insurmountable odds??
The answer is, there is PLENTY you can do!
American technicians have faced the same odds you seem to be facing now in the UK, and the good news is they have won out against these salons. Yes, there are still salons using these monomers and selling cheap and there will always be a market for cheap nails as well as clients who are completely ignorant of the damage being caused - both by the technicians and the product to thier nails; but by and large, many technicians have got smart and decided to go up market, to quit the use of MMA monomers and to firmly position themselves as professionals using branded lines.
So, the first bit of advice I give you is, DONT even try to compete on price with these salons; let them compete with each other.
Keep your head down and be as professional and careful, as you can be to give your customers the concern, attention and standard of hygiene they will not get in an MMA/discount salon.
Learn as much as you can about this MMA substance and the harmful side effects it has and WARN your customers. If they choose not to take your advice, then unfortunately they will soon have ample proof of your warnings.
Stay away from using drills on the natural nail, or using a drill for fast removal of gel polish, when you work. There is no need to use a drill on the natural nail when using a quality product. Quality products stick to the nail plate when it is clean and dry. Quality products are easy to file and smooth.
One of the sure signs of MMA usage is that the technicians have to use drills to prep the natural nails; they use drills to 'score' the nail plate and to remove the surface because if they don't, the MMA product will not stick to the plate! They also use a drill to finish as the product is like concrete and extremely time consuming to file by hand. If technicians are irresponsible enough to use MMA, then they certainly will be causing damage by drilling as well as the damage caused by the product itself.
It should be obvious to any discerning client, the difference between you and the MMA user, and if it is not, then take the steps necessary to see that this is so. One proactive step you could take is to perhaps display a little message like the one below on your desk. There is no need to talk badly about the NSS/discount salon down the road and quite honestly, without doing a chemical analysis of the Monomer they are using you really will not know if their acrylic liquid contains MMA.
"I hope you have seen during your appointment with me today that there are technicians who are gentle, care about hygiene and care about nurturing your natural nails. Damage does not need to happen at any time to your natural nails .... Beware of a technician in any salon (any technician of any race colour or creed) who starts to treat your natural nails roughly with an electric file or ANY file and excuse yourself and leave the salon.
If you would like me to continue to look after your nails for you, here is my card ... you can call/text me or pre-book your next appointment now."
END OF STORY
No one seemed very interested in the subject when it came up 3 years ago in the magazines and show symposiums, but now that the effects of these salons is being directly felt by others operating in the same areas it is time again to address the issue.
Salon owners and mobile nail technicians seem to be at a loss in dealing with the speed at which the MMA technicians operate, the cheapness of the service they give, and the apparent longevity of the product they use. What can one do to compete against what seem to be insurmountable odds??
The answer is, there is PLENTY you can do!
American technicians have faced the same odds you seem to be facing now in the UK, and the good news is they have won out against these salons. Yes, there are still salons using these monomers and selling cheap and there will always be a market for cheap nails as well as clients who are completely ignorant of the damage being caused - both by the technicians and the product to thier nails; but by and large, many technicians have got smart and decided to go up market, to quit the use of MMA monomers and to firmly position themselves as professionals using branded lines.
So, the first bit of advice I give you is, DONT even try to compete on price with these salons; let them compete with each other.
Keep your head down and be as professional and careful, as you can be to give your customers the concern, attention and standard of hygiene they will not get in an MMA/discount salon.
Learn as much as you can about this MMA substance and the harmful side effects it has and WARN your customers. If they choose not to take your advice, then unfortunately they will soon have ample proof of your warnings.
Stay away from using drills on the natural nail, or using a drill for fast removal of gel polish, when you work. There is no need to use a drill on the natural nail when using a quality product. Quality products stick to the nail plate when it is clean and dry. Quality products are easy to file and smooth.
One of the sure signs of MMA usage is that the technicians have to use drills to prep the natural nails; they use drills to 'score' the nail plate and to remove the surface because if they don't, the MMA product will not stick to the plate! They also use a drill to finish as the product is like concrete and extremely time consuming to file by hand. If technicians are irresponsible enough to use MMA, then they certainly will be causing damage by drilling as well as the damage caused by the product itself.
It should be obvious to any discerning client, the difference between you and the MMA user, and if it is not, then take the steps necessary to see that this is so. One proactive step you could take is to perhaps display a little message like the one below on your desk. There is no need to talk badly about the NSS/discount salon down the road and quite honestly, without doing a chemical analysis of the Monomer they are using you really will not know if their acrylic liquid contains MMA.
"I hope you have seen during your appointment with me today that there are technicians who are gentle, care about hygiene and care about nurturing your natural nails. Damage does not need to happen at any time to your natural nails .... Beware of a technician in any salon (any technician of any race colour or creed) who starts to treat your natural nails roughly with an electric file or ANY file and excuse yourself and leave the salon.
If you would like me to continue to look after your nails for you, here is my card ... you can call/text me or pre-book your next appointment now."
END OF STORY
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