Nail extensions taking too long!

[Titterbug]

Hi ...I have not been trained long and I am kinda thinking it's like driving you don't learn until you are out there on your own..... But I just don't seem to be able to get faster...I probably do a full set a week as I work 6 days a week aswell...I am wanting to do this as my job but I still need to pay bills etc...as Iam a single mum....I do gel polish and hand painted art work too I am not to bad with the timings of that it is just Extensions... It can be anywhere from 2 to 2.5 hours.... Is this normal???? I get my teenage girls friends round too to practice on too...which they all think is fabulous[emoji6][emoji140] ...it's just that I booked in a New client and her daughter. They both want full sets of hard gel nails....the appointment is at 4pm ...with just starting out I didn't want to say no...but now I am flapping thinking Iam going to be there all night...I did say that I take a little longer as I hand file...!?!? I really feel I may have bitten off more than I can chew. I am also at work before a 6 hour shift....!!! Should I just say I can only do one set????? HELP!!

 

[totallynailed]

Stop worrying about timings. Perfect your craft and the timings will come down eventually with lots of practice. 2-2.5 hours for a beginner is great. I used to take 3 hours to do a set of acrylic extensions...I now take 1.5hours and I think that's as fast as I'll ever do them now. As long as you let your client know when they book it's all good. Don't let it put you off doing more than one client a night, we all start somewhere. If you're struggling to find the time to work on clients I'd really recommend a nail trainer. You can practice whenever you get spare time and it won't complain if you take a bit longer than expected

 

[Titterbug]

Stop worrying about timings. Perfect your craft and the timings will come down eventually with lots of practice. 2-2.5 hours for a beginner is great. I used to take 3 hours to do a set of acrylic extensions...I now take 1.5hours and I think that's as fast as I'll ever do them now. As long as you let your client know when they book it's all good. Don't let it put you off doing more than one client a night, we all start somewhere. If you're struggling to find the time to work on clients I'd really recommend a nail trainer. You can practice whenever you get spare time and it won't complain if you take a bit longer than expected

Thankyou I think what I will do is text the lady and say how long it will take then she can say if she wants to go ahead or not [emoji6] xsx

 

[samlintonx]

2.-2.5 hours is quick for a beginner it takes me 3 hours if they want stilleto or almond shaped and 2 if they want square I think the filing takes the most time x

 

[Titterbug]

2.-2.5 hours is quick for a beginner it takes me 3 hours if they want stilleto or almond shaped and 2 if they want square I think the filing takes the most time x

Phew...! I am kinda feeling better about it all Thankyou xsx

 

[Helward87]

Hi ...I have not been trained long and I am kinda thinking it's like driving you don't learn until you are out there on your own..... But I just don't seem to be able to get faster...I probably do a full set a week as I work 6 days a week aswell...I am wanting to do this as my job but I still need to pay bills etc...as Iam a single mum....I do gel polish and hand painted art work too I am not to bad with the timings of that it is just Extensions... It can be anywhere from 2 to 2.5 hours.... Is this normal???? I get my teenage girls friends round too to practice on too...which they all think is fabulous[emoji6][emoji140] ...it's just that I booked in a New client and her daughter. They both want full sets of hard gel nails....the appointment is at 4pm ...with just starting out I didn't want to say no...but now I am flapping thinking Iam going to be there all night...I did say that I take a little longer as I hand file...!?!? I really feel I may have bitten off more than I can chew. I am also at work before a 6 hour shift....!!! Should I just say I can only do one set????? HELP!!

I couldve written this myself!! I qualified I August and really dont do much l&p as most people want shellac.
It takes me 2.5 hrs to do a full set with polish and I always fret when someone books in. When j do my own it takes 3 hrs and I'm always really happy with the outcome bit when I do clients I find k stress so much about being quick that it makes me make silly mistakes [emoji31] in trying to remind myself that it's all a learning curve and I am gradually getting quicker so i just wanted to let you know you are not alone at all so try not to stress!!!! Xx

 

[Titterbug]

I couldve written this myself!! I qualified I August and really dont do much l&p as most people want shellac.
It takes me 2.5 hrs to do a full set with polish and I always fret when someone books in. When j do my own it takes 3 hrs and I'm always really happy with the outcome bit when I do clients I find k stress so much about being quick that it makes me make silly mistakes [emoji31] in trying to remind myself that it's all a learning curve and I am gradually getting quicker so i just wanted to let you know you are not alone at all so try not to stress!!!! Xx

I also think with the chop shops and how fast they knock them out ...it puts us under pressure and I am so sure that they can't be done any faster than 1.5 hours... So I am kinda heading in the right direction...also everyone's nails are different and you come across different situations and sometimes I think what the hell Iam going to do with them!!!! But I wing it and they look good[emoji6] and I also find that the reason they are in a mess is because of the lack of care and attention them chop shop have...cus most have been to them grrrrrrr!!!! Xsx

 

[perfect10kb]

Stop stressing . The industry standard is 1.5 hours for full set french or colour. I think everyone takes a long time when first starting

I myself took around 3 hours when first trained and now do in 1 to 1.15 hours depending on client . Nobody wants a rubbish set done in record time and am sure most are very understanding if it takes a little longer to start with

Of course if you are intending to make a career of this then your times will HAVE to come down but this will be a natural progression as you become more confident . However I have to say that if you are only doing one a week it may take some time before your times improve . Good luck

 

[alwen]

Hello! I work full time and nails are my hobby. I am qualified nail tech about 6 months ish now but I have been still doing different courses. I only recently started having few clients. Full set of acrylic extensions takes me 3 hours without painting them! I am big perfectionist which is a bit pain as I could be a bit faster with filing.

 

[Cindy2021]

2.-2.5 hours is quick for a beginner it takes me 3 hours if they want stilleto or almond shaped and 2 if they want square I think the filing takes the most time x

Try using stiletto tips or sculpting as this will reduce the time it's taking to file the tips X

 

[Titterbug]

Thankyou to everyone who has replied I am feeling a lot more comfortable and confident now...xsx

 

[Grace_Hair]

I had gel nail extensions and that took about 2/2.5 hours. And the nail tech has been doing it for years

 

[Ya Nails]

Stop worrying about timings. Perfect your craft and the timings will come down eventually with lots of practice. 2-2.5 hours for a beginner is great. I used to take 3 hours to do a set of acrylic extensions...I now take 1.5hours and I think that's as fast as I'll ever do them now. As long as you let your client know when they book it's all good. Don't let it put you off doing more than one client a night, we all start somewhere. If you're struggling to find the time to work on clients I'd really recommend a nail trainer. You can practice whenever you get spare time and it won't complain if you take a bit longer than expected

Stop worrying about the time its taking you this will decrease with practice I remember I think my first set took me over 6 hours, I felt for the poor client> The main thing I found helped me was to make sure to do each step thoroughly and properly and forget about your times, you will naturally speed up with practice. Get yourself a practice hand one of the best purchases I've ever made for my nail artistry studio and just practice, practice and practice some more your speed will come. I still take around 2 hours for a set of acrylics painted and decorated, actually maybe even a little longer depending on the art work.

 

[Russian doll]

You already got a lot of support and reassurance. Here's my 2 cents-I just did a full set of gel nails with Shellac and complicated art work yesterday and it took me almost 3 hours. And yes, I've been doing it for years the thing is when I worked in the salon and did a few sets and refills a week it used to take me the usual 1.5 hours. But then I didn't work for 2 years, and when I started again from home I was SO slow! Then most clients wanted shellac, and I never got a lot of extensions. Salon where I worked part time didn't offer extensions either, so I just couldn't get that practice anymore. The services that I did a lot-the timings improved fast, but gel nails I only have a few clients for that mostly do refills, so I do full sets very rarely. And yes, they now take me a long time. So I guess I'm just trying to say that it's all about practice. Now if somebody wants full set I let them know my timings, so they know what to expect, and I can concentrate on quality, and not worry about how long I'm taking.

 

[Nail model 1]

I do most of my work with beginning techs looking to build speed and try new concepts techniques and create portfolios. Most of them take 3 to 3.5 hours to do a women's full set with designs and about 2 hours to do a men's clear acrylic overlay so you are ahead of the curve. Good luck with your career its great u have people to practice on be patient you will be great. I had a tech I worked with when she was in beauty school and she was in the 3 hour category she called me after a year because she wanted to do some portfolio work she had a full set w art done in 1 . 5 hours keep up the good work u will be fine if it's your passion.

 

[Ashleigh Nicole]

Hi, I have been qualified 6 months and I do 1-2 sets a day as I have a job also, I still take around 2 hours a set and it use to bother me because I thought people would be annoyed at how long I take, but I take care with my prep and never have any complaints about lifting or breaking so I always make a point of saying to my clients that's why I take a little longer. At the end of the day its your reputation on the line so I wouldn't worry about how long it takes, i'm sure anyone would prefer a good set that take a little longer than a quick nasty set. I'm sure our speed will come with time and experience.

 

[tulip04]

Don't worry!! To do a full set in 2-2.5 hrs its very very good! By time you will shorten the time too xx

 

[Ya Nails]

I found that when I was new and it would take me so long as long as I was honest with my clients and advised them of this fact and how long they should expect to be in front of me, then it was all good and still to this date I have these same customers still 6 years on. They have become some of my most loyal clients. I love this industry, simply keep doing each step thoroughly and don't worry about your times they will go down with practice. Just be honest with your clients we were all new once and its only with time and practice that your times will come down. Practice, practice and more practice which in turn will give you the confidence and the speed. Besides I've never liked rushing a client out in under or just over an hour. Id rather they sit in front of me for longer knowing I will take the time to shape them probably and that they will last as they should.

 

[Ya Nails]

Hi, I have been qualified 6 months and I do 1-2 sets a day as I have a job also, I still take around 2 hours a set and it use to bother me because I thought people would be annoyed at how long I take, but I take care with my prep and never have any complaints about lifting or breaking so I always make a point of saying to my clients that's why I take a little longer. At the end of the day its your reputation on the line so I wouldn't worry about how long it takes, i'm sure anyone would prefer a good set that take a little longer than a quick nasty set. I'm sure our speed will come with time and experience.

Your speed will definitely come down in time and with practice, just make sure to do each step thoroughly, this helps with the next step which in turn will help with getting your times down.