Nails that last forever??

[rtheoni]

Hello everybody!
I had this client the other day that came to the salon I work and wanted to place artificial nails. While we were chitchating she told me that she had a set of nails once more about 3 years ago in the USA and that the procedure lasted only half an hour! Also she said that the set lasted for 2 whole months and that they wouldn't come off no matter how she tried! It surely wasn't gel as she didn't use a UV lamp so I suppose it was acrylic or silk? Nor she remembers the brand of the products.
I was just wondering is this possible? I mean having a set of nails in half an hour and that lasts for 2 months is the dream of every nail technician but how can that be?
A fellow nail technician told me that maybe it was acrylic forms with no tips at all, which makes sense i suppose.
But i wanted to hear what you think of this..
Also maybe any geek from the US could lighten up this thread!
Thank you!

 

[deanosnana]

Because it only took 1/2 hour, I'm guessing a 'discount' salon. Speed is the name of the game in this type of salon. Also, alot of 'discount' places use MMA which does last but is so dangerous to the client, as well as the nail tech.

HTH.

 

[selmarose]

It takes me about 40 mins to do a set of L&P tips with no art work. If the client is really good at home care and lives in a dry climate and depending on her life style she may get 6 weeks. I use OPI Oderless. An awful lot of ifs.

 

[champagne]

40 mins is very quick..... Would you share your routine with us .... please xx

 

[marioned]

With 6 weeks growth the stress area will have moved too far up and be making the nals very unballanced. This is where you get breaks. The growth at the eponichium will be huge after 6 weeks, making for a very strange looking nail.
Marion x

 

[rtheoni]

Because it only took 1/2 hour, I'm guessing a 'discount' salon. Speed is the name of the game in this type of salon. Also, alot of 'discount' places use MMA which does last but is so dangerout to the client, as well as the nail tech.

HTH.

That's what I think too. I have heard that in the US they use brands that are forbiden in the Europian Union for the reason you named. Maybe that's the case.

 

[Lana]

That's what I think too. I have heard that in the US they use brands that are forbiden in the Europian Union for the reason you named. Maybe that's the case.

Unfortunately it is the other way around.
Stuff that is banned in US (MMA) is not banned in European Union. It should be banned all over the world.
Back to your post. My clients sometimes go 8-9 weeks and they come back with no lifting. If you blend your product flushed to the nail, you should have smooth transition,no ridge at all, so when nails grow out , one coat of clear nail polish will make them look good for a while. Of course, those clients will file the length down.

 

[xbarbigirlx]

She must have a very slow nail growth, wouldnt they have grown out by then or was she getting them refilled?

xoxox.

 

[neshma]

yes...oriental bar. I go to them. I also have the product ingredients listing....No MMA. Their products are from China and are rebranded to suit thier company name. Their products do stay on longer and have much much less lifting. I am a serious picker.......Mostly acrylic is used. However they have another system which uses a builder resin, activator and crystal acrylic (they call it gel/resin) the uv lamp is not needed either! Hope this helps.....seems this info is not liked on this site...wouldnt be surprised if this post is deleted. They also use a diff e-file.

 

[nailzoo]

nails can last for some time, depending on care and accuracy taken during application.

I don't want nails to last forever, as my business relies on them coming back.

Clients that are miserable enough to "test" my work to it's maximum durability, I'm not interested in, as when they come back it's often twice the work and twice the product, hence, I have a time limit on refills and charge them extra after a certain period of time.

You may think you are a hero for making nails last 6 weeks, but financially, it's almost stupidity.

Also, just because it last this time on one person doesn't mean it will last as long on another.

Any client that goes this long between fills goes down in my books as a cheapskate and should be regarded with caution.

 

[selmarose]

As I said...With perfect home care and an easy lifestyle MAYBE 6 weeks. Lots of "IFS".

I use the same routine every time. I have all my "stuff" at my fingertips. I have 30 years experience applying nails. I do mostly tips. Sculptured take longer. I use OPI Odorless. I try not to leave bumps that need a lot of filing. Almost no conversation to distract me.

My comments were in reference to the Client who said "30 min procedure - nails lasted 2 months" I find it hard to believe since I can only do a 40 min set under the best conditions and 6 weeks is a stretch but can be done.

Yeah, we can all do the almost impossible if need be but I don't want to work that hard and I enjoy visiting with my clients so usually it takes a good hour for service. If it's someone I know and like then maybe a little longer. If my client wants to go more than 2 weeks between re-balance then I advise an in-between manicure. I tell them NO HOUSEKEEPING! (Tee Hee!) I try to educate my clients about home care.

I was my first model and have worn nails for all the years since beauty school. I raised kids, did house work, fished, camped, painted, cooked, and on and on. If you have personal experience then you can advise your clients about what to avoid.

Of course my pocketbook likes the every 2 weeks client but if need be it can be stretched and I would rather be busy with 4 week clients than wish for a 2 week client.

Sorry this is so wordy. Selmarose

 

[Lana]

If my client has to go longer than 4 weeks, it is usually with a valid reason (going on vacation, surgery etc.) and I am grateful that they are coming back.It does not take me any longer to do their nails as I do rebalances every time and I charge them accordingly. It is purely based on circumstances, not because they are cheapskates.It does not hurt me financialy b/c their 4 weeks spots are filled with someone from waiting list.

 

[rtheoni]

She must have a very slow nail growth, wouldnt they have grown out by then or was she getting them refilled?

xoxox.

Nope she didn't get any refill since she came back home (Greece) a week after the application.
I believe she must has a slow nail growth as you said.

 

[teah87]

Natural nail overlays???

 

[katzod]

hi there,
I work in a very nice salon and I work with a wonderful Vietnamese woman who does kick butt nails. Now, she claims she uses porcelain to do her nails which she claims are like acrylics but lasts longer and is more expensive to buy the product and she charges more to put on than reg. acrylics.
She has told me she gets the product from China. Some of the hairdressers in the salon get them and they look fantastic but also they last for a long time, more than 4 weeks and they do not lift, they just grow out.
So maybe she did get them at one of those quick places and they used product on her that you cannot get here in US.
My friend won't tell me what exactly it is. She avoids my question on the type of product she's using. She just calls it porcelain.

 

[grafxgal]

hi there,
I work in a very nice salon and I work with a wonderful Vietnamese woman who does kick butt nails. Now, she claims she uses porcelain to do her nails which she claims are like acrylics but lasts longer and is more expensive to buy the product and she charges more to put on than reg. acrylics.
She has told me she gets the product from China. Some of the hairdressers in the salon get them and they look fantastic but also they last for a long time, more than 4 weeks and they do not lift, they just grow out.
So maybe she did get them at one of those quick places and they used product on her that you cannot get here in US.
My friend won't tell me what exactly it is. She avoids my question on the type of product she's using. She just calls it porcelain.

Porcelain is what is used to make toilets, it is kiln fired at very high temperatures, so I doubt that she uses porcelain. A lot of the NSS use terms like Solar Nail, Porcelain, etc etc and will not show/tell you what products they use because they know that it contains MMA.

 

[Anna Lee]

hi there,
I work in a very nice salon and I work with a wonderful Vietnamese woman who does kick butt nails. Now, she claims she uses porcelain to do her nails which she claims are like acrylics but lasts longer and is more expensive to buy the product and she charges more to put on than reg. acrylics.
She has told me she gets the product from China. Some of the hairdressers in the salon get them and they look fantastic but also they last for a long time, more than 4 weeks and they do not lift, they just grow out.
So maybe she did get them at one of those quick places and they used product on her that you cannot get here in US.
My friend won't tell me what exactly it is. She avoids my question on the type of product she's using. She just calls it porcelain.

I don't know a nicer way to say this so I will say it exactly how it is.

China is one of the biggest manufacturers in the world and indeed makes a lot of very good things at cheap prices. But the amount of 'non-standard' products that they make in the country is beyond what you and I can imagine.

Anyone remember the big news last year about baby powder produced in China? Batches of powdered milk in China have been contaminated with melamine - which is used in pesticides and plastics. It damages the kidney and 50,000 babies were sick, some even died.

My point is that if China can not regulate an important product like baby powder then what are the chances of them regulating acrylic powder for nails..? Just because the label does not say it contains MMA, it does not mean there is none inside. The labels on the baby powder didn't say it contained melamine did it..?

China is a very big country, to regulate every manaufacturer is impossible, there are so many tiny villages and provinces where you can build a factory and make so-and-so product for years without anyone knowing. The people they hire in places like these are usually un-educated people who has no knowledge of right and wrong. Some of them don't 'turn a blind eye' - they just simply don't know.

Apart from the infamous counterfeit products like clothing and handbags, China also produces a lot of other fake items. The variety is astonishing, they can range from expensive chinese herbal medicine to oranges, vegetables or even eggs..!!! There are always news in the Far East warning the public about fake food from China left right and centre.

So therefore, Acrylic powder containing harmful substances such as MMA, even if the label doesnt say, is not something out of the ordinary.

 

[geeg]

hi there,
I work in a very nice salon and I work with a wonderful Vietnamese woman who does kick butt nails. Now, she claims she uses porcelain to do her nails which she claims are like acrylics but lasts longer and is more expensive to buy the product and she charges more to put on than reg. acrylics.
She has told me she gets the product from China. Some of the hairdressers in the salon get them and they look fantastic but also they last for a long time, more than 4 weeks and they do not lift, they just grow out.
So maybe she did get them at one of those quick places and they used product on her that you cannot get here in US.
My friend won't tell me what exactly it is. She avoids my question on the type of product she's using. She just calls it porcelain.

You'd think reading all these posts that every other product apart from this stuff from China suffers from breakages and lifting. How silly it all sounds.

As for Porcelain nails ... THAT went out with the arc for goodness sake. There is no such thing! Porcelain has to be fired at 1200º to harden .... imagine! Silly. I can only assume that the name is referring to the hardness of the product which frankly is a negative not a positive ... which is one of the reasons MMA is dangerous. Any other product as hard is potentially just as dangerous whether it contains MMA or not.

Products can be too hard. I mean here we've come such a long way from the old days of rock hard products and are producing light weight flexible overlays because, as everyone knows, the closer the product density is to the natural nail the better it is for the health of the natural nail. Are we to throw all that we know to be true out the window because some product from China is cheaper? Whatever happened to what should be the first rule of applying nails to peoples' bodies .... FIRST DO NO HARM. ??

 

[VHunter]

yes...oriental bar. I go to them. I also have the product ingredients listing....No MMA. Their products are from China and are rebranded to suit thier company name. Their products do stay on longer and have much much less lifting. I am a serious picker.......Mostly acrylic is used. However they have another system which uses a builder resin, activator and crystal acrylic (they call it gel/resin) the uv lamp is not needed either! Hope this helps.....seems this info is not liked on this site...wouldnt be surprised if this post is deleted. They also use a diff e-file.

I personally feel (as do many others) that it's wrong and irresponsible to give incorrect information/advice to other techs and/or consumers. Particularly when such information poses a risk of harm to someone.

Just as it's wrong to tell someone to go to a basement doctor for surgery in Mexico because it's soooo much cheaper , it's just as wrong to point them in the direction of purchasing products from a company whom we can't be 1000000% certain that their products do not contain MMA.
Both are HARMFUL.

The purpose of this site is to educate, and guide. Not to misinform.
As you can't be perfectly certain these products are safe, of course people will object to you advising others to purchase them.

It's nothing personal. Some of us at one time or another got a slap on the hand for misinforming someone, and through knowledge, we realized our error.

It's one thing to promote a company that has proven without a doubt the quality and safety of it's products. It's quite another to promote a company that retails potentially dangerous products and about whom there is no such proof.

As I've said before: to save money only to put others at risk is negligent, irresponsible and immoral.

The battle against the NSS is difficult enough.
Let's not add to it.

 

[neshma]

gels/acrylics are all similar....There are slight variations in the chemical composition......Applying anything to the nail is not ideal. Marketing Marking is the main difference. Whats your main brand of pain relief were you live?.......Dont tell me. It doesnt matter.........but why dont you check the small print as to the drug name (not the brand) then.....look at all the other pain relievers. You will find the identical product many times over. It make look a little diff......or be in a diff box..or have a diff reputation...........But......ask the chemist. It is the same (identical product).