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Dena

New Member
Joined
Jun 17, 2004
Messages
3
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Location
Manchester, TN USA
Hi. First time posting. Need help. Dont know how to use site to look up answers so decided to just post. I am a new cosmetologist since April. Potential for large nail clientele from other two stylists hair clients in salon. Feel like I dont have a clue. Manicures with Creative wont last, chip in two days. Pedicures with OPI can't get rid of calluses and can't id fungus. Acrylics, nightmare. Used Creative retention, Tammy Taylor, EZFLow, all lift. Take forever with shaping free edge, cuticles, sizing tips, filing, don't know how to use a drill without it burning someone when the demon inside lets the drill "get away from me". Should a use a drill and if so which one and how to learn to use it? I take forever if filing by hand. Everyone agrees this town needs a good nail tech but I am competing with 3 Asian chains that are cheaper and the nails stay on longer. Had client with other nails that were completely yellow, worked on her for two hours (for $20.00), soaked down, drilled (then burned her twice) and couldn't get product down to no yellow but filled anyway with Creative clear and white since her tips had grown out. I was upset and disappointed and she wants to soak off in awhile and do a new set with tips and clear like what I have on. All are needing a fill before two weeks. Can't get fill lines from showing. I am about to cry. I enjoy the world of nails but am I fooling myself? Should I stick with hair or go back home with my two kids? Invested too much to quit but hate disappointing others and myself everytime I do a nail service. Have a very picky client Thurs. and she has stuck it out with me for the past three nail services but I spend so much time on all my nails. Manicures and Pedicures 1 hour each and acrylics 1-2 hours depending on fixing or if I sculpt. Should I lower my prices til I get better? Any words of wisdom are appreciated!
 
Im new to the industry and am still struggling with several issues so i know what you are going through. Ive had many days when Ive thought no sod it im going to give up nails, this isnt going to work for me and perhaps I should go back to my office job of 14 years. I have even thought about giving up the nails self employeed and going to work in a salon for somebody else to gain that extra help but being self employeed was a big factor in leaving my old job and I loved doing my own nails so thought this would be great career for me. The geek site has helped me so much with learning and talking to other techs in the same situation that you start to realise you arent the only one facing it on your own and you have to practice practice practice.
One option might be to ask for 'models' and give then a discounted price to help with the practice.
Cant help much with the drill as I dont use one.
There was a good post on the site about 'How long does a full set take'. Have a search for this.
Dont give up it does take a bit of a toll on the ole stress levels but it will be worth all the struggle in the end - we will both get there one day and who knows in the words of delboy trotter 'this time next year we could be millionaires'.
Sharon
 
QUOTE=Dena]Hi. First time posting. Need help. Dont know how to use site to look up answers so decided to just post. I am a new cosmetologist since April. Potential for large nail clientele from other two stylists hair clients in salon. Feel like I dont have a clue. Manicures with Creative wont last, chip in two days. Pedicures with OPI can't get rid of calluses and can't id fungus. Acrylics, nightmare. Used Creative retention, Tammy Taylor, EZFLow, all lift. Take forever with shaping free edge, cuticles, sizing tips, filing, don't know how to use a drill without it burning someone when the demon inside lets the drill "get away from me". Should a use a drill and if so which one and how to learn to use it? I take forever if filing by hand. Everyone agrees this town needs a good nail tech but I am competing with 3 Asian chains that are cheaper and the nails stay on longer. Had client with other nails that were completely yellow, worked on her for two hours (for $20.00), soaked down, drilled (then burned her twice) and couldn't get product down to no yellow but filled anyway with Creative clear and white since her tips had grown out. I was upset and disappointed and she wants to soak off in awhile and do a new set with tips and clear like what I have on. All are needing a fill before two weeks. Can't get fill lines from showing. I am about to cry. I enjoy the world of nails but am I fooling myself? Should I stick with hair or go back home with my two kids? Invested too much to quit but hate disappointing others and myself everytime I do a nail service. Have a very picky client Thurs. and she has stuck it out with me for the past three nail services but I spend so much time on all my nails. Manicures and Pedicures 1 hour each and acrylics 1-2 hours depending on fixing or if I sculpt. Should I lower my prices til I get better? Any words of wisdom are appreciated![/QUOTE]
i remember feeling like this,i am quite a nervous person an tend to panic if i'm unsure of anything.what i did was to invest in some further training and that really boosted my confidence because i was more cofortable with my products. try to resist the temptation to keep swapping products, you need to concentrate on perfecting one at a time. if you are getting lifting with all your acrylic systems, it is probably down to your preparation, there is a tutorial on prep on this site which is very helpful. you might think you spend too long on prep but if you are really thorough with it, it will prevent lifting and save time on infills because there will be less remedial work to do. your timings dont sound too long to me and your prices seem fair. to further boost your confidence, you could get yourself a nail trainer, [ginawallace.com] its one of the best investments i ever made because it enables practice at any time.you can make any amount of monster nails on it and no one need ever know ! i know i sound like i have been doing nails for a hundred years, but its less than 2 actually, so i dont claim to be perfect. i just wanted you to know that others have been through the same as you.education and practice are the key i think, once you know exactly what your supposed to do, you are more likely to do it well. dont give up, you've come too far. keep the faith and stick with the geek site, knowledge is power! :) feel free to send a private message to me any time you need morale support, i havent forgotten what its like to be in your position.
 
My advice would be to contact the people you trained with and see if you can get help from them. Maybe you need a one2one to go over all the stuff you're unhappy about.
 
Hi Dena

Who did you train with?

Take care Dawnie
 
Beside the cosmetology school I attended I have only taken hour/day classes with Tammy Taylor (4 hours), Creative (7 hours), OPI (6 hours) and the one hour class at school with Backscratchers. My school had one instructor that knew how to do nails and she was fired after I had been there 2 months and she had only shown me how to use OPI Competition one time for about 15 mins. So when you ask who I trained with that is all I know. Do you have any suggestions? I tried using OPI Absolute today for the first time on a client and don't know what to expect. It still took me awhile (1.5 hrs.) Yikes. Luckily, it is a sweet woman who is willing to stick with me 'cause she likes me and likes that I try new things on her to see what will work the best.
 
Dena said:
Beside the cosmetology school I attended I have only taken hour/day classes with Tammy Taylor (4 hours), Creative (7 hours), OPI (6 hours) and the one hour class at school with Backscratchers. My school had one instructor that knew how to do nails and she was fired after I had been there 2 months and she had only shown me how to use OPI Competition one time for about 15 mins. So when you ask who I trained with that is all I know. Do you have any suggestions? I tried using OPI Absolute today for the first time on a client and don't know what to expect. It still took me awhile (1.5 hrs.) Yikes. Luckily, it is a sweet woman who is willing to stick with me 'cause she likes me and likes that I try new things on her to see what will work the best.
If you dont mind my saying i think part of the problem is you have jumped around from one company to the other and they all have different training techniques and products which will make it confusing for you. Really and truly you need to do a proper foundation course with one of the companies and stay with them.
 
I think all of us who are new to this feel for you or can remember what it feels like. Someone I know said it took her over a year to feel happy with it and that it is through sheer persistence and going back to clients and doing it over and over until finally you go back less and less.

It sounds to me like you need more practice and probably supervised practice. I think the nail trainer idea is excellent but it might benefit you to work with someone more experienced who can advise you as you work and you will encounter problems along the way that the courses haven't even thought to mention. That happens to all of us.

I think it would be a shame to give up if this is what you want but may be you should take it more slowly and get some experience with models. I am struggling with natural nails at the moment let alone what you are doing! There seem to be so many products, ideas, ways of doing things, I find it confusing and I'm sure I've posted questions on the site that other people think are obvious but if you don't ask you don't learn.

Definitely worth experimenting with the site and using the search for key words. It's amazing what comes up and it is so helpful. I've learnt a lot. If you press the wrong button on the site, what's the worst that can happen. Press home and you go back to the beginning.
 
There is a "100 set rule" that is truley the breaking point for most Nail Techs, I am an instructor, and have watched the little baby steps grow to the big daddy giant steps, and it begins happening at about the 100 set mark. ( no, I don't make my students do 100 sets, but they know that they can ask for help any time, even after they have graduated, so that they can become productive and well paid.) I truly have noticed that about the 100th set of nails every thing starts to click and life becomes easier as we develop our skills and techniques.

The best thing you can do is find the one product you are truly comfortable with, no matter what it is and spend the next 25 to 50 sets of nails perfecting it. Then if you want to add another type spend the next 25 to 50 with that one. It takes time and practice to become truly professional, and there are lots of little disappointments to be had along the way, but if you learn from each of those, and grow from your mistakes, you'll end up better for it in the long run.
:biggrin:
give with out want, listen without judgement, and lead without exception
 
Thanks to all of you who responded. I know what I have to do now and don't feel as helpless and alone. Will let you know how things progress.
 
Hi Deni,

Listen to what everyone has said and get back to basics really. Prep is the key to a good set of nails, as some people say, you need to learn to sculpt with your brush not your file. I wouldn't personally use a drill especially if you are having probs with it.

If when you use the drill you burn them, it does mean that you have done extreme damage to the nail. You damage the nail before it is felt so i wouldn't use it untill you get proper training. Stick to one product and get some 1 to 1 training so they can watch what you do and pick up any problems along the way. Good luck, and just keep practising.
 

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