No confidence

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meggymoo152

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Hi, I have just recently passed my level 2 beauty therapy it has taken me awhile to get there because of covid but I am not confident at all in nails. I am not confident in shaping nails or applying gel polish I was hoping for some advice as to what to do :)
many thanks
megan
 
Do you have any pics or anything of your work? Can send privately if you like so can give some help/constructive criticism.
AlsoYoutube is great for things like this but it is also just down to practise on different types of nails x
 
You need to practise on as many people as possible. Nails are not a special talent, they are a craft which you learn by diligent application.

Give yourself a target to shape 20 sets of nails. Ask your friends and family to help you find people to practise on, Take photos of your work and track your journey. Look back through your portfolio to see how much you are improving.

My experience of learning gel nails in college was very poor. Luckily I’d booked myself on a Brand education course, so I realised there was a bit more to correct application technique than I’d been taught. There are lots of brand education demos at the trade shows and education is not something that you stop once you have achieved your certificate. It’s dangerous to use non professional products as these can trigger allergies, but maybe you could invest in a good brand and buy a lamp and a few colours to use at home? There’s nothing like wearing gels you have applied for improving your technique.
 
I am new to this too! I was just searching for threads to find some guidance on how to up my game! I have been brave and advertised on FB marketplace that I needed volunteers to help improve my practice (I asked for a donation of £10 towards material costs) and I was inundated with replies! Even though they know they are letting me practice it is making me feel so anxious.

I had my first volunteer client in today. I had to remove her gel first and it took me ages. I was shaking, I realised I hadn’t eaten so that will be something I need to do next time! It was better than the first ones I’ve done, I too need to be brave and keep practising!
You are welcome to message me privately and we can share our experiences if you like! 😊
 
I shook during every new client for about the first 2 years 🤣
Oddly the second I picked up my brush to apply product it stopped but during prep was terrible 😖
It's just confidence, it will come. Remember, they don't know if you're doing it right or not, they're just watching as they have nothing else to do 🤩
 
Removing gel that you’re unfamiliar with is a terrible experience. I now only remove my own products. Bravo for your initiative Toni. Explain to each client that it’s always difficult - even for experienced nail techs to manually soak off unknown gel. Smile and chat away and do not share any of the negative, critical thoughts in your head with your client. Compliment the colour choice, say how much you have enjoyed painting her nails with the colour. Thank them for their patience as you build up your confidence.

I did something similar to improve my waxing. It worked really well for me and a handful of clients returned. Most were just deal hunters and happy to get a cheap offer. Win win for everyone.

my tip is to buff well into the colour layer. Make sure your filing dust is the colour of the product. Just do one finger (not the thumb) wrap it using really wet cotton wool, that’s practically dripping and then file the rest of the hand. Then check the finger you wrapped and prod the gel with your gel remover pusher. If it hasn’t shifted at all, consider that it might be hard gel and not a soak off product! By checking how easy it is to remove you can decide whether to go back and rebuff the other nails before you wrap them. If you let partially soaked gel dry out, it toughens and becomes almost impossible to remove in my experience so filing gel that’s been partially soaked is never very successful for a newbie. Some gel comes off really easily, and others you basically have to file off.

For tough gels I recommend a soaking dish which has a base that you can fill with warm water to warm the acetone. The Edge make one and they cost around £3. Keep an eye on your client because they don’t understand that their nails have to be immersed

Good luck
 

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