Please help!

[Stacey2307]

Hiya

I undertook an intensive course in Acrylics last year (3 full days and a follow up rebalance test the following week) and have been practising on my friends and family since then with a few mobile clients in between. I have recently joined a salon to boost my confidence etc but it seems to now be going wrong. A couple of customers have complained and I am mortified. I dont know what I am doing wrong but the clients have said that the acrylics look and feel 'bumpy', how do I rectify this? I use ASP system but I am seriously considering changing as I sometimes find the acrylic hard to work with as in it can be gloopy or too dry and sticks to my brush. Any recommendations? I work in a new salon and I dont want the girls that run it to look bad just because I am making stupid mistakes but I also dont want to have to give up on it (although this is tempting at the moment as I am so embarrassed!). I've emailed my old assessor to see if I can go back for a refresher but am yet to hear back from her. I'm due in the salon on Thursday and at the moment am too scared to go back! HELP! :cry:

 

[user 35377]

If it is bumpy, that is something you should be noticing before the client ever leaves your chair. The last thing you do before you polish (etc) is slowly run your thumbs over each individual nail (I do it with my eyes closed-seems to help me focus on feeling) to feel for any abnormalities that may need to be buffed or filed out.
On another note, if you are having that much trouble during application with the product you use, you may want to consider switching. It took me a long time to find the products that worked best for me.
Remember...there is no "best" or "worst" product, it is all about what works best for YOU!

 

[Christine Mary]

If your product is sticking to your brush, and becoming gloopy, then this is a mix ratio problem.

maybe get your notes out from your training and re read your mix ratio section, or, failing that, keep contacting your educator until you get a response.

 

[ankeandrea]

Maybe you could try a different L&P. Most suppliers will have sample size L&P
and that way you will be able to find a system that works for you.

 

[Stephanie]

Hi there,

First off, I am sorry to hear about all the trouble you are having with acrylics but I will be frank with you, not to hurt you but to help you!

Secondly, I keep on hearing how everyone says "I have completed a 1 full day, 2 full day 3 full day course & dont know why I keep having trouble in so & so or with so & so..."

I dont know how many times I have mentioned this but I will keep doing it until people understand that it doesnt matter if you took a 3 day or a 3 week class you will always find a client complaining about something & that is probably because you still dont have enough practice or education.

Before you go off working on clients work on your OWN nails, work on tips & practice til you are blue in the face & know your mix ratio if you are going to do acrylics, know your prep inside & out & if you want to work a bit harder then work on your hands being steady so that you can provide even the easiest form of nail art(optional of course)with out your hands shaking so badly.

If you can do a full set on yourself then you can do one on your friends & family without any problems & then & ONLY THEN will you have your clients not complaining as much.(there are those that just live to complain, cant change those kinds of clients!)

The problem is expecting too much in so little time & then wondering why is not coming out right & getting discouraged!

Think of this being a pool & being a first time swimmer...lol, bare with me for a sec...
You hesitate at first, stick one foot in the shallow water where the stairs are...then once you feel you are ready you stick in the second foot in & slowly you allow your self to go in deeper. Before you know it your moving your hands & feet still keeping your head above water til you can allow yourself to wet your head by tilting over backwards.

Now, If you were to jump off the diving board into the deep end, you are more likely to swallow a lot of pool water...not a lot of fun even if you kicked you legs...is it...I think not!

Thinking you can begin at a salon after a 3 day course even if you practiced for 3 weeks on family isnt enough time to know everything perfectly without running into issues as mentioned in this post as well as others!

It takes hours & hours of practice, weeks of research & months of doing the same thing over & over til you know & feel so confidant about yourself!
Once you feel that strongly about yourself & then begin on friends & family Then you can think about working at a salon, providing service after service for hours a day!

Please stop trying to jump off the diving board before you are full ready & qualified to do so. A piece of paper just says you met the required hours met & followed the right procedures the course taught you by their standard law. It doesnt mean you are really qualified to work on clients.
Just like a medical student needs to have 3 years of on hand training with a doctor (after he has his diploma) same with law students & lawyers...Now I am not saying you need 3 years or even 1 year before working at a salon, with each individual it differs, but please dont expect it to happen after a 3 day or 3 week period!

It breaks my heart that in the last few days i have read at least 5 posts(maybe more) about why my set of acrylics/gels arent coming out right if i completed my 1-3 day course course & follow the procedure my tutor told me to do!

Again not trying to offend anyone, I am just trying to offer the best advice i can give in hoping to help at least one of you understand that it takes years to master doing what we do in the business. It's not as easy as people think it is & certainly will not happen in 1-3 days of even the most intense courses or even if one was taking a 3 week course.

Know your preps, know your system by watching video's or reading tutorials on how to & keep practicing on yourself. Keep a notebook so you track down the steps you did to learn what may be the cause of lifting, popping off or simply how to file correctly so that the nails look & feel glamorous!

Believe you me, once you know this you will be having less problems & you will not second guess yourself as much.

Hope no one got offended by this post & at least one person took this advice into consideration!

Good luck to all!♥

 

[ShannonU]

I agree with Stephanie... I have been training for a long time. My acrylic portion alone of my course took me months to finish and I still consider myself to be in training and I am all done my diploma... I take mobile clients but charge low because I tell that I am still training and will only charge standard prices when I am 100% confident in my work each and every time. A few days course is not going to give you the skills you need in order to do nails. As I said..just L&P took me a long time and I don't think I will be confident for a long time yet. It is a continual learning process and most of us don't start taking on clients (at full price) for quite a while.. (I shouldn't generalize but I know a lot of people, like myself, who even after finishing training are still practicing and training).

Products are really not the problem, yes--there are some bad products out there but chances are it is your application technique. When it is gloopy, your mix ratio is too wet.. when it is hard to work with, your mix ratio is too dry. It sounds to me like you need to get back to practicing and perhaps you jumped in too soon. I don't say these things to hurt you either but it is just the reality of it. We're all working hard to be the best we can be and we have to step back and rationalize our decisions. It takes a long time to be confident and efficient at our jobs. Keep at it, keep training, keep practicing, do all you can do to be the best you can be and have fun with it. Don't get yourself down, just keep practicing!