The correct nail terminology

[Anna Lee]

As we all know, on here at salon geek, we like to use to the correct names and terminology for all things nail related.

Recently, I have noticed that the word 'Acrylic' seems to be used an awful lot in posts. For those who are newbies and who do not know, the correct term for 'Acrylic' in the nail industry is 'Liquid + Powder' (L+P).

The reason why it is called Liquid and Powder is because all enhancements products are made out of Acrylic - including Gel - and so to avoid confusing ourselves, we call 'Acrylics' - Liquid + Powder.

Please also note that this is not a personal dig at anyone so please no one get offended. I just wanted to make use of this forum to state a little fact.

Happy geeking...!!

 

[Anna Lee]

Oh, and the other one is 'Glue'.

In the nail industry, we refer 'glue' as 'adhesive'.

Lets help the newbies out.... Anymore anyone....?

 

[Chickafish]

:lol: I'm guilty of calling L&P acrylic. When I started that's what my old boss called it and it stuck.

 

[Wooshka]

The electric device some of us use to do our file work for us....

Is called an E-file, not a nail drill

 

[linzi]

As we all know, on here at salon geek, we like to use to the correct names and terminology for all things nail related.

Recently, I have noticed that the word 'Acrylic' seems to be used an awful lot in posts. For those who are newbies and who do not know, the correct term for 'Acrylic' in the nail industry is 'Liquid + Powder' (L+P).

The reason why it is called Liquid and Powder is because all enhancements products are made out of Acrylic - including Gel - and so to avoid confusing ourselves, we call 'Acrylics' - Liquid + Powder.

Please also note that this is not a personal dig at anyone so please no one get offended. I just wanted to make use of this forum to state a little fact.

Happy geeking...!!

Amen and Hallelujiah to that!

 

[Susandoeshair]

From beauty school 36 yrs ago:
You wash the car, you shampoo hair
You paint a fence, you polish nails

 

[bloomingnails]

Nail enhancements not false, not tips. We as pro's should be enhancing what the client has.

Lilian

Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using SalonGeek

 

[Envy]

If we want to get correct, we also never use files... We use abrasives.

Files are used on metal, on wood its a rasp...

 

[souz]

loving this but have to say im often guilty of not using correct terminology....you pick up what others around you are saying!

but well noted xx

 

[izzidoll]

Actually I don't mind the use of the word acrylic

I usually use it on here but put in brackets L&P beside it.

I know this is a professional site and we professionals know that gels and acrylics are all acrylates but our clients call them gel nails and acrylic nails, and so do a lot of training providers.

Acrylic nails have been called that for decades, and we all know what it means, and I don't think we are ever going to change that.
To be honest the only people who use the term L&P are CND trained tech's I don't think any other training provider uses the term.
I have trained with other companies and the word acrylic is on their certificates

I never use glue though....just adhesive :biggrin:

Although at the risk of falling out with you too Allan, I know they are abrasives but I file with them I don't think the phrase 'abrade and polish' will ever catch on :lick:

 

[Emily Case]

"Etching" the nail plate during prep.

Arrrghh that sounds painful!! "Remove the shine" sounds better and doesn't scare people off :wink2: xx

 

[cath4512]

'chinese nail salons' meaning discount salons should be referred to as NSS (non standard salons), there are chinese salons offering good nail services & its unfair to tar them all with the same brush .

 

[Envy]

:
Although at the risk of falling out with you too Allan, I know they are abrasives but I file with them I don't think the phrase 'abrade and polish' will ever catch on :lick:

Oh I don't know... Has quite a ring to it

 

[deanosnana]

'Gel manicures' have been in the news quite a bit the past two weeks. One report stated, 'gel manicures, also known as shellacking...' Well, I wrote the news station to set them straight!

Shellac is Shellac, Gelish is Gelish, etc...

 

[salj]

'chinese nail salons' meaning discount salons should be referred to as NSS (non standard salons), there are chinese salons offering good nail services & its unfair to tar them all with the same brush .

Yes this winds me up! AND a lot of them are not even actually Chinese anyway! The family that runs my local salon are Vietnamese.

 

[mysza]

Oooohhh! I love u Guys :* I was looking for correct nail terminology few days ago, and now we have it! Thank you All)

How u tell if u using cover for extended nail bed when we doing longer nails??
[Sorry for my english, hope u will understand me ]

 

[Rubytues]

It's sculpted - Not sculptured!

 

[geeg]

Yes this winds me up! AND a lot of them are not even actually Chinese anyway! The family that runs my local salon are Vietnamese.

Actually they should be referred to as discount salons as they are not all NSS either! Come to that, they are not all discount!

To add .. just because other people don't do something or use the incorrect terminology is no reason to not use it yourself, if you want to sound professional and not confusing. Using the term l&p is less confusing on the forum as all nail products are acrylic; it helps to clarify to all readers. We should be raising the bar, not sinking to the lowest common denominator. There is no reason a person can't change and start to use the correct terminology.

From beauty school 36 yrs ago:
You wash the car, you shampoo hair
You paint a fence, you polish nails

You pluck a chicken, you tease eyebrows!

More
Free edge and not 'the white bit'
Nail plate not nail bed (which is the living tissue that supports the nail plate)
eponychium (living tissue) not cuticle (dead exfoliated skin cells)
I'm sure I could add tonnes more.

and hooray RUBYTUES ... absolutely right!! a scupture is a thing and a noun and the verb for sculpting it is 'to sculpt' so therefore we sculpt nails or make sculpted nails.

 

[PixieBeauty]

Hmm ok then, while I know what NSS salons are - what they offer and what they represent - would anyone care to give a 'definition' of what clearly identifies a salon as NSS? Something I've always struggled with. Apologies for going a little off track xx

 

[geeg]

Hmm ok then, while I know what NSS salons are - what they offer and what they represent - would anyone care to give a 'definition' of what clearly identifies a salon as NSS? Something I've always struggled with. Apologies for going a little off track xx

NSS (Non Standard Salon) really means that the salon produces non standard nails using a monomer that contains MMA. THAT is what makes it non standard. These days people seem to think it means any old salon run by people of Asian extraction. NOT so.