Tips on Nail Biters - any advice on where i went wrong?

[vicky2512]

Hi Guys

I went to an interview at a salon who were looking for a Nail Technician, i had to do a trade test and they provided the model.

The model had quite badly bitten nails and not much of a nail bed aslo the nails were very flat and small.

I put on tips and did P&W L&P and they looked lovely when they were finished i cut the tips down and filed them to the height of her finger as she had a baby and didnt want them too long and she was delighted with the result. the manager of the salon was very pleased and offered me the job there and then.

However i have just gone into the salon and the manager said that she had lost a couple of tips - ( this hasnt happned on any client of mine so soon after extentions)

im absolutely mortified, Im Just wondering where i went wrong? did i overfile when blending? i tried to build up over the stress line when applying the l&p or im wondering if it was because i used millenium tips (as i was waiting for my order of velocity) and in experience they take more blending than the creative ones.

is this something that can happen to nail biters or have i done something wrong? ive not had much experience of nail biters so any advice is greatfully recieved.

 

[EllaX]

Could it be down to how this girl looked after them? Maybe she is heavy handed? Also if she is a biter had she been biting the tips for them to come off, biting is a hard habit to break.
I always use creatives formation tips on flat nails and biters HTH

 

[vicky2512]

Hi Rachy,

Thanks for the reply, it could possibly be all of those reasons - i felt so embarrassed when the manager said to me today, she was fine about it - I just apologised and said i had never had that happen to me before so soon after enhancements and all i could put it down to was the fact the nails were so bitten - i offered to replace the missing tips or soak off the remaining if she wanted.

Thank you for your help hun

V xx

 

[Susie H]

new clients are more pron to loosing tips then old hands, it seems to take a while for clients to get used to what you can and can not do with enhancements and this is especially so with cannibals I would replace the tips, and while doing so give her the chat about jewels not tools. She has a bad habit to break and it takes time. unfortunately most of them just give up on the enhancements unless its for something special.
try not to beat your self up to much hun, remember you had less of a canvas to work with then normal:hug:

 

[JDs]

Wow ,, i think you did great considering what you were up against with the client.They gave you the hardest set of hands to do correctly. Well done! You got the job.

And as said before..Once a nail bitter..they will go after the tips also. It takes more than a few days to break yourself of this habit.

 

[Gelly]

When I did my foundation course with Creative, the only model I could find was a bad nail biter! :cry:
My first ever set was going to be on a nail biter!!:lol: I was terrified!

Anyway, I was told by my tutor that because she was a nail biter, I had to use Formation Tips - whether or not this was due to my lack of experience, or that Formation Tips are actually better suited to the task, I'm not sure really!?
Formation are a pain to blend (in comparison to Velocity) but my model did not loose any nails...... I was very pleased when we went back for Day 4!:green:

After 21 years of chewing her fingers to death! She is now having regular LONG P&W NNOs - I am so proud of her!!
Not sure if it really makes a difference, but I always use Formation Tips on Nail Biters!

 

[JoJoPearce]

I use Velocity tips for biters after Geeg's recommendation. See link below:

http://www.salongeek.com/nail-geek/54264-update-salon-job.html

 

[JDs]

Velocity is the only tip I use on anybody. Fit and shape are the best I have ever found and being in this business for over 20 years....I have tried just a few different ones..

 

[IllumeGirl]

Hi Guys

I went to an interview at a salon who were looking for a Nail Technician, i had to do a trade test and they provided the model.

The model had quite badly bitten nails and not much of a nail bed aslo the nails were very flat and small.

I put on tips and did P&W L&P and they looked lovely when they were finished i cut the tips down and filed them to the height of her finger as she had a baby and didnt want them too long and she was delighted with the result. the manager of the salon was very pleased and offered me the job there and then.

However i have just gone into the salon and the manager said that she had lost a couple of tips - ( this hasnt happned on any client of mine so soon after extentions)

im absolutely mortified, Im Just wondering where i went wrong? did i overfile when blending? i tried to build up over the stress line when applying the l&p or im wondering if it was because i used millenium tips (as i was waiting for my order of velocity) and in experience they take more blending than the creative ones.

is this something that can happen to nail biters or have i done something wrong? ive not had much experience of nail biters so any advice is greatfully recieved.

If you over blended you would have noticed surely..with the shape warping or tip splitting? did they look intact to you before overlaying?
How soon after did she come for her refill/rebalance? 2 weekly? IMO nail biters NEED to come back at least two weekly intervals!
Anyway you are not a miracle worker..you can't follow her around and make sure she is looking after them..did you thoroughly advise her and pre book her?
Dont be so hard on yourself..two tips is nothing for a nail biter from my experience,lol!

 

[Teri]

I know your frustrations mate and believe me this comes with most of my nail biting clients.

I had one client who was on a nail biting programme as she was soooo sure she was gonna break the habit, we were going to do it together. I saw her weekly and she bit, picked, mistreated them, pulled them off etc, she was always missing one whenever I saw her, she said she always made sure she had one to nibble which meant she supposedly left the others alone .

As said before this is a hard habit to break and there is hardly a great foundation to build on is there?

Take it on the chin, replace them but be aware that SOMETIMES people aren't always truthful about what happened.:irked:

Teri xx:hug:

 

[VHunter]

You've been given LOADS of good advice.

And as a former biter myself, and as a tech that has several reformed biters, and had a few that I couldn't reform........ I'm inclined to think it was the client that beat up/ate up the nails. Particularly since your other clients have had no such issues.

I have found that for biters, the first 2 to 4 mths are a real drag. Practically doing new sets at fills/balances.
They put their hands in their mouths unconciously putting pressure on the nails, causing weakening and lift.
They put theirs hands in their mouths conciously nipping at their nails
Having not had nails before, they are very rough with their hands and use them differently
They have short nail beds, which to my mind makes for a poor foundation.
If they chip/crack/etc even one nail, they are tempted to eat the rest to "balance things out" cause one broken nail looks horrid (after which I explain, and ask "what looks better? 9 perfect nails and one broken one? OR 10 messy chewed nails?". They think and go "oohhh umm yeah, one broken nail looks better".

Biters are the BIGGEST challenge BUT if you're patient with them, and explain about the temptations, and how they need to change how they use their hands etc etc etc.....
And they truly want to be reformed?
When they are reformed, 2 to 6mths down the road, they are the MOST well behaved clients and the MOST appreciative of your efforts.
It's a huge BOOST.

BUT if you get one, that flat out refuses to admit she chewed/picked them off? AND the evidence is there loud and clear (with damaged nail plate)..... don't waste your time any further. Move on and chalk it up to experience.

Best of luck and congrats on getting the job!!!
:hug:

 

[Classy Claws]

I must be lucky.. I love transforming bitten nails... always sculp them.. and all my ladies leave happy and never put their nails in their mouths again! and they are very very gentle on them until they learn how to use their 'new fingers'

 

[vicky2512]

Thank you all for your good advice - I have taken it all on board, im relitively inexperienced with nail bitters, and i could of just died when I saw this models nails but hey its a learning curve i guess and its highlighted an area to me that i need to concentrate on.

Im really grateful for all your advice and have definately given me some food for thought with regards to aftercare on nail biters etc..

Thank you all so much for your kind words, I feel alot better now and have Stopped beating myself up about it now (only just lol) :hug: