What am I doing wrong?

[jane5]

Hi,
I am new to this site and I am after some advice please. I have been using LCN sculpture gel for a while now but I just seem to take forever to do an infil, why???????
Infils are becoming a nightmare for me now as they can take me up to 2 hours, I dread them. I do get some lifting on some clients and I know my prep is good so I am not sure why this happens but I will file and buff forever.
I watched the other nail tech the other day and she was fast, but she made her client bleed and also burnt her with the file, this is not what I want to be like. I tend to rebalance not infil and I have probably got into bad habits but I need a bit of help as I am so busy and have no more space to fit clients in as I have to leave 2 hours per client unless it is a new set and then it takes me an hour and fifteen, I feel so embarressed by it.
The owner said that I worry too much and I do, but I see so many bad nail techs work that I want to be as good as I can be and people like the fact that I spend time and effort on there nails, but some clients I would like to get done a bit quicker if you know what I mean. !!!!
I hope some one can help me solve this problem, xxxxxxxxxxx

 

[geeg]

Hi,
I am new to this site and I am after some advice please. I have been using LCN sculpture gel for a while now but I just seem to take forever to do an infil, why???????
Infils are becoming a nightmare for me now as they can take me up to 2 hours, I dread them. I do get some lifting on some clients and I know my prep is good so I am not sure why this happens but I will file and buff forever.
I watched the other nail tech the other day and she was fast, but she made her client bleed and also burnt her with the file, this is not what I want to be like. I tend to rebalance not infil and I have probably got into bad habits but I need a bit of help as I am so busy and have no more space to fit clients in as I have to leave 2 hours per client unless it is a new set and then it takes me an hour and fifteen, I feel so embarressed by it.
The owner said that I worry too much and I do, but I see so many bad nail techs work that I want to be as good as I can be and people like the fact that I spend time and effort on there nails, but some clients I would like to get done a bit quicker if you know what I mean. !!!!
I hope some one can help me solve this problem, xxxxxxxxxxx

The biggest time stealer during a rebalance is doing much more than you need to be doing.

It can't take 2 hours each time for an experienced tech like yourself to do a rebalance unless you are having major lifting on all your clients or unless you are doing things you really do not need to be doing.

Just do what you have to do and leave it at that. You don't have to be quick at filing you need to be thorough at filing and efficient and not do more than is necessary.

I see so many technicians removing half the product only to bung it straight back on again .. this is silly and makes no sense at all. Is this you?

 

[jane5]

Thank you for your help, I would like to say I am experianced but I am not, I have been doing nails for a year and a half now and I am sure I am making too much work for myself but I just keep filing off most of the product, this sounds so stupied I know.
Today a client had broken 2 nails and had cracked a further 2 and it just seemed to take forever to get my prep done. I take about an hour to do prep of my clients nails and I also noticed lifting on the sides of her nails.
What am I doing wrong????

 

[geeg]

If you are not seeing lifting on the majority of your clients, but only on some then the problem may be with the client.

Unless I can see you work, I cannot tell you here what you are doing wrong .. no one can.

Maybe it is time to do further training with the company whose products you use?

A year and a half is lots of experience and you say you are fully booked .. you must be doing something right for clients to be happy to return to you.

 

[Deena]

Would it be possible to book yourself some 121 time with your trainer? I had this problem with rebalancing until I did this. She told me, among many other things, that I was doing a rebalance and not a manicure! Your prep shouldn't take that long, but I totally understand where you're coming from. :hug:

 

[jane5]

Thank you for your answers, I am going to Lcn to do some back to basics as I need it.
I am so lucky to be fully booked, I was a mobile tech to start with and by chance got into this salon, this is the best way of learning. all my clients are great and I am loving nails, but I just feel so much pressure to be faster as I have got so busy but I still want to offer a gentle approach.
I can not believe so many of my clients are shocked at how gentle I am with them, as so many have been cut or burnt by files by other salons.

 

[Deena]

Thank you for your answers, I am going to Lcn to do some back to basics as I need it.
I am so lucky to be fully booked, I was a mobile tech to start with and by chance got into this salon, this is the best way of learning. all my clients are great and I am loving nails, but I just feel so much pressure to be faster as I have got so busy but I still want to offer a gentle approach.
I can not believe so many of my clients are shocked at how gentle I am with them, as so many have been cut or burnt by files by other salons.

I was similar to you. Trouble was, I was 'So' gentle that I was just tickling the product when I actually wanted to remove the stuff. No wonder I was at it for ages! :lol:

 

[jane5]

So there is hope for me then?? I just find when there is a bit of lifting I file and file and file. I know I have bad habits as I have had to learn by my own mistakes whilst being mobile. I wish I had gone into a salon with more nail techs though as I could have picked up so much.
I have learnt one thing though, I am shocked at how bad some salons are with nails and the damage I have seen by certain salons is terrible.

 

[geeg]

So there is hope for me then?? I just find when there is a bit of lifting I file and file and file. I know I have bad habits as I have had to learn by my own mistakes whilst being mobile. I wish I had gone into a salon with more nail techs though as I could have picked up so much.
I have learnt one thing though, I am shocked at how bad some salons are with nails and the damage I have seen by certain salons is terrible.

Yes .. probably allot of very bad habits.

You can still be gentle with your file, but FIRM. Holding your files in the most efficient manner helps. See my tutorials File control parts 1- part 4 here in the tutorial section on the site. Nail Finishing and Maintenance - Salon Geek

You can file much more efficiently, and therefore quickly if you use the technique I describe when wanting to remove product.

 

[NoLimitNails]

If I may add to the already great advice given, then it would be to treat yourself with the book 'Nailclass' by Gigi rouse. I did and it actually PREVENTED me of picking up bad habbits when working in a salon.
Now and then I just bring it out and browse through it, and I always get something from it, even if it's just to see I still remember things:green: