Why soak off nails after every few sets?

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but what about bacteria and infections??? if they get under the acrylic nail they can breed and spread and cause damage!
i soak off nails and wouldnt do refills after the 3rd time as you never know whats breeding in there. if the client really wanted the refills doing for the 4th time i would just soak them off and do a full set for the price of the refill as i think its better to be heigenic.
what do you guys think do you think that that is best or is it ok to keep getting refills done continuously?

cheerz selina x

Surely though there wouldn't be any bacteria 'in there' because if you have any lifting, you would file it off leaving the rest of the acrylic firmly adhered to the nail so nothing would have been able to get under the acrylic anyway?

I would just rebalance all the time as they have a set that looks like new once it's been done, unless they were taking a break from nails altogether. I wouldn't soak off for the sake of it.

jmo. xx
 
but what about bacteria and infections??? if they get under the acrylic nail they can breed and spread and cause damage!
i soak off nails and wouldnt do refills after the 3rd time as you never know whats breeding in there. if the client really wanted the refills doing for the 4th time i would just soak them off and do a full set for the price of the refill as i think its better to be heigenic.
what do you guys think do you think that that is best or is it ok to keep getting refills done continuously?

cheerz selina x

This is simply rediculous and you are uninformed or badly informed or using a product that is of low quality. Who told you this needed to be done?? There is absolutely no need to do this at all. Where exactly do you believe bacteria are growing?

I myself wear enhancments for months and months at a time and only renew a set if I feel I want a change of look .. I use a product that does not age if looked after properly .. I could go on for years ... with good maintenance then the product on the nails should never be more than 4 months old anyway as it is constantly being refreshed!!

I think you would benefit from reading Nail Structure & Product chemistry by doug schoone.
 
you should never have to soak off unless you're changing systems. period. everytime you soak off you're damaging the natural nail and the skin around it; acrylic doesn't damage the nail, but removing it does, even removing it correctly, even if it was applied correctly! think about it, acetone MELTS acrylic, obviously its not good for your skin and natural nails. you shouldn't soak off a clients nails because THEY want a new set and think its necessary, YOU are the professional and your job is to put your clients best interests first. its your job to educate them, they should learn at their very first appointment that there is no need to EVER remove their enhancements as long as they come in for regular maintenance (which should include infill/backfill/rebalance). its up to you to give your client the correct type of enhancement for them. if she is planning on keeping her enhancements for a long time and planning on committing to regular maintenance, you should be using white (or whatever color she requests) and pink powder, so you can backfill the white (or colored) tip. if your client is getting enhancements for a short time and not planning to keep them up, using white or colored tips with only pink powder is fine, then she can soak them off and leave her nails natural. for my clients (any myself!:) ) that like to change the color of their tips often or switch from solid to glitter powders, I either use a clear tip, or sculpt the tip with a very thin layer of clear acrylic and then lay the color over it, then when they come in for a fill, if they want to change colors, I just file the tip down to the clear layer and lay the new color over it. I also really stress aftercare to all my clients, I push cuticle oil on them! I advise them to wear gloves when doing dishes or working in water and detergent, I encourage nail savers to my clients who like to tan (great retail opportunity!), and lastly, I do hair myself and a good UV cured top coat prevents haircolor staining extremely well. this method has worked great for me, I have never had to soak off a set to replace it with a new one in nearly 4 years. good luck
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I don't do acrylic myself, but my mentor does and she soaks off her clients every so often. She tells me it's because as the acrylic gets older, it gets more brittle and they break easier. So when her clients experience a lot of breaking nails, she soaks them off and replaces them. Also, the nail just looks bad after so many refills in my opinion.
 
Many clients have been brainwashed into thinking that they need to remove and replace enhancements as you have pointed out. I think re-education is the key here.

A good nail tech will do mainly rebalancing unless they have a new client. It is a myth that sets need to be replaced, this wastes time and is costly for the client.
 
I don't do acrylic myself, but my mentor does and she soaks off her clients every so often. She tells me it's because as the acrylic gets older, it gets more brittle and they break easier. So when her clients experience a lot of breaking nails, she soaks them off and replaces them. Also, the nail just looks bad after so many refills in my opinion.

If they are applied correctly in the first place and rebalanced by a skilled technician using quality products then they will not look any different than when they were first done.
 
Many clients have been brainwashed into thinking that they need to remove and replace enhancements as you have pointed out. I think re-education is the key here.

A good nail tech will do mainly rebalancing unless they have a new client. It is a myth that sets need to be replaced, this wastes time and is costly for the client.[/quote]

If you had a £1 for every time you heard it eh?:lol:
 
I am not a tech, just a consumer- but I have worn enhancements for almost 8 years, and have never 'removed' them. I have people tell me all the time that I need to let my nails 'take a break', which is just nonsense. I did let them grow out a few years ago, when my beloved tech moved to another state. I had a hard time finding someone new that I trusted. My nails were in great shape when they grew out, clearly they did not suffer from being enhanced.

Every time I leave an appointment my nails look brand spanking new. If that is not the case, then your tech is doing something wrong (IMHO).
 
Here are just some info about acetone
Acetone

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The chemical compound acetone (also known as propanone, dimethyl ketone, 2-propanone, propan-2-one and β-ketopropane) is the simplest representative of the ketones. Acetone is a colorless, mobile, flammable liquid with a freezing point of −95.4 °C and boiling point of 56.53 °C. It has a relative density of 0.819 (at 0 °C). It is readily soluble in water, ethanol, ether, etc., and itself serves as an important solvent.
The most familiar household use of acetone is as the active ingredient in nail polish remover. Acetone is also used to make plastic, fibers, drugs, and other chemicals.
Before the invention of the cumene process acetone was produced by the dry distillation of acetates, for example calcium acetate.
In addition to being manufactured as a chemical, acetone is also found naturally in the environment, including in small amounts in the human body.

Health effects
Acetone is an irritant and inhalation may lead to hepatotoxic effects (causing liver damage). The vapors should be avoided. In no circumstance should it be consumed directly or indirectly. Always use goggles when handling acetone; it can cause permanent eye damage (corneal clouding).
Small amounts of acetone are metabolically produced in the body, mainly from fat. In humans, fasting significantly increases its endogenous production (see ketosis). Acetone can be elevated in diabetes. Contamination of water, food (e.g. milk), or the air (acetone is volatile) can lead to chronic exposure to acetone. A number of acute poisoning cases have been described. Relatively speaking, acetone is not a very toxic compound; it can, however, damage the mucosa of the mouth and can irritate and damage skin. Accidental intake of large amounts of acetone may lead to unconsciousness and death.
The effects of long-term exposure to acetone are known mostly from animal studies. Kidney, liver, and nerve damage, increased birth defects, and lowered reproduction ability of males (only) occurred in animals exposed long-term. It is not known if these same effects would be exhibited in humans. Pregnant women should avoid contact with acetone and acetone fumes in order to avoid the possibility of birth defects, including brain damage.
Interestingly, acetone has been shown to have anticonvulsant effects in animal models of epilepsy, in the absence of toxicity, when administered in millimolar concentrations.[7] It has been hypothesized that the high fat low carbohydrate ketogenic diet used clinically to control drug-resistant epilepsy in children works by elevating acetone in the brain.[7]


:eek:Whoa. This is really scary! So does this mean that us nail techs who have acetone being used in the salon on a regular basis are putting ourselves at risk????
 
:eek:Whoa. This is really scary! So does this mean that us nail techs who have acetone being used in the salon on a regular basis are putting ourselves at risk????
There are two types of acetone, industrial acetone and the one used on the human body.
The kind we use isn't going to be putting anyone at risk providing it's used properly and safely.

Think about it... if it were that risky do you really think that we'd be allowed to use it on the general public?

Just as an aside, wikipedia isn't a site that I'd personally use (or recommend) for information such as this, I'd be inclined to read what Doug Schoon has to say about the use of acetone.

Does anyone have his book and fancy sharing his thoughts on this with us all?
 
There are two types of acetone, industrial acetone and the one used on the human body.
The kind we use isn't going to be putting anyone at risk providing it's used properly and safely.

Think about it... if it were that risky do you really think that we'd be allowed to use it on the general public?

Just as an aside, wikipedia isn't a site that I'd personally use (or recommend) for information such as this, I'd be inclined to read what Doug Schoon has to say about the use of acetone.

Does anyone have his book and fancy sharing his thoughts on this with us all?

No but I desperately want it!
 
I'd be inclined to read what Doug Schoon has to say about the use of acetone.

Does anyone have his book and fancy sharing his thoughts on this with us all?

Yep!! Here goes:

"Acetone is a very common and safe salon solvent. Damage to the nail plate from use becomes more likely if used excessively, that is, mnore than once a week. Proper use of these solvents is unlikely to cause damage."

Right, there's a whole section on myths around acetone. Give me 10 mins and I'll post it (need to type it all out frist!)
 
Ok, here you go. Typed word for word from Doug Schoon's Nail Structure and Product Chemistry 2nd Edition:

Myth: Acetone is absorbed through the skin, so it is dangerous

Many chemicals can be absorbed through the skin. Sometimes this can cause harm, but not always! Skin creams, for example, are designed to penetrate the skin. They are not considered dangerous. Just because a chemical is absorbed through the skin doesn’t mean it must be unsafe. In the case of acetone, it is almost impossible fir dangerous amounts to penetrate the skin. Unless you soak your fingers every day in a bowl of acetone for long periods, is it very unlikely to cause serious harm or damage. This is why acetone is safe to use in salons. It is pretty hard to become over-exposed to acetone in the salon.

Myth: Acetone damages the liver or kidneys and causes cancer

Acetone does not cause cancer! Under normal salon use conditions, it is not considered to be dangerous to the liver, kidneys or blood. The only way it could cause these types of problems is if massive long-term overexposure occurs – the kind of overexposure that’s extremely unlikely in the salon. Many other industries use large amounts of acetone without serious complications. Nail technicians need no to worry about suffering internal injury from acetone.

Myth: It is risky to inhale too much acetone

It is risky to breathe too much of anything except air. But nail technicians use relatively small amounts of acetone. It would be uncomfortable to stay in a room that had an unsafe amount of acetone in the air. They eyes would burn, and it would become difficult to breathe. At these high concentrations, acetone has excellent warning properties. In other words, you will know that you need better ventilation long before there’s too much acetone in the air. It is practically impossible to breathe too much acetone in the salon.

Myth: The FDA is going to ban acetone

Nonsense! This is an utterly foolish myth. Acetone is considered to be an extremely safe and useful solvent. The FDA has never even considered banning this important chemical. This is common myth about other chemicals in the nail industry. These rumours are almost always spread by uninformed individuals or someone who wants to crate irrational fear and panic. It’s common to gear that a certain chemical “causes cancer” or “is toxic” or “is going to be banned by the FDA”. Be wary of such claims! They are usually designed to scare you, not inform you. Unscrupulous, greedy marketers will often use these types of claims to frighten you into using their products. Avoid buying anything from people who try and scare you into using their products. These are fear based marketers and they rarely have your best interest in mine.

Myth: Acetone will dry out and damage the natural nail

Acetone can absorb some water from the natural nail plate, but so will the non-acetone solvents commonly used in salons. Even so, this is not an important issue. Normal moisture levels are restored quickly. This temporary change in the surface of the natural nail does not cause damage. In fact, pure acetone is often used to clean the nail plate and improve product adhesion.

Myth: Non-acetone polish removers are safer

False! Sadly, many nail technicians choose non-acetone polish and product removers because they believe they are safer. Although non-acetone substitutes can also be used safely, none is safer that acetone. Non-acetone removers usually use either ether acetate or methyl ethyl ketone as the solvent. Neither is safer than acetone.

hth's

 
I luv a good educated myth-bust/debunking:)
 
I really enjoyed reading that Vetty (how sad am I :lol:)... so much so, I've just bought it.

Think we should start a myth busting thead... has there ever been one of those?
 
I really enjoyed reading that Vetty (how sad am I :lol:)... so much so, I've just bought it.

Think we should start a myth busting thead... has there ever been one of those?

Glad you found it useful, and I wouldn't be without Doug's book.

There have been myth-busting threads but not for a while...... Might be good to start a new one - maybe let people ask questions and then peiople like Geeg, Izzidoll, Nailzoo etc. dispel the myths without making people feel/look daft?
 
Glad you found it useful, and I wouldn't be without Doug's book.

There have been myth-busting threads but not for a while...... Might be good to start a new one - maybe let people ask questions and then peiople like Geeg, Izzidoll, Nailzoo etc. dispel the myths without making people feel/look daft?

Done! I've started the ball rolling with one from last week.
 
Glad you found it useful, and I wouldn't be without Doug's book.

There have been myth-busting threads but not for a while...... Might be good to start a new one - maybe let people ask questions and then peiople like Geeg, Izzidoll, Nailzoo etc. dispel the myths without making people feel/look daft?

Thanks for the vote of confidence ;)
 
We have many clients in our salon who have not soaked off for years!

Nobody enjoys soaking off, so if you rebalance properly and regularly and use a good high-end system you are more likely to keep clients on a long-term basis, don't you agree?

If you think your rebalancing skills are lacking, get in touch with your Educators and they will be able to assist. If you think your product can't live up to constant rebalancing look around for another supplier.

As someone who is currently soaking off for training purposes (one hand at a time so that I can still Geek, lol) I have to say it's one of my least favourite things to do:irked:
 

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