Internet DIY vs The Professional Manicure

     I’m starting to become alarmed at the ridiculous and downright conning that is going on in so-called amateur video tutorials, professional-looking web sites that claim to teach people how to do their own nails for $49 (without creds to teach, of course !), DIY nail product selling with dubious tools and products and all types of chicanery in the amateur manicure and nails industry. I cannot emphasize enough that any article, web site, video, T.V. or internet merchandizing that tells you that you can do your own nails with the same knowledge and skill and as good as (or better than) a licensed professional is just a scam to take your money and run.

     The internet videos go on and on with their free advice and clumsy demonstrations (on their own hands, invariably) and impart more misinformation than I have ever read in magazine articles! The other night I watched a video by someone who calls herself a nails enthusiast. She’d taken her acrylics off which she claims has been professionally done for a decade. Taking it upon herself to remove them caused obvious damage to her nails in addition to the damage that the so-called professional did by using a drill on her- and showed how she ‘got her nails back to health’ by rubbing garlic on the ends of her fingers, later digging her fingers into lemons cut in half, etc. Her claims for each one of these was about as far-fetched as any old wives’ tale remedies and it goes on so long that I realized she took months making this long, drawn-out video to the point that I started to think that watching paint dry might be more interesting ! ! OY-VAY ! Not a bit of this video was in any way professional advice nor did it show me anything to prove her point. As a matter of fact it was sheer torture listening to and watching this enthusiast  bungle around with her nails for no less than a half hour. Let me set the record straight right now. Garlic will not make your nails grow faster. Lemons will not whiten your nails but they will make them extremely brittle over a period of time. Professionals use nail white paste or pencils. French manicures are done with a temporary enamel or gel finish.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RO_cmsjfgE&pbjreload=10

     I have been doing nails now for forty-one years and when someone sits down at my table I educate them about why I do certain manipulations, use products and tools a certain way and how to go about home maintenance should it ever be necessary. The latter I mentioned is a very rare incidence since I urge my clients to come for regular care if they want to keep up the look I have achieved for them. I don’t know why anyone would think that because they had their nails done by someone for years that they can ‘figure it all out for themselves’ from now on; Perhaps even thinking that they can teach someone else how to manicure or put on acrylic with info that is over their heads is nonsense. Once someone goes to a professional tech- licensed or not- they would know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that they could not match the expertise of the work just by messing around with their home remedies or products which can be bought in a Consumer Beauty Supply Store. (Most professionals will not use any product which shows up in a Consumer Beauty Supply for a good reason. Professional Supply Houses drop any product which shows up, under license, in a Consumer Beauty Supply, also, by the way.) I do not recommend that anyone ever go to a non-licensed professional nail tech. The sanitation/ cross-contamination risk is one factor but the damage from incorrect overuse of drills is another reason I would advise potential patrons to avoid them. Another reason is that many of these non-licensed professionals can’t do a simple manicure on hands. They haven’t the expertise or the proper equipment.

  

( cuticle knives sold on internet )

  

     Manicure implements are being sold on the internet which have been banned by the State Boards or have gone out of use by professionals because they have been phased out or proven unsafe or ineffective. One such implement is the cuticle knife (pictured above) which is referred to in consumer-directed ads, sometimes, as dual-ended cuticle trimmers. These implements are not used or recommended by professionals or cosmetology schools. I believed they were banned until I saw them all over the internet to be purchased by consumers recently. I have seen the damage, personally, caused by these horrific-looking implements and it takes a long time to get cuticles to behave and look normal after someone has used them. There is no correct way to use these implements to avoid the damage they do. The actual blade cannot be controlled- it is a non-movable part- and is nearly impossible to use without overcutting. Incidentally, I believe these may be a copy of a surgical tool once used by podiatrists to remove hangnails and agnails (toes) before they cause ingrown toenails. I saw two videos on the internet of amateurs showing how they use these unsafe implements to trim cuticles and loose skin and the videos looked edited.

     Any cutting of loose skin around the cuticle line or the actual cuticle is removed by a professional with a cuticle nipper. If you look close we all have different-looking nippers which would give a consumer the wrong impression. There are two features however which are invariable and make our training a bit easier. These are the two blades that meet and curved handles which fit the hand for complete control. I have watched consumers use these implements which can be bought in any drugstore. A professional could use these, technically, and would probably do a superior job. Consumers use nippers like they are plucking their eyebrows ! A huge no-no. This only causes a worse problem than they started out with and the damage is painful to watch. If you care about your health at all don’t use these implements unless you can get a nail tech or professional to show you how to use it correctly.

     Curved end toenail clippers have made a comeback in mail order and I can tell you what’s wrong with them if you’ll hear me out. Toenails should only be cut straight across in order to prevent ingrown toenails. If you cut the side of the nail with a curved blade you will most certainly get ingrown toenails. It happened to me when I was very young and it took a podiatrist doing the almost unthinkable in order to straighten the problem out. Only soaking the nails in sanitized, soapy warm water to soften the nails will prevent reoccurrences. Therefore you would never want to use a curved blade on your toenails- only a straight, flat blade. The ads are made to appear as if it’s easier to use these implements but the damage you’ll inevitably do with them will be difficult and time-consuming to correct by a doctor or professional.

     Two ads for fungus cures showed up in coupon inserts, recently, in my newspaper so no matter where you live in the states you’ll see these ads. It looks like the manufacturers finally did their homework but the consumer should read everything well. Fungicure claims to kill 6 types of fungus but doesn’t say what these types are or how to detect them. I suppose some information is on the inside of the package but if you want to save yourself some money my advice is to get in contact with the company at www.fungicure.com and ask them every question you can think of and find out how the product works. Lamisil cream was directly opposite that ad and I know personally that it’s highly effective on athlete’s foot only. The way the ad looks, one may be having diabetic pains and think they have fungus! In very fine print the ad tells you that their triple action formula is for treating athlete’s foot where it’s the most difficult to get rid of- between the toes! A longstanding client of mine had a case that wouldn’t go away and she periodically showed me the progress of its use over a period of time and we were both pleased with the outcome. Both of these products must be used exactly as directed and no other way.

     Some people believe that they should only go to a podiatrist with all their foot needs but I know for a fact that many podiatrists send people to professional pedicurists to get normal foot care. They don’t bother with such- beyond showing people how they should cut their toenails. The first reason is that they don’t have time to sit and do an actual pedicure on patients. Even they concede that the patient is better off going to a professionally licensed pedicurist than relying on them for such a time-consuming task. Many of their patients have serious problems and they prefer to work at what they were educated to do. 
    

One more thing... would you let anyone hook this thing up to your big toe? Didn't think so. OY OY OY ! It looks like some sort of torture device. NOT !

     

Magazine Misinformation

     Today I want to tackle the issue of how you should dissect the misconceptions and downright deceptive information which is published in all sorts of periodicals and magazines about manicures. I recently retrieved a full page article I found in the November 2013 issue of Prevention Magazine titled, “Your Healthy Manicure How-To”. The following is the article verbatim:

Avoid salon chemicals (and potential infections) with these five simple at-home steps

1. File your nails Hold an emery board parallel to your nail’s edge. File across, then round out the corners.

2. Soften your skin Microwave a bowl of lotion for 10 seconds, then soak your fingers in it for 60 seconds.

3. Care for cuticles Don’t trim cuticles; they protect nails from infection. Gently push them back with a damp cloth.

4. Smooth ridges  Run a nail buffer, like OPI Brilliance Block ($6; ulta.com), back and forth across your nails to smooth vertical lines.

5. Polish  Polish fortifies the nail. Try peptide-infused toxin-free Dermelect ME in Sophisticate ($14; dermelect.com).

   It further states, on a side bar, to reconsider your polish remover by advising you to try a nourishing one like A Beautiful Life Soy Polish Remover ($20; abeautifullife.com), stating that the acetone is replaced by soy!

*

    Most of this article is not only in error, a large amount of it is even dangerous advice and naïve, at the least. The first premise which is completely false is that you will be avoiding potential infections without proper sanitation and educated precaution. None of the info in this article alerts you to this fact and given the likelihood that readers of this magazine consider it to be backed by medical professionals- the premise is totally inexcusable.

     No less than three sources were listed for the support of this article. They are Zoe Draelos, MD from Duke University; Richard Scher, MD, Weill Cornell Medical College and last, but not least, Donna Perillo from Sweet Lily Natural Nail Spa. The latter source could’ve lent a credible and experienced source were it not for the fact that many nail spas are not regulated by Barber/Cosmetology Boards nor any other licensing board at present. In fact, the words ‘nail’ in conjunction with ‘spa’ may be an indication that the nail technicians hired may not be professionally licensed personally. State boards across almost all states in the U.S. require a person’s license to be displayed prominently in or above their stations. To know for sure, look for them and if you don’t see credentials that match your techs name with the official state logo on it then most likely you are not safe from potential infections. Look to see if implements to be used are actively soaking in disinfectant solution. Is the table clean? Both manicurist and patron must wash their hands prior to the service. These are just some of the precautions.

     Assuming that you still want to try to work on yourself, re-read the five steps above and I’ll tell you why they’re wrong and written by someone who did not speak with a licensed professional at all- leave alone two doctors. Emery boards cannot be sanitized and therefore are potential hazards. Licensed professionals use materials kinder to the nails than a standard emery board and most of these filing implements can be sanitized. Microwaving a bowl of any lotion you have available will create a disastrous effect. Professionals use preparations specifically formulated to emulsify when they are heated and they have apparatuses which will heat the hot oil nail soak to a proper temperature which can be controlled.

      Licensed professionals can trim your cuticles and generally do if anything is extraneous and a potential to worsen if the cuticles are unkempt or forward growth needs to be cleaned off of the nail plate. Cuticles unattended need softening and to be trimmed where they are loose or jagged. This is our job and is best left to us because we were trained how to deal with these issues with our specific implements. It is our raison d’etre. Compris ? If you must do this yourself, wash your hands thoroughly being sure to wet the hands thoroughly for five minutes in warm water. When you dry your hands just gently push back on the cuticle lines with a towel and then leave them alone.

    

The rest of the article starts pushing products which are generally only used by professionals! This article is suggesting that perhaps it might be a good idea to use products that you have not been educated to use correctly- and then tells you the wrong way to use them- to the tune of no less than $40. I’m fairly certain that a manicure of this caliber in a licensed salon would not set you back that far in cash and you’ll rest assured knowing that this person most likely knows how to use them correctly.

     The OPI Brilliance Block is intended for finishing artificial nails- not to try to excoriate ridges on a natural nail. What may initially feel smoother to you will eventually start cracking right along those ridges or lines because you have removed the top tissue which fuses the nail together as a layered unit- being as how your nail is actually epithelial tissue- (horny tissue)!

  

   Regular polish is a fortifier for nails-true! But a peptide-infused version without the so-called toxic three (dibutyl pthylate, formaldehyde, toluene) will most likely bubble after a manicure done with heated lotion. I doubt that anyone is going to like spending $14 on a bottle of polish only to have it look like they have some weird nail disease. I’ll be brutally honest here and tell you that probably an old polish you have on your vanity table would do just fine and won’t hurt you a bit. Here’s another hot flash! I haven’t a clue how soy could be formulated to take polish off ! Whatever they’d have to do to the soy I’m sure it wouldn’t work or if it did you may not want it to. So much for avoiding salon chemicals. It might be worth it to try taking off that insidious gel polish that chips but won't come off. In that case, it would be worse than ketone from which acetone is a diluted version- right!

Just setting the record straight !

The Castle Lady

The Truth about Haute Polish

About a month ago I happened to be channel surfing the T.V. when one of those hour long commercials came up and decided to keep watching because the subject was a nail product. If you haven't heard of Haute Polish by now, then you're just not keeping up with the latest DIY trend that's sure to have lots of people trying to save the finish on their kitchen and card tables in homes all across the United States. Haute Polish (they pronounce it like the word HOT, not the French pronunciation which sounds like the word hoe with a t ) is not polish and it isn't particularly hot either, unless you stay under those UV lamps for too long. It is a gel product pitched to consumers assuring all women that they don't need to go to the salon anymore for their hands to look fabulous.

     Before I touch on some finer points concerning this redundant pitch I'd like to point out that any product out there that claims to be able to replace getting licensed professional services is nearly always questionable. Do you really want to spend precious time at home trying to figure out how to do work on yourself that is best left to a professional? I know all about gel polish products and quite frankly my experience with such is that it doesn't perform as well, in many situations, as doing a hot oil manicure with the professionals-only base, top and color enamel that I use, not only on my clients but also myself. I can go more than 2 weeks with traditional manicure products on my natural nails without touching-up. Usually, I don't push the letter and do my nails weekly because regular care in a timely fashion wins over any overlay- every time !

     You know what I most don't like about gel polish ? It's the removal. You cannot use regular polish remover to take it off. I know women quite well because I've been working on their nails now for many decades. They will first try to see if they can get Haute Polish off with regular nail enamel remover. It will not come off with regular polish remover and the more you continue to try, the more you will dry out your cuticles, nails and the skin around your nails. The special remover pockets they tell you to use aren't any kinder to the same. The foil inside the pockets amplifies the acetone remover inside it and fries anything it touches- namely, the entire ends of the fingers ! The T.V. ad depicts professionals soaking women in acetone remover and I'm sure some have tried to take it off this way. It will come off, still very laboriously and to a great extent will turn your nails into brittle stubs, eventually. There is no easy way to get it off and I'm telling you this with great concern.

     Toward the end of the ad a woman who has been supposedly doing her own nails with the Haute Polish system says that she would nick her polish after leaving the salon- which makes me believe she left a bit too soon or something was wrong with the polish applied to her nails. Nicked polish is more likely to chip- professional job or no. On the strength of this bad experience which she must never have brought up to her manicurist, she has taken on the job with Haute Polish. In truth, I have never had to wait longer than fifteen minutes for the professional enamel I use to dry- nick proof. I run through a lot of polish and don't try to keep them past a certain amount of time. Polishes that take longer than 20 minutes to dry will never dry and need to be thrown away and replaced with a new bottle. Furthermore, I've been doing nails so long that polish which is old and needs to be thrown out has a certain smell- like rotten bananas- which only I seem to be able to detect. A brand new polish can dry within a few minutes- all four coats.

     Very briefly, during the ad, a 'celebrity' manicurist by the name of Chantalynn is interviewed and she states that Haute Polish is liquid polymer and that is why it must be placed under a UV lamp in order for it to be cured properly. If it is truly a liquid polymer it must be cured with the lamp and any attempt to defeat this with some other kind of lamp will not work. Also, very briefly, they state that it is low exposure to UV light but at that proximity is nothing more than a blatant lie. Caveat Emptor. Using UV light may cause skin cancer under the nails and its appearance is that of hair-thin black, vertical lines which can run the entire length of the nail. Small hematomas can also look like this but can be scraped out from underneath the nail when it approaches the free-edge (white tip). Skin cancer cannot be scraped out because it is embedded in the nail. 

     I also found that the pitch for Haute Polish is very misleading in other respects. Numerous times the consumer is sold on how easy it is to apply- just like a polish- and how quickly you can dry the polish under the lamps- if you do all the steps correctly as they tell you to do it. The ad states that it will not chip and shows a woman gleefully clacking her nails together as if that was the only impact a nail ever receives. They state that there are no detectable harmful fumes! When I checked out their web site I found that there are no less than 9 videos which they recommend that you watch before you start. They are all on the web site but you may want to spend a good part of an afternoon watching them all if you don't want to end up with problems or a mess which will drive you and the rest of your family crazy. They also state, but not emphatically, that it is healthier for your nails than regular polish. Here again they are caught in a complete fabrication. I would like to get a good look at their MSDS to know that for sure. Gel nails- which are full nail enhancements and not liquid polymer, used like polish- grip the natural nail in a completely different way than acrylic overlays. Natural nails are porous and so allow acrylic to grip inside the pore of the nails but gel nails sit on top of the pore- like a plunger- and remain in place mostly through air-pocket suction, therefore doing less damage once removed. It can appear as though they are more natural and therefore healthier. A manicurist/nail technician who has done her homework will know that even regular polish can do damage to a nail if it is removed improperly. Remember that when we put an invasive finish on the nail it must be removed right in order for it not to do any damage. The easiest way to achieve removal is with the correct product. I have seen women try to pry gel product off of their nails as if they were peeling polish. It appears that this can be easily done. Not so and not without damage.

     The last problem I want to address is the chipping issue because it's brought up continually throughout the entire commercial. Chipping can be caused by many things but persistent chipping and in the same areas each time is the result of permanent fissures, damage or corrugations and ridges in the nails. It has nothing to do with the polish at all. The gel polish removal system will aggravate this problem and, after a time, the chipping problem will come back with a vengeance because of the harsh chemical in the removal packets required to be used.

     Over and over again the monetary deal offered is also brought up and I'd have to say that the price is minimal- plus they offer a second kit free for you to give away or gift to family or friends. This deal will tempt every woman out there because it's cheaper than what they'll spend on one professional manicure. However, you only receive one or two colors to use and I checked out the club price for additional colors and it is high- $12 each ! There is a detailing wand which helps you get Haute Polish off your skin when you are attempting to do your professional-looking  polish job yourself. It's rather pricey as well but they throw in the first one for free. The stated retail value on the system is $119 which is about what a professional manicurist will pay for the materials on her professional gel nails system. It appears to me that the owner of Haute Polish is used to dealing with professional manicurists and decided to undercut them by selling to their clients. They're telling women, in essence, "Why are you paying this person that kind of money to do your nails when you could probably do just as good as them for a whole lot less?" Now, they are hitting below the belt. They are also wrong. They don't think you can even get polish on your nails without dashing it across your cuticles! It insults both the client and the professional. Not nice.

     As I watched all these women proclaiming how they have been freed from the time tyranny at the salon I started to think about all the steps I go through in doing a manicure. A manicure is not just four coats of polish. I go through no less than sixteen steps of work while doing my manicures- removal of old polish, clipping, filing and smoothing the nails, soaking the hands in hot oil, hand and arm massage, application of cuticle remover, nudging cuticle back and cleaning it, cutting loose cuticle, cleansing the nail, buffing the nails and finally four steps in polishing. Repairing requires more steps, of course. Mild repairs are generally not charged extra at my salon. This is what takes the better part of an hour. Drying your polish takes almost no time at all in comparison to most of the manicure but apparently this is what women believe they are paying for exclusively.

     So, the next time you treat yourself to a professional manicure be sure to tip your manicurist if you think her work is better than your own. You'll be saving money by comparison to the denizens of the Haute Polish revolution !

With care,

The Castle Lady

Beautiful Nails are Healthy Nails

   

  I recently had a weird experience visiting a nail salon in a neighboring town to Denver which I won't name. It serves no purpose to call down a business which is so obviously ailing on its own and I'm certain that we should all heed the message of this entry, whether a salon professional or consumer. I hope the techs of the nail salon in question are doing active research and find this entry because they need to read this the most.

     One day I happened to be in an out of the way area- at least for myself- and I needed a natural nail repaired. Many of my readers won't know that I don't consistently wear artificial nails. I will use the materials if it warrants it. I do repair my nails with acrylic, silk or gel but only if it's absolutely necessary. There are all kinds of breaks and chips in natural nails which can be repaired with nail glue itself. Shock ! Shock !

     I asked several people around the municipal township outside Denver the location of the nearest nail salon and everyone I asked happened to know for certain that there was one nearby but I could not see an obvious sign and everyone's directions were different. Finally, I walked into a full service beauty salon and a stylist stopped her work in the middle of a hair cut to take me outside and point me in the right direction. I finally found it and walked in and was immediately besieged by about ten nail techs- all appeared to be Asian- and they immediately looked at my hands. I asked if I could get a nail repaired and the owner came through the throng immediately and informed me that I could get a manicure or a set of nails.

     I asked, incredulously, "I can't get my nail repaired ?"

     She said, "No."

     As I was turning to leave I looked straight at her while I shook my head, with a genuine smile, and left- with my broken nail still broken. My parting words to her were, "Well, I can fix it." I'm sure she realized as I parted that a golden opportunity to learn something she didn't know walked out the door- never to return- to say nothing of the fact that it's just bad business to say 'no' to a customer!

     Since that day I've had an even deeper appreciation for all I've learned in my thirty-seven years of being a professional manicurist/nail technician. What's surprising to me is that something as basic as learning how to mend or repair a natural nail has gotten lost somewhere along the way. I don't believe for one minute that women have stopped breaking nails. What has ended, for most, is the true craft of artificial nail technology. Many women are convinced or are being convinced that they can do a manicurist's job just as well as they do or better and maybe in some cases they are right.

     My visit to that nail salon has convinced me of one thing. If they can't repair a nail, natural or

artificial, then they don't know much of anything. It's completely unprofessional and in my opinion should be scrutinized by our state boards. There are even greater issues going on in these unlicensed salons, so if they don't serve the public on basics how will they handle issues of disease borne of cross-contamination? How will they recognize nail disease or conditions? Do they really know how to sterilize their implements, their tables or their stations ? When I went to Cosmetology School I did 70 hours of instruction and practice in sterilization alone. Does that sound like a simple matter? It isn't and that is why I am licensed and many of them aren't. Next time you decide to have a professional manicure or other hand or foot related services check to make sure the salon and your technician are actually licensed. It is important that you safeguard your health when you're getting a personal service. Unlicensed means unschooled.

The Castle Lady

Gel Mania

     I'm sure by now you've been at least teased with the notion that you can have salon results with the gel consumer products which are being pitched by Sally Hansen and all the rest of the consumer beauty products available in regular drugstores and consumer beauty supply outlets. They sound promising but how many women do you know, personally, that are actively doing their own gel nails and bragging about the results? None? That's what I thought. The reason could be that it's not a simple matter removing them, for one, even by the professional. It's so much easier to remove regular nail polishes that I wonder why women would bother with these products on their own once they know the inherent difficulties.

     The so-called popularity is mostly a result of over-pitching product (i.e. keep repeating the product slogans and promises over and over again and I'm sure we'll sell hundreds of these kits!) and not placing professional services in their rightful place. The following link was actually intended for professionals to use but I can tell you from my many years of professional practice that I have never learned a single process I do (and they are myriad!) by watching a video. A good part of my knowledge attained outside of beauty college has been by attending professional shows and expos and signing up for training directly from the manufacturer's representatives who are, often, a working professional just like myself.  

    

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJcN-I660QA&feature=player_detailpage

     I have discovered that following a manufacturer's precise directions gets better results than asking consumers what works on their nails- as they blunder along in amateur video land. An individual's efforts could never take the place of professional experiential, tried and true results from those who make it their business to please hundreds upon hundreds of customers. Through the years, when I have worked on new clients, their experiences in DIY sessions (that they are willing to relate) have bordered on frustration, wasted time and cleaning up the mess they make- not just on their hands but their makeshift work areas.

     Whether you're seeking an easy gel use- such as gel polish or going into actual gel veneers, which are longer-wearing and semi-permanent, you'll want to know a little bit more about what kind of product you're actually putting on your nails and why it has to be applied and removed a certain way. I do like the ease of gel application. It is odorless but not harmless because it is much more invasive than nail polish. I have found that the claim of no-chipping for modern day gels is erroneous in some cases. It depends on the state of the natural nails in question. Each person's nails are different and that is one of the reasons that I rarely diagnose a problem for a client (or potential client) without a one-on-one consultation session. If you have experienced a lot of chipping with regular polish for a period of time, gel will also chip. It's a difficult problem that can't be corrected with a different product. Often, a client has to go without using products on their nails until they're healthy again. I have a five step program for rehabilitating chip damaged nails.   

     The first gel product I worked with was veneers and extensions through Zotos Lightstrokes. They weren't completely odorless but they were pleasantly scented. As a three-coat application it imparted inner strength with outer durability and application was faster and longer-lasting than acrylics. I did this product for about five years with great success on select clients and then Zotos dropped the line entirely when consumers started buying a consumer product called Lume'.

     I humored the women that thought they could do this procedure themselves and actually tried the product only because Lightstrokes was no longer available. I discovered that Lume' was a one layer gel which peeled off readily so I quit doing gel nails entirely. Acrylic was better than this hostess party gel product that gave millions of women the idea that they could do the work of a professional on themselves. I saw a few Lume' monstrosities for about a year and then saw them no more.

     If the gel polish still seems like something you'd like to try, I will personally recommend going with CND Shellac instead at any salon which promotes and uses this product. The removal system is a snap for the professional and the product is wonderfully durable and lives up to its promises. If a salon advertises that they use Shellac and then divert you to some other product- run, do not walk out of the salon and make sure you're getting Shellac somewhere else. It's a superior product for the no-chip promise.

Only the best professional advice from

The Castle Lady