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    

    

If you're ever in Woodstock and need your nails done....

Right in the heart of the town is the prettiest little place
to stop in and get the best in nail services available.



It's clean, very professional and well equipped
and quite comfortable.

Be sure to tell them
The Castle Lady
sent you...

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Part Two: Four Don'ts

There are four things wrong with the following nail art photo:

The first is that it breaks my esthetic rule of not having the same identical design on each nail.

The color is atrocious.

Avoid green on nails for the same reason you shouldn't mix the colors orange and purple.

Duckbill-shaped nails will always be out the same way clogs were always ugly.

They only belong where they appear in nature.

They are a sure signature of a total amateur.

Drug czars on nails are the political equivalent of nails on a chalkboard.

Don't do it. Ever.

Sage advice from

The Castle Lady

Acupuncture or Accupressure ?

     Quite a few people are into the Asian wellness practices perhaps because they seem like a more natural approach than the Western medical services that we have come to accept as the tried and true. I sit somewhere in the middle of all of it and I can give you a very good reason for my reluctance to jump into the water with both feet on eastern and western medicine. (Pun intended.) I believe, in most cases, that people are often their own best doctors if they make an earnest effort to get in touch and in tune with their bodies. This is not such a difficult task if you are willing to pay attention to habits (good or bad) and maybe even make notes about reactions to the world around you. How your body deals with environment, what you eat and breathe, hygiene and the way you take care of yourself plus the status of your interpersonal relationships is a determinant for your health- not necessarily what Dr. Oz says ! 

     This month I want to focus on a particular practice that I feel has a good basis- which is acupuncture. Many people who will not go for this extreme in Eastern practices should know that there is a way of using the sound principle of this practice without the extreme of using something as invasive and potentially dangerous as needles to cause the effects. Below, you will see a scaled down graph for both feet. This graph concerns the portion of your foot which makes contact with the floor or ground. It is specifically a reflexology chart which is used by reflexologists. This chart is the basis of the 5,000 year old practice that's used by acupuncturists and reflexologists alike. This only concerns the feet, in truth, and not the hands although there is a corresponding chart for the hands which are pitched toward licensed manicurists like myself. When the hand charts came out with the book titled, The Reflexology Workout  I recognized the practical use but it is not necessarily the same meridian lines which intersect throughout your body as is laid out in the Asian practice which I studied in another book originally- Reflexology by Maybelle Segal. Traditionally, it only involved the feet.

     In a nutshell, the foot chart will show how every area on your foot corresponds with another area of your body through these unseen meridian lines. The core of your body organs can be located in specific areas on the heel to arch to the top portion of the bottom of your foot while the face, neck and sinuses correspond with your toes and instep. If you decide to study this further on your own, I urge you to buy or borrow the two books I just mentioned to get a more detailed run-down on this branch of holistic practices. If you intend on using the services of a reflexologist I urge you to educate yourself first because it is not regulated by any board, medical or otherwise that I know of- certainly not in Colorado- and you need to know if, in fact, the person attempting this practice on you has credentials to do so. Educating yourself will be important if not crucial.

     Personally, I have self-educated myself in the practice and use the back-up of my Cosmetology State Board manicuring licenses as the proper credentials and have done very well. Many people that have come to me for pedicure/reflexology services have stayed loyal to me for decades! Acupressure is the art of manipulating and putting a little more pressure through massage to these points on the foot which corresponds to another area of your body. This will either stimulate or cause the organ or area in question to respond through pressure-touching to normalize. That is the basic theory behind it.  It is not invasive in the way that acupuncture can be, obviously, so you are not risking infection of any kind from a licensed practitioner.

     Why are the feet or hands the primary target? Our branch of reflexology uses the theory that the sole of your foot is the map of your entire body. Originally it was termed zone therapy by reflexologists who may massage your entire body. If a pedicurist/reflexologist finds extra sensitivity to pressure in one spot, for example, or find a tiny knot it can target trouble for another area of your body. An example would be that if I were to find sensitivity on the midpoint, far right side on the bottom of your right foot there may be some trouble with your spleen!  But if I find a knot on the same area on your left foot you might have gall bladder or liver damage.

     The act of massaging may stimulate some blocked meridian lines to detoxify or liquefy a blockage. If believing that what happens on your feet can affect your heart or head seems too farfetched you can also grasp the fact that when you were once tinier than a tadpole the cells that became your feet were once very close to those cells that formed the rest of you. Reflexologists have, in effect, proven that it's possible that stimulating nerves in the feet causes reflexive actions in other parts of the body and, if nothing else, may at least indicate some internal problems you may be unaware of at present but could mean trouble in the near future.

     Each and every person who comes to me for additional reflexology services gets a free booklet which will show you a precise chart with what I have found, what areas I have stimulated and instructions for doing follow-ups along with additional information on the different kinds of foot workouts you may do on your own. I always like to make sure that I have educated my client well. Knowing is believing and happiness personified. Believe it !    .

      

Don't hesitate to leave a comment if you have any questions !

The Castle Lady     

Bromhidrosis and other stinky problems

     It's time to talk about pedicures and taking care of the feet. As a licensed manicurist I've been waiting on women hand and foot for a little over thirty-six years but I can honestly say there isn't any aspect of the nail business that I don't like doing and pedicures are one of those duties which I enjoy every bit as much as doing nail art. I really mean what I just said. As a nail technician and particularly for the beauty business in general, there is no greater feeling, as far as I'm concerned, than to help someone feel better about themselves and promote their health in the bargain. Getting a good pedicure is right up there with the best aids to getting rid of stress that you can name- every bit as stress relieving as doing yoga.

     Many people are very touchy about their feet, however. One out of every ten people will get a pedicure at least once in their lifetime. I don't think that's a healthy number. Honestly, if you have never had one you're missing out on relaxation and pampering that is unsurpassed. When I have to do my own feet it's still better than not being able to get a pedicure at all. I can feel totally fatigued but after a good foot massage I'll feel re-energized enough to run a marathon. There is no better experience in the world and I guarantee those words. 

     One reason a person may not want to do a pedicure is because they're embarrassed about foot odor. Here's a Catch-22 that needs to come out in the open, once and for all. Some of my best cures are dealing with foot odor. Once you get to the reason for it and get therapy for the cause then it's one issue that will make you glad you got over the embarrassment and dealt with it. The reason can vary from having foot fungus to merely needing to throw away a pair of shoes. The actual odor is telling so don't hesitate to get out there and get some help. Make sure you seek someone who has been doing pedicures as long as I have and that they seem as knowledgeable when you bring up the subject. I've probably performed about a thousand pedicures through the years so I know my stuff and I think I've seen just about everything including missing toes and fallen arches, which of course, is not reparable. My point, however, is that nothing bothers or embarrasses me and I like helping people solve their hand, foot and nail problems.

     Let me give you an idea of what you can expect when you arrive for a pedicure service in a licensed salon. You will either be seated, on arrival, in a special pedicure spa unit complete with a comfortable massaging recliner or seated in regular seating and your feet placed in a separate foot bath. Either way, you'll see the same implements as is used for a manicure, soaking in a disinfectant preparation and your footbath will be pre-sanitized and ready with a warm to hot foaming foot soak. After you have soaked for at least fifteen minutes, each foot is drawn out of the water, separately, for work on trimming the nails, the cuticles and then the foot overall with callous removal, cleanup and massage. The finish, if you choose it, will be polishing the toes. That's optional, of course, but done as a regular practice for most technicians. Other steps may be added such as special foot scrubs, special applications for cleansing, drawing out impurities and products applied for refined exfoliation. Many products can make the difference between a good pedicure and a great one. The more knowledgeable the technician, chances are you'll see a plethora of products being used. Don't be too shy to ask what is being used and why- I have always felt that an informed customer is generally a happier customer overall.

     As usual, I welcome any questions you may have and will be glad to reply in an e-mail or in the comments.