Helen Burton-Ward on how to prep the natural nail
By Sophie Nutt | 17 January 2020 | Feature, Tech Talk
Whether you’re providing a natural nail service or perfecting the nail plate for enhancement application, a thorough consultation is imperative. If you don’t complete a consultation before every service, you may find that you struggle to achieve the desired outcome and may compromise the health of the natural nail. More importantly, you may be at risk of your insurance being invalidated should an issue arise or be worsened through a lack of awareness due to consultation.
I find that having a treatment specific consultation card keeps all of the relevant contra-indications at the forefront of my mind, which, as someone who offers multiple treatments, is not always an easy task. Honing in on all of the small details before beginning a service will help to ensure that you and your client are clear on the expected result.
The steps of a manicure will vary for each nail pro, however ticking to a tried and trusted routine will ensure you’re always working safely and efficiently. As a CNDTM tech, I abide by P.E.P., which stands for:
P: Perform a manicure
– Sanitise: Wash hands with soap and water and use a hand sanitiser such as CNDTM Cool Blue.
– Shape: This involves shaping the nail into the desired shape using a 240-grit file (anything more abrasive can damage the nail). A softer grit also allows you to safely use a multi-directional stroke when shaping and refining.
– Remove any non-living tissue from the nail plate: Do not, under any circumstances, remove living tissue. You may have clients who ask you to remove semi-keratinised tissue from the proximal nail fold (some may refer to this area as the eponychium) but do not. It is your responsibility as the professional to educate your clients on nail health and how to care for their nails correctly. Non-living tissue is the clear, transparent and sometimes tough later found on the plate itself.
E: Eliminate the surface contaminants
P: Purify the nail plate
For those that use a different brand, you will find that although your routine may be similar, products may vary. With any system, I would always recommend that you complete training specific to the products as it will educate you on how to use them safely.
Follow Helen’s natural nail care advice in her columns in Scratch magazine throughout 2020 and follow her nail journey on Instagram.
