How to tailor nail treatments to male clients

Tomorrow (3 October 2018) marks National Boyfriend Day and, with male grooming continuing to rise in popularity, it is more important than ever to be inclusive of both male and female throughout your services.

Inclusivity can be boasted through your salon interior, treatment menu, marketing and product choices, so it’s worth taking a look at these elements of your business to ensure that you’re targeting a wider clientele and making men feel comfortable in approaching you treatments.

Male clients can often suffer with conditions such as dry cuticles and brittle and dry, peeling and weak or bruised nails, so be prepared and have tailored nail care treatment products to hand. “Men’s hands are generally more neglected, so you are more likely to see problems such as hang nails, overgrowth of cuticles, white spots and split or broken nails,” comments Rachel Gribble, Salon System educator.

As with every other treatment, a thorough consultation is vital to understand how to treat each specific client and to learning about any individual needs. “Male skin and nails vary as much as women’s so it’s important to complete their client record card, not only to comply with legislation but also because you need to understand what our client’s skin goes through on a day-to-day basis in order to recommend the right treatment plan to them,” reveals Liz Richards, national salon sales manager for Cuccio.

“The man-icure is a fabulous treatment and men are often surprised by the results and improvements to their hands, particularly if they are manual workers and have developed hard skin or calluses,” – Jennie Nippard, master educator for Nail Harmony UK.

When adapting nail treatments to entice male clientele, ensure manicures are kept timely but still include an option of how the client would like his nails finished. “Keep male manicures short (30 minutes is ideal) with an option to upgrade to a longer treatment if they wish,” suggests Charlotte Lowe, Jessica Nails educator. “Longer treatments could include a lower arm massage or heated mittens, which are also a great option to really hydrate and help the products to penetrate deeper into the skin.”

“Give your male clients an option of nail finish. For example, left bare, with a treatment base coat cuticle oil, matte finish or polish.” When initially enticing men to get their nails done, however, it is important to address them specifically on your treatment menu: or create a male-specific treatment menu and charge accordingly. “Ensure you market the treatment as a men’s manicure on your price list,” adds Charlotte. “They may be more likely to book if they can see it is specifically designed for them.”

Jennie Nippard, master educator for Nail Harmony UK, adds, “The man-icure is a fabulous treatment and men are often surprised by the results and improvements to their hands, particularly if they are manual workers and have developed hard skin or calluses. Also, if they have been prone to biting nails or skin, we can make such fantastic improvements to the condition of their skin and hands.”

Read more advice on how to capitalise on male grooming in the July 2018 issue of Scratch!

Image c/o
Photography & art direction: Michael Pool Photography www.michaelpoolphotography.com
Nails: Denise Bourne for The Rex Agency using Deborah Lippmann
Model: Josh Kloss