BUSINESS

Goal List

A beauty business coach’s guide to goal setting for 2025

By Guest Writer | 7 January 2025

Beauty business and mindset coach, Zaara King, offers up advice for the new year… It’s time to consider how you wish to make your mark on the industry over the next 12 months. You get to choose how you show up, what you offer clients and how you make a…

Read More
Lilly Web Newsfeature Lead 1200x800px 62

Why nail technicians should enter the Scratch Stars Awards: tips from a nail competition maestro

By Lilly Delmage | 3 January 2025

Bespoke nail artist, Jiak Hing, who has won the Scratch Stars Gel Polish Stylist of the Year accolade for three consecutive years, shares insight into the competition, what to expect on the day and the benefits of entering.   Why did you decide to enter the Scratch Stars Awards? To…

Read More
2025 Goals

New year, new you: How nail businesses can plan for the year ahead

By Marie-Louise Coster | 1 January 2025

Session nail stylist, salon owner & educator, Marie-Louise Coster, shares her tips for reviewing the last year and preparing for the next, in order to achieve success… Here we are again, another year gone and a new one in front of us full of opportunity, possibility and hope. It is…

Read More
Woman Laptop Business

4 updates to make to your beauty business in 2025

By Guest Writer | 30 December 2024

Kim Ford, global business & beauty education expert, shares ways to make the most of quiet spells to improve your business long-term… The beginning of a new year is a great time to focus on business administration, such as updating operational and legal documents, and to consider if your marketing…

Read More
Lilly Web Newsfeature Lead 1200x800px 60

Introverted nail techs: how to grow your skills & clientele comfortably

By Lilly Delmage | 22 December 2024

Do you love the creative aspect of being a nail professional: perfecting enhancements and getting arty, but find it challenging to converse with clients and colleagues? You’re not alone. A need to recharge after client interactions or feeling most comfortable in quiet environments are signs of introversion. The word ‘introvert’…

Read More
Mlc Client Boundaries Header

I’ve been a beauty pro for 30+ years: here’s how I set boundaries with clients

By Marie-Louise Coster | 19 December 2024

Session nail stylist, salon owner & educator, Marie-Louise Coster, shares her experiences with boundary-pushing clients… I imagine most of you went into the nail/beauty industry to make people happy. I also imagine that you expected clients to be grateful and courteous at all times. I don’t suppose you imagined that sometimes…

Read More
2025 Business Planning

2025 nail business planning: expert tips for new year success

By Guest Writer | 18 December 2024

Belinda Price, OPI UK&I education and capability manager & owner of Nailspa, Scratch Stars Nail & Beauty Salon of the Year 2024, shares advice… During the busiest season of the year for most nail and beauty professionals, it can be hard to see past 31 December. But as the dust…

Read More
xmas recycling

Spread Christmas cheer sustainably: 3 ways to recycle festive items

By Guest Writer | 15 December 2024

Decorating the Christmas tree, wrapping gifts, and sending out greeting cards are some of the most cherished Christmas traditions, but after the festivities, how do you dispose of the excess? Gabriella Peace, marketing communications manager of UK Greetings, offers her take on how you can give your Christmas items a…

Read More
Natural Nails

Strong natural nails: an expert debunks myths & shares top tips

By Dani Bailey | 30 August 2024

Dani Bailey, nail educator & recipient of The Shooting Star Award at the Scratch Stars Awards 2024, explores the processes behind strong natural nails… ‘How do you grow strong nails?’ That’s a question I hear a lot, both from clients and nail technicians. There are plenty of myths surrounding strong nails, and…

Read More
The Hobby Hut

Salon in the Spotlight: The Hobby Hut, Rhyl, North Wales

By Lilly Delmage | 28 August 2024

Home nail salon owner, Char Price, shares how she overcame a big health challenge to open The Hobby Hut, a nail salon that aims to reduce client stresses via luxurious nail treatments… Char trained with Mode Academy in 2014, before progressing her career and qualifying as an educator in 2017,…

Read More
Melanie Lewedon

Finding the perfect nail course: a guide by Scratch Stars Educator of the Year 2024

By Lilly Delmage | 28 August 2024

Scratch Stars Educator of the Year 2024, Melanie Lewendon, shares her top tips for finding the best nail courses to extend your skills.. Continual professional development is critical in any industry, the expert educator explains: “Techniques and products are constantly evolving, and it’s essential to stay updated. This not only…

Read More
Brush On Builder Gel Application

Brush-on builder gel: how to nail application & infill

By Rebecca Hitchon | 27 August 2024

Enhance your knowledge of brush-on builder gel with insight from pros… How to apply “Thorough prep is imperative, as with any nail service,” details Theresa Foddering, head of education at Lecenté. “Providing the natural nail is adequately prepared, builder gel will brush on effortlessly. “I recommend applying a thin first…

Read More
Chloe Web Newsfeature Template 1200x800px (42)

6 top tips for creating the perfect nail service treatment menu

By Scratch Staff | 27 August 2024

Creating a treatment menu for nail services is not an easy task. With so much to offer, nail appointments have become more bespoke and personal than ever, making it hard to put all services on one menu. However, making your booking process as easy as possible to navigate is the…

Read More
Nail Tech Trio Salon

First impressions count: Top tips for perfecting your dialogue with new nail salon clients

By Michelle Brookes | 26 August 2024

It’s really important to ensure that, as a nail technician, you maintain a high level of professionalism, even when a situation is challenging. First impressions count and how you behave from the first point of contact with a client will set the tone for the relationship. If they have contacted…

Read More