EXPERT ADVICE

Jade barber nail competitions

Kent nail artist: How I navigate nail competitions with autism & ADHD

By Guest Writer | 18 March 2025

Jade Barber, founder of Nail & Beauty Excellence & Scratch Stars L&P Tech of the Year 2022, shares her experiences of neurodiversity in the nail arena… I began competing early in my nail career, as my educator entered me into a student category at a Professional Beauty nail competition. Without…

Read More
Recycling web newsfeature lead 1200x800px

Sustainable beauty: Here’s how to recycle your nail salon waste

By Rebecca Hitchon | 18 March 2025

With a number of day-to-day considerations to navigate, how you manage your salon waste can often be pushed to the back of your mind. But it’s easier than you think to respect the environment through your work, as we highlight via our roundup of recycling schemes and tips. Green Salon…

Read More
Lilly web newsfeature lead 1200x800px 127

Nail piercings: the trending way to upgrade your manicure

By Lilly Delmage | 16 March 2025

Nail piercings are everywhere – offering a simple, pain-free solution to nail enthusiasts wanting to add some edge to their looks, without having to commit to a body piercing. The autumn/winter 2025 Fashion Weeks could be to thank for this rise in nail jewellery, with pierced nails seen on the…

Read More
Feb25 Low Res Cover Scratch For Web

Read the latest issue

Nail foils

How to recycle metals from your nail business

By Green Salon Collective | 28 June 2022

Green Salon Collective (GSC) was founded in 2020 by environmental experts, campaigners and beauty professionals, with an aim to help member salons in the UK and Ireland to responsibly dispose of their waste. In this blog, the Collective details how to ensure your business’ metal waste is properly recycled –…

Read More
Katie barnes holding tools properly blog

Revealed: Why the angle in which you use your tools is important

By Katie Barnes | 21 June 2022

In a previous blog post for Scratch, we covered the importance of correctly holding your nail brush for success. This covers angles and where on the brush you hold.   This is no different for nail tools or other implements we may use throughout the nail service. If your tools…

Read More
Becca web newsfeature lead 1200x800px

How to minimise plastic waste in your nail business

By Green Salon Collective | 17 June 2022

Green Salon Collective was founded in 2020 by environmental experts, campaigners and beauty professionals, with an aim to help member salons in the UK and Ireland to responsibly dispose of their waste. In this blog, the Collective explains how to reduce the amount of plastic waste generated by your business.…

Read More
Katie barnes nail infill feature

How to reduce your nail infill time

By Katie Barnes | 7 June 2022

Infill and maintenance services can be the bane of a tech’s life, taking a considerable amount of time, and often undercharging for the time spent.   However, a lot less time is required than you would think. I am going to share my top tips on infill and maintenance procedures…

Read More
Becca web newsfeature lead 1200x800px

Summer salon marketing: How to make packages work for your beauty business

By Guest Writer | 2 June 2022

Beauty business expert & founder of Beauty Boss HQ, Layla Tourh, serves up advice for reaping rewards from treatment packages during quieter summer months. It’s that time of year when the temperature is rising, daylight is lasting longer and clients are talking about where they are going for their summer…

Read More
Form fit for wide fingernail

How to effectively fit a form to a wide nail

By Katie Barnes | 25 May 2022

It can be tricky to fit a form on an uneven free edge or when the fleshy pad of skin where the free edge would usually be, is raised and higher than or level with the nail plate. The nail plate is often flat or may be concave. This can…

Read More