EXPERT ADVICE

Katie Barnes Canva Allergy

Home gel kit dangers & 6 ways to prevent allergies at the nail desk

By Katie Barnes | 11 January 2025

Many people turned to DIY nail kits during the coronavirus lockdown. They may have been visiting a nail pro for months, years or even decades – before suddenly, the luxury of a nail appointment was gone, and some saw a solution in home application of gel polish. DIY home kits…

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Self-employment help for nail techs: registration & tax essentials

By Lilly Delmage | 11 January 2025

Are you keen to take the leap into self-employment? Here’s a guide to the registration and tax essentials you need to know… For nail technicians working in salons who seek greater control over their careers, self-employment often feels like a natural next step. It offers professional and creative freedom, aiding…

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Ai Richard Mccabe Piece

AI is changing the beauty salon game: here’s how it can help you stay ahead

By Guest Writer | 10 January 2025

Richard McCabe, aka the Lifestyle Salon Coach, shares how artificial intelligence can benefit your beauty business… Love it or hate it, AI is changing how businesses work – and that includes salons. Just like past tech revolutions, if you jump on board early, you’re more likely to come out on…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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’…

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Millie D Web Feature

How I cope as a nail tech in a national lockdown

By Guest Writer | 12 January 2021

Scratch chats to Millie Donovan, brand ambassador for SNA Professional & owner of MBeauty, about how she’s navigating lockdowns… This year has been a rollercoaster for everyone, with both highs and lows. There have been more highs for some and more lows for others, but the main thing is how we all got…

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Risk Assessments

How to perfect your nail treatment risk assessment

By Guest Writer | 12 January 2021

Hazel Dixon shares her expertise on risk assessments – what to consider, include and how to ensure your assessment is up to scratch. A risk assessment is the method used to identify hazards and risks that have the potential to cause harm, find ways to eliminate these or control them…

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Dream Nails Team Blackwall Reach Royal Wharf

How to motivate a nail & beauty team during lockdown

By Guest Writer | 11 January 2021

Thanh Vu, managing director of four Dream Nails salons, shares how she is keeping her staff members motivated & morale high during lockdown… Dream Nails employs 30 staff members across its salon network. It has always been my belief that the staff are the single most important reason behind the success…

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Layla Tourh

Why you need to approach your beauty business differently in 2021

By Guest Writer | 11 January 2021

Layla Tourh, MD of The Creative Beauty Group and founder of Beauty Boss HQ, an online platform dedicated to supporting beauty bosses in the running of their business, shares her top tips & words of wisdom… It’s time to switch up your ‘New Year, New Me’ approach The effects of lockdown may mean…

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Is your beauty course reputable? Here’s 8 ways to tell…

By Guest Writer | 11 January 2021

The team at Beauty Courses Online shares advice on choosing a reputable nail or beauty course… Unlike other industries in which poor practitioners can take some time to surface, a bad nail or beauty treatment is visible on a client straight away – so it’s hard to fake success. There…

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Dry Hands

How to care for dry hands

By Kat Hill | 7 January 2021

With a firm focus on hand hygiene during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, are you hands dry from the repeated washing? Dr Anjali Mahto, consultant dermatologist & British Skin Foundation spokesperson, shares her advice for easing dryness… Repeated cleansing and use of alcohol gel has resulted in nearly all of my…

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