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 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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Britney Tokyo La Post Covid 19

Britney Tokyo on the new LA nail scene post-Covid-19

By Sophie Nutt | 10 September 2020

LA-based celebrity manicurist & Scratch columnist for 2020, Britney Tokyo reveals what the nail industry looks like across the pond… Much like in the UK, a new style of life has begun since businesses opened back up in Los Angeles after the Covid-19 quarantine. The LA nail industry has also…

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Ppe Visor

4 tips for safely maintaining your PPE

By Guest Writer | 10 September 2020

With salons operating under strict Covid-19 guidelines, its important to pay attention to the condition of your protective equipment. Kelly Friel, from PPE experts Zoro, shares four tips for ensuring yours is fit for purpose and properly maintained. In July, the UK finally saw the reopening of many beauty salons…

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Salon Chat Community

Salon Chat: How to overcome the pressures of social media

By Guest Writer | 7 September 2020

Salon Chat hosts, Kelly Colley of Lavish Nails and Isabel Porter of The Beauty Garage, share their thoughts on the nail sector… I’m typing this out on a bank holiday Monday morning having already posted by ‘mandatory’ Instagram post. Mandatory I say because, without it, my posts won’t be seen, no one will…

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Katie Barnes Nail Tools

How to keep your nail tools in tip-top condition

By Katie Barnes | 1 September 2020

Scissors, nippers, cuticle pushers and other such nail tools will last longer and keep a sharp edge for longer if you take the appropriate level of care. Sharp tools are safer and more efficient to use than blunt ones. When a tool is blunt or thick, additional force is required…

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Jayd Nailco Nail Bar

Salon owner launches The Beautyco Club online business support community

By Sophie Nutt | 30 August 2020

Jayd Linney, owner of the salon chain Nailco Nail Bar, has launched The Beautyco Club – a free online business support community. The club is based on Facebook and is for anyone who is running, or thinking about running, a business within the beauty industry. Designed to share knowledge, motivation, guidance and comfort…

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Phone

How to use email marketing for your beauty business

By Kat Hill | 28 August 2020

Staying in touch with your clients through email marketing allows you to maintain a relationship with your clients in a professional manner. “I believe this is one of the most underused and underrated marketing tools available to nail and beauty professionals,” states Alice Kirby, founder Lockhart Meyer Salon Marketing (www.lockhart-meyer.co.uk).…

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