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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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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Notebook

Coronavirus: Learning from ‘unprecedented times’

By Kat Hill | 6 April 2020

Tracy Nash, director of Vu Nail Systems, shares her thoughts on these ‘unprecedented times’… Sit and just take a minute. Reflect on you; relax, breathe, calm. The world is wonderful and already repairing itself. Picture the beauty and set your mind ready… ready for the months ahead. Start with a…

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Julie Anne Lariviere

Coronavirus: 6 ways to make the most of your extra time

By Sophie Nutt | 4 April 2020

Julie-Anne Larivière, Salon System nail expert and salon owner of Sketched by J-A Nails, shares top tips for how techs can utilise the extra time they have as a result of Covid-19… As difficult as this time is for most self-employed nail technicians, it is, for some, a blessing in…

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Piggy Bank

3 ways to boost your income during low trading periods

By Sophie Nutt | 3 April 2020

The team at Sienna X shares three top tips to boosting your income during quiet periods… Covid-19 has given many of us a new perspective, not only on our health, but also the way that we can operate business during times of extreme trading lows and uncertainty. With normality interrupted, we…

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Think Positive

Coronavirus: How to remain positive in times of adversity

By Sophie Nutt | 2 April 2020

Ruth Atkins, Salon System educator, shares an insight into remaining positive in times of adversity along with practical advice for techs…  We are facing unprecedented times and it is very difficult to keep positive when businesses face closure, family and close friends are struggling with their health, worries about financial…

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Business

Coronavirus: An update from NHBF

By Scratch Staff | 2 April 2020

We are living through extraordinary times and our industry is facing weeks, if not months, of huge anxiety as the Coronavirus pandemic continues. Here, NHBF chief executive, Hilary Hall, shares an update on the organisation’s efforts… The NHBF is reacting rapidly to the developing situation, from putting out daily updates…

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Katie Barnes Business

Business considerations you need to make – despite closure due to coronavirus

By Katie Barnes | 31 March 2020

For business owners, much of this week may have involved considerable time spent on hold on the phone. On hold to the landlord, local authorities, energy and water companies, business advisors, accountants and insurance companies, to name just a few. I took the decision on the first government recommendation on…

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