Entries Tagged 'Nail care tips' ↓

So you’ve spent months on end to grow out your nails, perhaps after you’d spent years wearing nail enhancements  but decided to take them off, using the perfect nail strengthener regime until you nails are now longer, stronger, and guess what … it’s about to snap?  It’s true and it is very common.

Once your nails have reached optimum strength, continuing to harden them can actually make them brittle.  And after all that effort! Well, too much of a good thing is not always a healthy thing.

But don’t despair though, there is an answer and it’s the new Maintenance Formula Nail Envy from OPI. That’s what the product rep from OPI distributor told us when she last visited our salon and we raised our common concern brought to our attention from clients. According to OPI, this newest addition to the Nail Envy Natural Nail Strengthener line, new Maintenance Formula has just the right balance of strengthening and protecting ingredients to help strong nails stay that way.   If nails are weak, start with one of the five Nail Envy custom formulas designed to get them strong — Original, Matte, Dry & Brittle, Soft & Thin, or Sensitive & Peeling.  Follow the directions carefully, and once your nails are beautifully strong, switch over to Maintenance Nail Envy to keep nails at their best.  Finally, you can now have strong nails that are your own, and keep them, too.

Many times we have been asked by clients and even other nail professionals if switching from one product line or type to another will alleviate skin allergy symptoms for those who opted for artificial nail enhancements.  Since we’d been trained and taught at Nails and Beauty Schools that all artificial nail related products ’share’ many of the common chemicals, we always tell them ‘no‘.  Once an allergic, we are allergic for life, sobering but true, so the best way to alleviate the problem of allergic reaction, is to soak off the enhancements in an approved remover, perform a good natural nail manicure, and prescribe a Nail Toughener/Strengthener (such as Toughen Up by Creative Nail Design, Nail Strengthener by OPI or Revitalnails Strengthener) that will help to give the nail plate more strength by revitalising the nail plate until it grows out naturally.

We notice that this is not a very popular answer and not at all pleasing to hear for clients, who insist that they had always wear enhancements in the past without such allergy or symptom. But consider the following technical notes from Doug Schoon, M.S., Vice President of Science and Technology, Creative Nail Design. 

Allergic reactions to many types of cosmetics may occur when the skin is repeatedly exposed to small amounts of allergy causing ingredients.  Dermatologists have a special name for allergy causing substances; they are called allergens.  For example, pollen is a common allergen.  In fact, most allergens are natural substances, (i.e. poison ivy, ragweed).  Some ingredients used in cosmetics may also be allergens.  Usually these ingredients are beneficial for the vast majority of people.  However, just as there are people sensitive to pollens, some people are sensitive to cosmetic ingredients.  Of course, the great majority never experience any problems.  But, a smaller number of people may develop skin allergies when exposed over a period of time.  Allergic skin reactions usually occur after several months (or years) of exposure to the ingredient’s.  It is important to understand that cosmetic related skin allergies usually don’t happen right away.

Fragrance ingredients are the most common cosmetic allergens.  In fact, sensitivity to preservatives (necessary for proper shelf-life) and fragrances account for most cosmetic-related skin allergies.  Of course, other types of ingredients may also cause sensitive clients to develop symptoms such as redness, itching or other signs of irritation.  Simple irritations usually reverse themselves when exposure is discontinued.  However, symptoms may worsen with repeated exposure or could develop into skin allergies.  Once skin develops an allergic sensitivity to an ingredient, the allergy will be permanent! Continue reading →

Since the recent TV current affair program reporting an unfortunate incident of a lady client who had her toe nails badly damaged and infected, allegedly caused by getting her TOE NAILS done at a cheap and unprofessional salon, naturally we were concerned and our clients had also raised their fears with us here at Manhattan Nails.

Here are what we think and like to reassure the points of difference between Manhattan Nails and other nail places:

Such a story tend to generate undesirable impact to similar business because the story generalised every other salon businesses in a negative light and failed to point out the good quality nail salon from the bad. This is not the first time such a story was aired. There were others with similar tone, whether in healthcare field, hairdressing cases and more. And the impacts were almost always the same. These stories supposedly meant to keep the public informed about malpractices and/or unsafe products and treatments. But somehow most of the times all we get were FEARS.

These sorts of stories are understandable, as often the media tend to only sensationalise the issue and do not examine the full story, from both sides in terms of cause and affect. We hope and wish that they researched their story professionally. Journalism is a profession with ethics and proper conducts right?
In any case, here at our salon, first and foremost, we take our customer’s safety and health issue extremely seriously. We take no compromises when health and safety are concerned, both for our clients and our nail technicians. Hygienic sanitisation and safe practice are of paramount importance. Even if that means turning away clients who have unsuitable nails condition, which we must ask to get medical treatment first before we offer any nail care services. Our loyal customers can attest to this. We called such practice professionalism and quality care. Every technician here is trained and well aware of this practice.

Secondly, we have never advised and/or done acrylic or gel enhancements on toenails for any clients ever. In fact, we very often advise against doing so when customer ask for or had them done from elsewhere.

Why? Well the current affair program mentioned above is one of the many reasons.

Without wearing acrylic or gel toenails, one is already prone to fungal infection naturally if personal hygiene are not observed sufficiently or neglected. If you have acrylic covering your toenails, this will increase the chance for infection ten folds because moistures and dirt will be easily trapped between the acrylic and the toenail plate, especially if the acrylic was not sealed properly during the enhancement process. This will become a place of breeding ground for bacteria. And you know how bad the feet can get since they go many places we rather not mention, particular in public showers in the gyms or pools etc, unlike your finger nails where you look after them much better than your feet, a very important part of the body but often a neglected area.

Foot care, whether from regular pedicure treatments or from your local podiatrist are essential. And remember to stay correctly informed and get the right treatments for them. If you are unsure, always ask the pros, not the TV reporters ! (only joking , apology to our TV reporter clients).

We’ve written about this product before but we just couldn’t help but to share with our clients again how wonderful this Mango Mend cream is. It really works for a lot of people and it is inexpensive. You do not have to just use it on your hands and cuticles. People used them on their heels, their elbows basically any part where there is persistent skin irritation.

Below is the copy of product literature from California Mango, the company that make this product, for your information.

A product designed to treat and prevent maladies common to the skin, hands or feet. Use both as treatment or preventative to combat dry skin, cracked heels, inflamed or dry cuticles and skin irritations. This unique blend of Natural oils, emollients & vitamins in this proprietary formula, specifically targets problem skin areas.

In an age of product cost reductions by using less costly grade ingredients, Mango Mend does just the opposite. Using the highest pharmaceutical grade raw maters, Mango Mend GUARANTEES the best possible results.

Skin: Dry Skin Areas, Rash, Sunburn, Dry Scalp, Abrasions & Scars, Elbows & Knees
Hands: Extremely Dry Skin, Cuticles, Nail Treatment, Abrasions & Scars, Rough Callus
Feet: Cracked heels, Calluses, Prevents blisters/chafing, Skin irritation/itching

BENEFITS
Seals in Moisture & Conditions Skin
All Natural Ingredients
USP Pharmaceutical Grade

Specialty Oils: Jojoba, Mango Seed, Kukui, Makadamia Nut, Soy & Saflower (hi-oleic)
Specialty Vitamins: Vitamin E USP, Lecithin USP
Specialties: Aloe, Mango Butter
Specialty Organic Extract Oils: Mango, Orange, Grapefruit & Tangerine

and yes, we do stock them at our salon in Mosman.

We have created and collated some very practical Nail Care guides and made them available for download as PDF (Acrobat Reader) format on this blog site. Please feel free to grab a copy and give your friend one too if you think they’ll benefit from these well intended advice and information. They are available on this page “Nails Care Guide PDF Download“.

We hope you find them useful. Especially for looking after your artificial nail enhancements and/or natural finger nails and toe nails.

Written by Nails Magazine - a very reputable industry publication in the US!

Hands and feet, like your décolleté, also
can show tell-tale signs of aging. Here are
some helpful tips for keeping hands and
feet looking youthful.

Keep yourself well moisturized. As
you age, your skin begins to thin and
become dry, so it is especially important
to keep your skin well hydrated. Apply a
collagen-rich lotion that absorbs and
penetrates into the skin daily on hands,
feet, and any other part of your body
that feels dry.

Visit your nail technician regularly.
Don’t let too much time go by between
nail appointments. Visit your nail technician
at least every two weeks for a manicure
and at least once a month for a pedicure.
Keep your nails well protected. Just
as skin becomes thin and dries out with
age, nails tend to become more brittle.
Protect them from the damaging effects
of the sun by applying a top coat with a
built-in sunscreen. And don’t forget
about polish, which helps protect nails as
well. Moisturize nails and cuticles with a
daily dose of cuticle oil. Your nail tech
may also recommend a moisture replenishing
nail treatment.

Maintain a youthful glow. As we get
older, it’s not uncommon for brown
spots to start appearing, especially on
our hands. And all those years in the sun Continue reading →

The success of any nail enhancement service (either Acrylic or Gel nails) is shared between the nail artist and the client. It is hard to believe but people tend to blame others for their breakage, lifting or infections etc … It is never one’s own fault or carelessness. Human nature I guess.

But on the serious note, the nail artist is 50% responsible in diagnosing the clients nail needs by performing appropriate consultation to determine her/his lifestyle, activity level and nail plate shape and condition, prescribing the proper service and recommending home care products and procedures. The client is 50% responsible for following the recommended home care procedures, setting timely maintenance appointments, and following any instructions or advise from the nail artist.

To keep a healthy and maintain the good look of finger nail enhancements for longer require common sense and a pinch of effort from both parties. The answer is always in being consistent!

That being said, in order to maintain your Nail Enhancements for long-term durability, follow these simple guidelines.

• Oil nails twice per day to maintain inherent flexibility. Product that is allowed to become brittle will crack and break. This will also keep your cuticle well moisturise too!
• Repetitive or severe pressure on the nail extension will lead to cracks that result in full-blown breaks. Treat your nails as jewels, not tools! Remember that they cost you money to put them on in the first place!
• Nails that are too long for your lifestyle and activity level (repetitive downward tip pressure) result in service breakdown. If your nails become too long between appointments, shorten the length with the a suitable file.
• Properly applied product will shrink when cured and create an airtight seal. Mechanical forcing of product through extreme pressure, picking or nipping rough edges will result in lifting. Use a suitable file to remove rough edges or blend any lifting into the natural nail plate. Holding the file flat to the area of lift, gently file in the direction of the lifted material until the area of lift is removed. Do not over-file! Over-filing removes vital nail plate layers and will weaken the natural nail plate. To re-seal the product, massage a drop of oil into the nail surface, then buff to a dull shine with the say a 360-grit buffer. You may also choose to buff to a high shine with a 3-way buffer.
• Fungus infections (Greenies) are caused by air-borne spores (pseudomonas bacterium) that have become trapped between the overlay and the nail plate layers. These spores require food to eat and moisture to grow. The nail plate layers contain contaminates along with the natural oil and moisture. Should any lifting occur between visits, buff away the area of lift. Do not attempt to glue the area of lift. Most instant glues are not moisture resistant. Instant glue also sets-up the instant it is exposed to air. The glue cannot ‘re-seal’ lifted material and may incorporate air-borne bacteria or spores into the area of lift. The bacteria or spores will be trapped between the nail plate and the overlay, utilizing the natural nail contaminates as food and the moisture to grow. The results are a greenish to brownish stain on the nail plate which is a by-product of the infection. Should any area of lift be too large to remove by filing, or visible discoloration is present, please call for a nail repair appointment. It is your best option to do so.
• Wear gloves when performing domestic chores, working in the garden or whenever you use cleaning solutions. Keep the harmful chemicals away from your nails whenever possible!
• Call in sick. If you have a contagious skin or nail condition, wait until it clears before visiting the salon again. If symptoms persist, make an appointment with a dermatologist.
• Don’t take them off. If you decide you no longer want to wear nail enhancements, do not take them off yourself. Picking and pulling the nails off will damage your natural nail, rip layers from your nail plate, and make regrowth a long, painful process. We nail technicians can safely remove nail enhancements for you and will offer a proper manicure along with appropriate treatment products.

Nail Fungus Infections - 2008 Causes and Treatments - Part I
How do you know if you have a fungal infection in your toenails or fingernails and do you think you might have an infection? Is there a way to treat it?
Source: ezinearticles.com