Chinese Nails HELP!!

[mum]

Angie, if by 'these people' you are talking about salons that do all the things you describe, then I agree with you. They are not trying to be professional. There are many, many of those around. Just driving through some areas of London can be an eye opener! But they are always busy!!

If 'these people' are Chinese, Vietnamese or any race other than English, then you cannot lump them together!

There was an interesting article in Scratch a while ago about the Chinese and Vietnamese community. It is worth reading. It was also worth listening to a Vietnamese Business Advisor (who has a special interest in nail salons) who came to a HABIA meeting some time ago. Many of the non-English speaking technicians are not aware and, as they are not breaking laws, are not being told any different.

I admit some sympathy for this situation. However, I do think that having enough language in the country you are working in is essential, specially is such an industry as this. Communication with your client is essential together with on-going education.

 

[Bagpuss]

when i say these people i refer to the type of person who chooses to run a business that way..(i say choose because thats what they do..they are always busy so it isn't for lack of money that they work like this) cheep, dirty and unsafe..these people can be any nationality, i don't care what nationality they are i just care that they are creating a bad name for "real" nail technicians and nail enhancements.

Its like builders...how many times have we heard people say "oh builders are a nightmare...never turn up..arrive late..drag a job out...over price materials" but it doesn't stop people having houses extended..or garages built...why...? cos you just hope that the builder you choose is going to be different...how...by asking the right questions at the beginning...what will happen...what will you do...are you insured...what will you use. I would ask these questions of anyone i was paying to do something for me...if they couldn't answer my questions then i wouldn't have them.

Clients need to be asking questions .... we just need to inform them what sort of questions they should be asking, and i am sorry but i do feel sometimes that some of it is common sence..ie pain, dirty salon etc...some people obviously put ££££ before these factors. x

 

[Mrs Geek]

Well the cost I was given included the removal which is £10...so we're still talking £45...or £25 for the student, but after the way she pre-warned me about her, I don't think I'll risk it.

The nails do feel really hard, and I'm aware of them on my fingers...maybe if I have them filed down first and see how I go??

If I start having them filled with a reputable salon, how long will it actually take for the existing product to disappear?

x

The reason the salon will have 'warned you' so-to-speak is that if they have a fresh trained tek out of the Academy, her experince will not be up to the standard of the others; she may do a decent job but she may take longer etc... You will probably find that Creative trained salons charge more; they will, they have the best training and they use the most advanced formulated professional nail products. Hope this answers some of your questions!:Look_righ

 

[wannabe]

I've just been speaking to a couple of my friends about the salons we've been talking about, and they said they are still more than happy to use them. When it comes to nails taking one hour or two, or costing £20 or £40, the NSS seems to win everytime....especially when time and money for some people is definitely of the essence. One friend said that "so what" her nails might be being damaged, but everyone knows that they grow back and renew, so it's not like she's going to be left with permanent damage. Another said that she only gets them done on special occasions, so would rather risk a dodgy salon and pay less, than have them done "correctly" and be £20 short for her night out!

I must add that none of the friends I've spoken to have any interest in the nail industry, so are literally just paying customers wanting to get a service. They're not interested in chit chat, so non English speaking isn't an issue....and the ones they use (the same one I went to), isn't filthy dirty and doesn't strike them as odd in anyway. They get a membership card with money off after so many visits, and they can always get an appointment, however short notice it may be.

I have to say that for girls of our age (mid twenties) money and time can be an important factor, and it's all very well saying that Creative are the best and that's why it may take longer and be more expensive....but to those who are totally ignorant to the nail industry, this means diddly squat. I agree that educating your clients is the best way forward, but I can also see that maybe an ignorant paying customer wanting a service, may really not want to hear about what other salons should or shouldn't be doing! Unless their fingers are falling off, I can imagine that ignorance is bliss if you're saving some time and money!

These are not my views obviously! I wasn't totally happy with the salon experience, but maybe I was looking deeper into everything, because I eventually want to be the other side of the table!? As I said, someone with no interest in the industry, just wants a quick and cheap service....and rightly or wrongly, the NSS seem to be doing just this.

x

 

[naturalnails]

I've just been speaking to a couple of my friends about the salons we've been talking about, and they said they are still more than happy to use them. When it comes to nails taking one hour or two, or costing £20 or £40, the NSS seems to win everytime....especially when time and money for some people is definitely of the essence. One friend said that "so what" her nails might be being damaged, but everyone knows that they grow back and renew, so it's not like she's going to be left with permanent damage. Another said that she only gets them done on special occasions, so would rather risk a dodgy salon and pay less, than have them done "correctly" and be £20 short for her night out!

I must add that none of the friends I've spoken to have any interest in the nail industry, so are literally just paying customers wanting to get a service. They're not interested in chit chat, so non English speaking isn't an issue....and the ones they use (the same one I went to), isn't filthy dirty and doesn't strike them as odd in anyway. They get a membership card with money off after so many visits, and they can always get an appointment, however short notice it may be.

I have to say that for girls of our age (mid twenties) money and time can be an important factor, and it's all very well saying that Creative are the best and that's why it may take longer and be more expensive....but to those who are totally ignorant to the nail industry, this means diddly squat. I agree that educating your clients is the best way forward, but I can also see that maybe an ignorant paying customer wanting a service, may really not want to hear about what other salons should or shouldn't be doing! Unless their fingers are falling off, I can imagine that ignorance is bliss if you're saving some time and money!

These are not my views obviously! I wasn't totally happy with the salon experience, but maybe I was looking deeper into everything, because I eventually want to be the other side of the table!? As I said, someone with no interest in the industry, just wants a quick and cheap service....and rightly or wrongly, the NSS seem to be doing just this.

x

I do appreciate and understand everything you have just said but surely this is similar to saying to the girl who goes to the untrained haridresser and has a perm or a colour that burns her that her hair falls out - will she say - oh well it was cheap and so what it will grow back.

There is a risk that permanent damage could be done by overzealous filing which could do damage to the nail matrix. But as you say some twenty somethings will not look forward enough to the long term.

It is a bit like trying to convince a twenty something that they need to be saving for their pension - LOL.

 

[Buggy]

Well i think your friends should re-think. If the salon they use does not care about damaging their nails, then chances are they don't care about such things as hygiene or sanitisation. Didn't you say in an earlier post that you had to use a wet towel to dry your hands?

Besides the fact that such things as fungus can be transferred from client to client through un-sanitised files... have your friends thought that they could be getting something more serious? HIV, Hepatitis? these conditions do exist and i was taught on my Creative course always to disinfect between clients, and if i accidently grazed a client with my abrasive (drawing blood), then it would be best if i threw that abrasive away. I can't see a place that leaves a dirty wet towel out for clients to use being bothered about throwing files away, or disinfecting them between clients, which a lot of these NSS salons have a bad reputation for.

 

[IllumeGirl]

i cant imagine anyone being happy with thier nails from nss. even if hygeine laws etc were followed by them, i doubt a truly beautiful set would be created by any of these chains. their number one proirity is 'slap them on,get them out'. there is no time or even thought given to perfection, theres no need to, plenty more unsuspecting clients arriving within the hour. i personally have never seen a half decent set from these places nor have i had a client who has been happy with them, they have all sworn never to return to them. all i can say wannabe is your friends must never have had a great set of nail enhancements to be happy with nss or the uk nss have a better ability than oz nss!

 

[Sassy Hassy]

Wannabe you have raised a very salient point here, and one which we should listen to. It's all very well US being passionate, but if the clients still don;t care even when told the facts then we can do one of two things.

1. We accept that these types of salon have their place in the market, that their prices make nails accessible to all, that people will have their nails done if the price is right, that people aren't as picky about how their nails are being done as their hair, that the clients aren't bothered about brand, quality, nail damage, hygiene etc. BUT we only accept it when people have the facts to make an informed choice, then it's their decision, its their health and welath at the end of the day.

2. There are cheap hairdressers and expensive hairdressers, and even those people who just use home colour kts etc. Hand on heart, how many of us go to the most expensive salon in town? How many of us can afford to go the most expensive salon in town? BUt they still have clients right? So how come? They aim their branding, marketing, advertising, salon etc to attract those who want something a bit special and are willing to pay for it. Therefore if you want this type of client you must know how to get them and KEEP them. You must know your demographics ( ie the age of this type of client, the area they live, the type of job they do), if you don;t know this then you won;t know how to attract the right type of client in the first place.

So if we want to continue charging a proper rate then forget the NSS. They are aimed at a very different type of client. It's mainly a younger clientele, or those that can't really afford it, or those that need to be in and out asap, or those that don't realise why we charge more. If you want that type of client then learn how to get your timings down so you can have a high turnover of client and fight them at their own game! But do you really want to? I bet those poor techs are knackered at the end of the day. What job satisfaction do they get? Drilling and drilling all day long, no conversation, no fun. I'd know where I'd rather work.

SO LET'S STOP GETTING SO HUNG UP ABOUT NSS. They must be doing something right as you all say they are packed Let these people go to the NSS, as long as they know they have a choice, and as long as they know the difference. Let us attract those that want quality and are prepared to pay for it. I'd rather have twenty clients a week at £20 a head and enjoy what I do than have to slog my guts out at half the price and have to do 40 clients a week to make the same money.

 

[geeg]

Well Sassy,
you must be inspired this morning!!! What a great post and SO TRUE, and much more diplomatic than what I wanted to say. :biggrin:

Reading through all this last night I just wanted to shout ..... GET OVER IT EVERYBODY and let the NSS get on with what they do, which ISN'T what we do. Stop whinging, get your head down and get on with your own business.

Can't say a darn thing that is more true or sensible than what Sassy has said above. I also found the comments of the friends of Wannabe most enlightening ... I suggest everyone take them on board!

 

[kateyork1]

Well said Sassy! xx

 

[naturalnails]

Well said Sass. Stand up and take a bow.

Let's move on from this old chestnut.

 

[mum]

Well said Sass!

Well said Geeg!

GET OVER IT!!!!!

Stop putting people in boxes. There will always be cheaper salons. There will always be salons who don't do things right.

For the Geeks on here who believe in their job and industry, YOU do it right, gently educate your clients, don't mud sling, don't be racist, continue with your learning, if you don't have enough confidence to stand your ground, then get it, and unless you are as good as you can get (for today, but not for tomorrow) then don't be too critical of others!

 

[Mrs Geek]

The last few replies have been excellent. I think that all you nail teks need to move into 2006 and think about YOUR OWN business' and how to make these stronger, better... in fact anything good that will make you happy, content and profitable... that's what business is all about... and let's face it; most of us are doing what we love so let's get on with it! :Love: :Love:

 

[Buggy]

you've totally hit the nail on the head Sass. i do a friends nails and she has a couple of mates that use the local nss. they have told her that they like my nails better (nss uses airbrush) but they go there anyway because they can be in and out in 40 mins.

what's that saying?... you can lead a horse to water?

 

[justgel]

Hang on, why are they evil places? Cos they're chinese? Am I missing something here? I really hope someone's not about to tell me they're illegal! How would you know this anyway without me even telling you who they are or where they're based?

Mega confused :I

uneducated....literally would be a good term

 

[Lfox]

maybe evil was the wrong word... have a look at the article MMA by The Nail Geek, also search the threads for 'NSS' (non standard salons), this should give you a better idea as to why these salons aren't reputable. It's not just because of the nationality of the people who work there, it's also down to them being unhygenic, not following standard practise, using MMA, wrecking the nail plate by over filing with an e-file (or drill)... there's much more to a NSS than meets the eye.

“Not JUST because of their nationality” and “it’s ALSO down to them being unhygienic” WOW!
What you should have said “it’s NOT because of their nationality” it’s because they are unhygienic.

 

[Trinity]

“Not JUST because of their nationality” and “it’s ALSO down to them being unhygienic” WOW!
What you should have said “it’s NOT because of their nationality” it’s because they are unhygienic.

Hi, just to let you know this thread is from 2006 so roughly 17 years old, things were very different then, both in relation to the massive explosion of unregulated, unsanitary, untrained workers. Unregulated products (although not much has changed), unaware clients, etc. many of these establishments have also been exposed as people traffickers and perpetuers if modern slavery, and are closed down as much as possible.

We, members here, and the general public are much better educated now. Attitudes have changed thankfully