My tips keep splitting/lack of training/insurance/cowboys

[LOU LOU]

Thank you for those who have stuck up for me. Some of these comments have upset me abit - being really blunt & shooting me down - but i understand that when you have trained and you do this professionally, it does irritate you to see an amateur doing it on the side and not knowing how to do everything "properly" & the risks involved. But like i said, i didn't want to spend £300+ on a course without sampling out the act. I couldn't afford to waste my money if i didn't enjoy doing it. So i purchased an IBD kit, and my friend owns a salon. Shes a qualified nail tech & she showed me how to do gel nails & the stuff i needed that wasn't in my kit. And before any of you say "well, watching someone who is qualified doesn't make you qualified" i know that!! She simply showed me, and i don't go round saying i'm a nail tech. I have only really done gel nails on myself - i have very nice long natural nails, but unfortunately one will break at the worst possible time (mainly before a night out!!) so i thought if i stuck a tip on & do a gel nail i'd have a full hand of nice nails. So thats how it all started really... Then i told my friend i wanted to learn to do gel nails and she said i could practice on her. I've only done her a full set once. And she loved them. She said i didn't hurt her, i was really careful and she has encouraged me to do a course to give me that extra confidence. I know there are risks, but that's the case in everything in life now. Yes, i'd like to know what the risk are & how to make sure these can be prevented - but even with full knowledge, mistakes are made. Eg: how many times have u gone for a colour at the hairdressers & they've done a skin test? I've NEVER had this done & luckily nothing has ever gone wrong. But you never know how someones skin is gona react until after the application etc.
I do intend to do a course, i just can't afford it at the moment. And other than my friend Amy, i doubt i will do anyone elses nails other than my own.

Btw - how much is insurance??

I'm starting to wish i had just left my original message as "my tips keep splitting, help!!" and not mentioned i wasn't trained

Well my insurance is costing me £322 for the year, but that is because I don't own the property I live in and i've had to take out the contents and Public Liability in my own name where the Buildings insurance is in the owners name. I think it is a lot less if you own the property (so the insurance company have told me) and also if you are mobile. My circumstances are not the usual, so please don't let my insurance scare you off.

Please don't take it too personally, I know it's easy for me to say, but I don't think anybody means to be nasty or rude. I think people are very passionate about what they do and they also can see what bad things can happen. I know i've found this course very hard and yet I flew through my man/ped course and finished four weeks early, but there really is so much to it than just putting tips on fingers. I don't mean that to sound patronizing. x

PS. I don't think you will be able to get insurance if you aren't a student or even qualified. I think you can get a student policy but you can only practice on friends and family and only charge for the products used and you can't make a profit. (This is what my insurance broker told me). I also think that the college tutor has to state that you are up to a standard on the course to be able to practice on friends and family too! Another policy to take out would be Treatment Insurance, which is if you gave incorrect advice or something bad happened as a result of the treatment you have performed. Another insurance you would have to change if you go mobile is your car insurance too, which would be for business use.

 

[mrsnails]

Lou Lou -

Can I ask you a question, how is your insurance that high????

I dont own the property I live in, and Im about to sort insurance, but what I have found is no-where near that?

Im a bit worried now that I have missed something????

My contents insurance is around less 100 a year, and that is after I have told them I will be working from home, and the nail tech insurance would be 48 for the year which i assume includes public liability.

 

[kimi1101]

Mrs Nails - a lot of people on here recommend the Guild or Salon Gold for their insurance. I got mine through AXA and I think I was about £250 a year for hair and beauty salon. x

 

[LOU LOU]

Lou Lou -

Can I ask you a question, how is your insurance that high????

I dont own the property I live in, and Im about to sort insurance, but what I have found is no-where near that?

Im a bit worried now that I have missed something????

My contents insurance is around less 100 a year, and that is after I have told them I will be working from home, and the nail tech insurance would be 48 for the year which i assume includes public liability.

Yes hun, honestly it's that high! I'm paying £85.96 a month for four months.

My father paid £149 last year for the building and contents insurance and because I don't own the property, the only way I can take out Public Liability insurance is to take out the Contents as well. The reason why the price is sooo high is because of "Slippage" which means the more people who enter your home, the more chance of someone slipping or tripping (again, this is what the insurance company told me)

This is the cheapest insurance I could get. Like I say, it's because I don't own the property and my father doesn't own the business, hence why we've both had to take out separate polices. I can't take out the buildings insurance cos I don't own the house.

I had a nightmare a few weeks ago, trying to find someone who would insure me. I can only speak for my own personal circumstances, but that is how much i'm having to pay.

The company i'm with is FORTIS.

What I would say is NEVER ASSUME you are covered for anything where insurance is concerned. I've gone through this with a fine tooth combe to make sure i'm covered for what I need it to be covered for.

PS. My college tutor told me to contact Babtac who referred me to an insurance company (sorry I can't remember their name) but their insurance worked out even more expensive than what i'm paying now. x

 

[mrsnails]

Thanks Lou,

I understand what you mean about taking out extra contents beause you dont own it.

We rent our property so we have to have contents insurance but our landlord is responsible for buildings, does that mean I wont be able to get public liability because I dont pay buildings insurance??

I rang up the people who cover our contents insurance to tell them what I was planning on doing and they never mentioned anything about 'slippage' in fact the price for working from home with them insuring our contents didnt rise one penny, all that changed was they put one single change to the policy re if we get broken into, and Im with a well known company.

Do you think I need to look into this further??

 

[LOU LOU]

Thanks Lou,

I understand what you mean about taking out extra contents beause you dont own it.

We rent our property so we have to have contents insurance but our landlord is responsible for buildings, does that mean I wont be able to get public liability because I dont pay buildings insurance??

I rang up the people who cover our contents insurance to tell them what I was planning on doing and they never mentioned anything about 'slippage' in fact the price for working from home with them insuring our contents didnt rise one penny, all that changed was they put one single change to the policy re if we get broken into, and Im with a well known company.

Do you think I need to look into this further??

No hun, it just means that the Landlord will have to pay the Buildings and You will have to pay the Contents and Public Liability. I don't pay the Buildings (my dad does) but I have to pay the contents and Public Liability.

I would definitely stress to them that you rent the property and you are working from home doing nails etc and just say am I covered for public liability in case someone gets injured on the premises. I'm covered for my cash tin, my products, my house contents. I'll list later (after tea exactly what i'm covered for) and show you. x

Who are you with hun if you don't mind me asking cos if I can get it cheaper then i'm definitely up for that. x

 

[Klassy Klaws]

i didn't want to spend £300+ on a course without sampling out the act.

Can I just ask would you if you wanted to be a hairdresser go out and buy scissors and "have a go first"??
I suspect the answer to this is NO so why should it be any different for a Nail Technician :irked:

 

[mrsnails]

Ahhh I see what you mean now :biggrin:

Im with Direct Line - hubby says its around £70 a year, I'll dig out my policy after tea so we can compare, but I am covered for normal household contents insurance, they didnt meantion anything like my cash tin, allthey have changed on the policy is thatwe are only covered if someone breaks in violently rather than before where we were covered if I left the door unlocked during the day and we were burgled whilst I was in the loo.

I told them what my plans were and that we rent, starting to worry that someone has got the wires crossed somewhere

 

[geeg]

I think this thread has been what we call. hijacked, this was not the original question peeps and anything you may say that is relevant re insurance will be lost forever in the wrong thread. this is why if you are talking amongst yourself it should be by pm.

back on topic if there is any more to say.

 

[mrsnails]

Sorry :o

 

[LOU LOU]

I think this thread has been what we call. hijacked, this was not the original question peeps and anything you may say that is relevant re insurance will be lost forever in the wrong thread. this is why if you are talking amongst yourself it should be by pm.

back on topic if there is any more to say.

Sorry Geeg! Didn't mean to Hijack, it was just that the original poster asked about insurance and it's obviously escalated! x

 

[Kayley]

Tbh, my thread has escalated waaay off topic - i asked about my splitting tips

BUT, with reference to me not being a nail technician, how do all u nail techs feel about these "home kits" in Boots now? Gel & Acrylic sets are available to the general public; no sanitizer is provided, nor a leaflet providing possible risks. Am I not just doing a Boots kit, but using proper - safe - products?

 

[Klassy Klaws]

Tbh, my thread has escalated waaay off topic - i asked about my splitting tips

BUT, with reference to me not being a nail technician, how do all u nail techs feel about these "home kits" in Boots now? Gel & Acrylic sets are available to the general public; no sanitizer is provided, nor a leaflet providing possible risks. Am I not just doing a Boots kit, but using proper - safe - products?

These kits do not make a difference to how many clients come to us professionals and to be honest many who have used them make such a mess they end up looking for a professional to sort out the mess!.
The products you are using are Professional products if they weren't they would be available in Boots and Argos but they are not so doesn't that tell you that you shouldn't be using them???
Where do you buy them from?
If its from an unauthorised distributor then how do you know they haven't been tampered with?
As you have no qualifications you have no idea of the chemical background what the hazards if you over expose your clients or yourself.

These are just the tip of the iceberg to many problems you could cause.
If this is truly something you want to do go get training!

 

[Lellipop]

Tbh, my thread has escalated waaay off topic - i asked about my splitting tips

BUT, with reference to me not being a nail technician, how do all u nail techs feel about these "home kits" in Boots now? Gel & Acrylic sets are available to the general public; no sanitizer is provided, nor a leaflet providing possible risks. Am I not just doing a Boots kit, but using proper - safe - products?

Tbh it doesn't both me that people will use Boots kits etc The number of people who use these are a very small percentage and when they use them and make a cock up they normally then will seek professional help to have a decent set of nails put on.
I dont think We as professionals have anything to worry about people WILL attempt to do nails with no training be it boots kits or professional products and they WILL end up having problems because they are NOT trained and DONT know how to apply the products correctly.:wink2:

 

[abicrunch]

Good luck with your training and new career. It's good you enjoy it so much.

Abicrunch, there are soooo many more reasons that a tip can crack!! You make it sound like this is the only possible problem.

No Mum, this is not the only reason why a tip can crack, but I know creative tips are very good. Was just a suggestion as I know they can crack if the tip is too small. (in my experience).

Afterall, alo0t of people on here speak from experience like myself, and never answer a question unless I have experienced it.

 

[honeycure]

It could be a number of problems. Maybe the tips you're using are too small?
Also, are you using buff off or soak off gel?

I noticed that with only soft gel, the tips are slightly weaker. I type a lot, so I notice that the middle finger cracks quite often. That's why I put a thin coat of buff off to add a bit more strength to it.

Good luck on your training! If you know your stuff, it's a very successful business to be in.

 

[Unique Nails09]

Linking back to an earlier post by the original poster - I have only ONCE had a patch test prior to having my hair done, i work in a hair salon now and the hairdresser never does this, how dangerous is that? What would she do if the colour reacted badly with the client and made her go blind? I kind of asked her this question and she shrugged her shoulders and said 'yes, maybe i should start doing patch tests' and then nothing was said or done about it.

To me that is taking a tremendous risk and this is in a professional hair salon where the stylist has trained intensely for years!

A lot of 'professional' nail techs do shocking things to clients nails and the awful thing is the clients let them as they often think this is the right way. This is the area we want to focus on and not having a go at a newbie who wants to learn.

 

[geeg]

Linking back to an earlier post by the original poster - I have only ONCE had a patch test prior to having my hair done, i work in a hair salon now and the hairdresser never does this, how dangerous is that? What would she do if the colour reacted badly with the client and made her go blind? I kind of asked her this question and she shrugged her shoulders and said 'yes, maybe i should start doing patch tests' and then nothing was said or done about it.

To me that is taking a tremendous risk and this is in a professional hair salon where the stylist has trained intensely for years!

A lot of 'professional' nail techs do shocking things to clients nails and the awful thing is the clients let them as they often think this is the right way. This is the area we want to focus on and not having a go at a newbie who wants to learn.

Whose having a go??? No one is having a go at anyone.

The people who are doing the shocking things you talk about are certainly not professionals and in my opinion should not be dignified with that title.

I do agree with you that many do take these awful things for granted as part of a nail service ... which is an area that needs to change ... we can only do that by educating our clients and new technicians as they come along into the business.

 

[Vetty]

I know there are risks, but that's the case in everything in life now. Yes, i'd like to know what the risk are & how to make sure these can be prevented Funnily enough that among the things you learn on a good course

I do intend to do a course, i just can't afford it at the moment. Don't do nails at all then. I'm sure I'd be really reassured if my hairdresser/dentist/beauty therapist/plastic surgeon said they'd do a course when they could afford it, but I shouldn't worry cos they've watched a friend and think they've picked it all up.....

I'm starting to wish i had just left my original message as "my tips keep splitting, help!!" and not mentioned i wasn't trained We'd have known anyway, trust me!

You need to get proper training and stop expecting professional nail tech's to teach you at no cost to you. Most of us have spent many hours and many £'s getting to where we are now. Our industry suffers from enough cowboys, I refuse help another one.

 

[MissOwen]

I agree with Yvette.

It doesnt bother me that you do your own nails, they are your nails and its your choice. If your friend is happy to take the risks of you doing her nails, thats her choice.

BUT, coming on a proffessional forum to ask advice when it goes a bit wrong seems a bit cheeky to me.

Its like going into a proffessional hairdressers and asking them to tell you how to put right the home dye kit cock up. They would charge you to do it for you!

The worst thing is, if you do mess up your mates nails by over filing or poor application, the chances are, she'll blame the fact that she's had enhancements and assume they are bad for her nails rather than blame the poor application.

Good luck if you choose to do a course. Hope you enjoy it and discover just how complex nail enhancements are. Its really not just a simply as trying to make them look pretty (although thats obviously a bg part of it! :wink2