INSIDER NAILS

As we get used to being back at work, we’ve been asking what you love most about your job and it seems the fact that you are an important part of your clients’ lives, becoming their friend, is your favourite thing about being a nail tech (22%). The fact that there’s lots of variety because no day is the same (20%) and the work is creative, keeping you mentally stimulated (19%), also ranked high as reasons why you love what you do.

However, another hot topic at the moment is your pet peeves with clients and the answers have been coming in thick and fast. For more than a quarter of you (28%), your biggest annoyance is when you’ve prepped your client’s nails and they start touching everything with their fingers, while taking forever to pick a colour or nail art design came in a close second (20%), and turning up late for an appointment and not being apologetic taking third place (18%). Don’t forget to check out the hot new pro collections from CND, Jessica and Morgan Taylor on page 73.

On the spot

What do you love most about working as a nail tech? 

1. You become an important part of clients’ lives (22%)

2. No two days are the same (20%)

3. It is creative work (19%)

4. You don’t have to sit in front of a computer all day (8%)

5. You get paid for doing your hobby (7%)

37% think dipping systems have fallen out of favour

What are your top client pet peeves?

1. When you’ve prepped their nails and they touch everything (28%)

2. When they take forever to pick a colour/design (20%)

3. When they turn up late and don’t apologise (18%)

4. When they don’t relax their hand in treatment (15%)

5. When they sit there with their nose in their phone (15%)

28% recommend clients buy the matching polish when doing a pre-holiday manicure or pedicure

31% Would like there to be more nailspecific podcasts

How do you perfect the fine line work in your nail art designs?

1. Experiment with different brush styles (26%)

2. Practise on family and friends (17%)

3. Experiment with brush size (13%)

4. Try different angles (10%)

METHODOLOGY Insider is compiled from a monthly survey of spas and beauty salons. The people who participated represent a cross-section of the industry and were polled by email from March 31–April 7, regarding business for the month to March 31. Nail business for the Insider Nails page was calculated from data provided by salons that offer nail services among other treatments. The figures given represent the average score for each answer. Brands are ranked when mentioned by several respondents.