Please explain nail salons to me

[salviapages]

I would love to be someone who always has nice nails but I do not understand how nail salons work

Cuticles: first time I got my nails done she did a soak ans then trimmed my cuticles beautifully, I was so happy with it I went back again. This time I got someone else and she just started scraping them back dry, it hurt and bled, they looked terrible and so did the polish over top. She basically said it's my fault because I don't oil them every day. I thought maybe she's just crap and next time I went to someone else who did the same? How do I get someone to do my cuticles properly?

Once for my birthday my mum got me gel nails which I loved! But I don't really get how they work, do you literally have to go to a salon and pay like £20+ every time to maintain them?

I want to have nice nails but I don't know what to ask for and how much to budget and I'm fed up of wasting money and coming out with disappointing nails! Help!

@Popopopo

I thought it was well known that nail bars are often used as fronts by criminals. There was one near me that turned out to be a brothel.

If you Google nail bars and human trafficking theres loads of info

It is. But it’s also very simple to avoid that sort of salon and go elsewhere. A salon that charges £10 for gel polish, is cash only, and is entirely staffed by South East Asian people is easy to spot.

What a load of weird opinions about nail varnish!
You can gel varnish them at home with a special lamp. It costs a fraction of the price and you don’t need to go to the salon. You can also get something called “peel off base coat” from the brand I use. It completely protects your nails, no damage at all and makes it really quick and easy to change colours.
I have short nails in fairly subtle colours, they are never chipped using gel varnish and I look much more put together.

Gel/shellac will still damage your existing nails as they have to rough them up almost for it to stick but unless your tech is incompetent it’s not permanent damage and will grow out. As long as you keep gel on you won’t see it
Just absolute bullshit. Gel/shellac is just nail polish hardened under UV. There is no 'roughing up' of the nail. That is for false/acrylic nails

@RedHot22

I hate the look of acrylics. Gel over a natural nail is not so bad but acrylics just look so fake, which they are of course. Same with those ridiculous lashes.

I agree. They look absolutely awful. Not to mention that any prep that takes off the top layer of your nail is going to cause damage, despite nail people telling you it doesn’t. They will tell you that they just buff your nail to prep it, but that’s still damage.

I get shellac on my natural nails as I like keeping mine short. Every other month. Lasts about 14-21 days. I do the soak-off myself at home as it's easy-peasy. I then have a couple of weeks with bare nails, which helps keep them healthy.

I have done it at home but I find it tricky to trim my own cuticles, and the salon does a much better (and quicker!) job. It's an independent just up the road from me which employs local staff, so no trafficking concerns.

@Nomorecoco

It's expensive to keep your nails looking nice, but you're right, £20 to have them done, then you'll need a take off which is about £5-10, and then redone again. Your natural nails will look awful underneath so you'll want to keep having it done.

Not with gels that's acrylics.

OP

What do you want to done to your nails? A manicure includes the cuticles being pushed back, hand massage etc and nail varnish applied at the end.

I have gel nails and I only allow the salon owner to do them. They cost £25 for the old nails removing and new ones being applied. Gel is like a super nail varnish, it doesn't damage the nails (well not like acrylic does) although dermatologists with tell you not to wear varnish all the time.

I go every three weeks, the gel lasts longer but by week 4 if I have not had them done there is a lot of nail showing.

If I kept the same colour I could have the nail 'infilled' which is cheaper.

The salon I go to has lots of other treatments on offer and is a bit like a social club.

I have psoriasis and when it's bad my nails peel so gel keeps them looking neat and stops then peeling into food if I'm cooking.

I get gel nails done every three weeks by a self employed beautician who rents a room in a hairdresser’s salon. It costs £32 a time (live in a big city, so that probably affects price) which seems to be the standard rate around here. I can do it myself, but actually, I really enjoy the treat of going and having a chat and my nails done for me.

You can get your nails done as a one off and return to have them removed (it’s quite easy to remove them yourself too) or you can go to a salon (every 3-5 weeks) regularly to have them redone.

I get ‘Builder in a Bottle’ by Gel Bottle. It’s a gel base coat which strengthens the natural nail. Then a coloured coat goes on top. When my nails need redoing, the Builder in a Bottle gets filed off (with a normal nail file) rather than soaked off, which is more pleasant. My natural nails are not at all damaged. I do a lot of outdoor activities and my gel nails are strong enough to survive all sorts of abuse. I was climbing trees with my class of ten year olds yesterday and they are all still intact! I keep nail brushes by every sink in my house to keep under my nails hygienic. Gel Bottle is the only brand I have found which doesn’t chip or peel despite my constant hand washing and lack of care for them.

My current beautician has never damaged my nails or cuticles. However, I did once go to a salon where they used electric files and that was painful and very damaging to the natural nail.

Why do nail salons cut cuticles /push them back? Surely cuticles are there for a reason, why would you cut them or push them back?

Find a good mobile beautician who will do your nails in your home - you can build a relationship and they generally take more time making sure you’re happy!

Those of you with false nails over bitten nails - does it cure you of the habit, or do you still find yourself putting fingers to mouth?

Not sure what some people are talking about on here, the salon I go to is owned and run by local girls no trafficking although I'm sure it does happen i think its unfair to say all nail salons are drug fronts etc. All the ones in my local town are packed so def make money. Im £16 a time for gels which last me around 3 weeks, soak off is free and doesn't damage my nails. I would find a reputable local salon and ask them to go through the options with you and what they involve and then you can decide what is best for you.

@RichardMarxisinnocent

Why do nail salons cut cuticles /push them back? Surely cuticles are there for a reason, why would you cut them or push them back?

It's not getting rid of them completely - it's tidying them up. In the same way that you'd get your hair trimmed. Some people (like me) have long cuticles which can grow unevenly and become ragged and catch, which can be really painful.

You can do gel nails yourself at home OP! I got a set of polishes plus a UV lamp from Amazon probably cost me a one off £40 for every colour I could want and the lamp included. I don’t think they last as long as the salon as they only last two weeks for me, but I’m a dog groomer so my hands are constantly being soaked in water every day. I think if I got a better base and top coat they would last longer, but I’m very happy with the gel nails as normal nail polish will only last around five days (if that!) on me.

I pay £15 for gels with a basic pattern or design. I have them done every 3 weeks and removal is included in the cost. There is no human trafficking at the salon I use.

Gel nails are great. Easy to care for, natural looking.

No, not all salons are fronts for criminal groups or trafficking. 🙄🙄

Cuticles are pushed back and trimmed because that’s the right way to look after your nails well - you don’t want it growing up over your nail too much, and you want to avoid it drying, splitting and snagging.

Agree with the poster who said that nail service is always better in beauty salons rather than in nails only. And even in salons it really depends on how thoroughly they select and train their stuff. The one I use is lovely, great quality. Never had any cuts or other issues. You can do basic care at home but never with the same quality as on a good salon, and nail design is also something you can only get in a salon.

I have a woman come to my house, I pay £20 every 3 weeks and that includes removal.

And to answer the OP, yes, with gel nails you go back every 2 or 3 weeks (depends how quickly your nails grow), they soak your nails to take off your old varnish, and re-apply. I paid £30 every time but I think it depends on where you are and I think you get it a bit cheaper in some areas. I have a lamp now which does save money but it’s still a bit of a faff and my left hand never looks perfect which does annoy me, so if you can afford it I’d recommend having them done - it feels nice to take an hour out and have someone look after your hands imo.

I dont think anyone said all of them were, just surprised people haven't heard of it. Obviously there's plenty that are above board, normal businesses.

I think £20 to £30 a pop is fairly normal (though I just use Essie personally, much cheaper!)

Of course people have heard of it. But a couple of individuals on this thread have been ridiculous, even trying to insinuate that a salon owner here on the thread is mixed up in some criminal activity. Rude.

Nail salons are a huge time commitment, a huge cost and well, you can bet depending on what you do, they will chip before you’re due to have them done.
Quality varies by day, depending on the technicians time, mood etc. So some days the same person would do a great job, the next time, awful.
Once you start into the nail ecosystem, there is no escaping as your nails turn to paper underneath. It takes months to heal them.

So, my trip, invest in a good nail buff, nail file, cuticle oil, cuticle push back thing, cuticle Scissors and clear nail varnish. Keep them up to date. A natural nail is much nicer in my opinion.

Just don’t bother would be my advice. I’ve had gel nails twice, both times they cost over £20, chipped within a week and then cost more money to remove and left the actual nail knackered. Just put nail varnish on yourself and be prepared to rescue them every so often. Loads cheaper, more convenient and you don’t have to pretend to enjoy chatting to strangers for an hour (I accept that the last one is probably just me)

As someone who regularly has shellac done and who over time has used several (non human trafficking) salons I can assure you this is not bullshit.

The damage for acrylics is definitely deeper in the nail but shellac will require your nails to be buffed which if you stop having it reapplied and just have it removed, as I do from time to time, leaves your nails visibly scored and thinner. Not as much as acrylic but still visible.

If your nail tech isn’t doing this your gel is more likely to peel off and they are not applying it properly .

Love my gel manicures. Lots of PPs are conflating acrylics with gel manicures. I pay £24 every 3 weeks for removal and re-apply. 9 times out of 10 I go for a short length French manicure. It transforms the looks of my hands and, naturally awful, nails

That was to XiCi I thought I quoted her rather rude post.