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How to become a first class educator in nails

By Alex Fox | 23 October 2020

Teaching is a skill in its own right and therefore being well educated, informed and skilled does not mean you’re a natural born teacher, but it does mean you could have the makings of one. Being a phenomenal nail tech doesn’t automatically mean you’re able to educate. In fact, in…

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Thinking of renting a space in a salon? Here’s some advice…

By Guest Writer | 19 October 2020

Kara Kotsonis, owner of the award-winning NailSquad salon in Deal, Kent, shares her top tips for those thinking of renting a space inside a salon… A self-employed position within a salon usually involves renting a space, desk or room for a fixed rent or commission split. However, its not uncommon…

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Revealed: The 16 best hand poses for showing off your nail work

By Katie Barnes | 13 October 2020

Taking good quality photographs of your nail work is great for your advertising and marketing materials as it shows off your skills. Regularly photographing your work will also allow you to see room for improvement and highlight areas of concern that may not be obvious when in front of you.…

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How to retail make-up in your salon

By Sophie Nutt | 8 October 2020

Make-up is an extremely lucrative revenue stream for beauty professionals in many ways; especially through retailing. Mintel has reported that online sales of beauty products have increased by 11.4% this year, so as fewer consumers head to shopping centres to purchase make-up items, seize the opportunity to become a one-stop…

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Helen Burton-Ward on how to increase client spend

By Guest Writer | 7 October 2020

Scratch Stars Natural Nail Specialist of the Year 2019 and CND education ambassador, Helen Burton-Ward, shares her advice on how to increase client spend through add-on services & treatments…  One area that I am currently focusing on in my business is average client spend. A great way to maximise your profit is…

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How Covid-19 is changing the world of beauty

By Sophie Nutt | 1 October 2020

A recent report by Emily Gerstell, Sophie Marchessou, Jennifer Schmidt and Emma Spagnuolo from McKinsey & Company analyses the likely effects of Covid-19 on the beauty industry over the next three to six months, as well as how the pandemic could change the industry in the longterm. “The industry has…

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Caught short this month? Here’s how to monitor your business cash flow…

By Guest Writer | 29 September 2020

Beauty industry accounts expert & qualified nail tech, Ria-Jaine Lincoln, shares her advice for maintaining good cash flow so you to prevent business losses… The key to budgeting and control is good cash flow, and I want to share a guide to this using an example Excel spreadsheet. It does…

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Is my nail or beauty product out of date?

By Katie Barnes | 28 September 2020

In a previous blog for Scratch, I discussed the shelf life of nail products. In this article, I will go into more depth about what the labelling on products means, what you need to be aware of and how to understand the expiry of each nail product. What is shelf…

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Here’s the 3 AW20 nail trends you need to know

By Sophie Nutt | 24 September 2020

Autumn/winter serves up a whole host of new colour and design opportunities for clients. So, what are the nail trends you need to know about this season? We’ve rounded up the top three nail trends from the autumn/winter 2020 catwalks to inspire salon designs…  1. Colour rich Bold blues, oranges,…

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Struggling to master a nail design? Here’s some advice…

By Katie Barnes | 15 September 2020

Unfortunately we are in an age where we want to master something the instant we try it and tend to blame the education or object for not instantly picking it up. This doesn’t just apply to learning a new skill. It is also applicable to a new product, brand technique…

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Andy Rouillard’s guide to summer male waxing

By Sophie Nutt | 11 September 2020

Andy Rouillard, men’s waxing specialist and owner of Axiom Wax Academy, shares his top tips to male waxing in the summer with the Just Wax Expert range from Salon System… As the sunny weather rolls on, it is likely that clients will arrive for their appointments warmer and perspiring more…

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Why & how you should remove fumes & dust from the nail space

By Guest Writer | 10 September 2020

The team at extraction specialist company, Vodex, reveals why it’s imperative to remove fumes & dust from your workspace – and what the consequences are if you don’t… If you work with nails, you will have experienced fumes and mess from filing and enhancement products. If you don’t wipe surfaces…

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Britney Tokyo on the new LA nail scene post-Covid-19

By Sophie Nutt | 10 September 2020

LA-based celebrity manicurist & Scratch columnist for 2020, Britney Tokyo reveals what the nail industry looks like across the pond… Much like in the UK, a new style of life has begun since businesses opened back up in Los Angeles after the Covid-19 quarantine. The LA nail industry has also…

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4 tips for safely maintaining your PPE

By Guest Writer | 10 September 2020

With salons operating under strict Covid-19 guidelines, its important to pay attention to the condition of your protective equipment. Kelly Friel, from PPE experts Zoro, shares four tips for ensuring yours is fit for purpose and properly maintained. In July, the UK finally saw the reopening of many beauty salons…

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Salon Chat: How to overcome the pressures of social media

By Guest Writer | 7 September 2020

Salon Chat hosts, Kelly Colley of Lavish Nails and Isabel Porter of The Beauty Garage, share their thoughts on the nail sector… I’m typing this out on a bank holiday Monday morning having already posted by ‘mandatory’ Instagram post. Mandatory I say because, without it, my posts won’t be seen, no one will…

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