Health & wellbeing
4 items you should be sanitising alongside your nail tools
You clean, disinfect and sterilise your nail tools, but on what else should you carry out these processes? Any reusable items that come into contact with clients’ skin or nails must be sanitised, disinfected and sterilised, depending on your country’s regulations. Protocols referred to in this blog are applicable to UK legislation. Remember, single use,…
Read MoreHow to incorporate mindfulness into your beauty services
Salon System educator, Lisa Stone, who achieved a meditation qualification after using the practice to support her mental health, shares how mindfulness techniques can be used in your beauty business… We can spend so much time and money on ensuring our outward appearances look and feel great, that we forget to look after how we…
Read More9 ways to support employees during the cost of living crisis
Experts at employee engagement software company, Weekly10, have collated nine top tips for businesses to support staff during tough economic times… 1. Focus on employee engagement When employees feel connected to their work, peers and company mission, they’re more likely to find meaning in their work. They feel like they are contributing to a bigger…
Read More4 ways to help prevent allergic reactions in the nail space
An allergy in the nail industry is caused by repetitive skin contact of a nail ingredient that has been advised against skin contact. The contact of this allergen may not always be known or as simple as displaying on the hands from accidentally flooding the cuticle. If you or a client is experiencing any signs…
Read More4 ways to reassure clients about the safety of your nail services
You’ve spent hundreds of pounds on products, hours of time on training courses, and provide nail services that make your clients feel happy. So it hurts to constantly have to defend your profession from mainstream media cries of ‘UV nail lamps could cause cancer’ or ‘gel polish services cause allergies’. These stories don’t seem to…
Read MoreMental health training options to help beauty businesses support employees
Scratch highlights different coaching providers to help support employers’ understanding and management of staff mental health matters. VTCT Believing in an industry that recognises the importance of their workforce’s mental wellbeing, awarding and assessment organisation, the Vocational Training Charitable Trust (VTCT), added Mental Health Awareness to its range of vocational and technical qualifications in 2021.…
Read MoreWhat is the function of the free edge of the nail?
To understand the function of the free edge or nail tip, we must firstly understand how and why the nail grows. The function of the nail is to protect the outermost bone of the finger or toe, the fingertip, and the surrounding soft tissues from injuries. The fingertips contain a lot of sensory endings that…
Read MoreMental health awareness: How the nail sector has saved me from my struggles
Sheryl Cooper, owner of nail art supplier, Enchanted Essence, and home salon, Nails By Sheryl, opens up about how getting involved in the nail industry boosted her mental health and how she champions mental wellbeing in her businesses. In 2016 I had my daughter, Isla, and within six months I was thrown back into a…
Read MoreThe FNP reveals findings from its first nail industry allergy survey
Marian Newman BEM, chair of The Federation of Nail Professionals, shares findings from the FNP’s first allergy survey… A large part of the nail sector is aware of an ‘allergy epidemic’ that we and our clients are suffering from. Acrylate based nail coatings have been available and used since, at least, the late 1970’s and…
Read MoreMeet the make-up artist with Functional Neurological Disorder
Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) charity FND Hope defines FND as a problem with the functioning of the nervous system and how the brain and body send and receive signals. Physical and/or psychological risk factors can cause functional symptoms which include a variety of physical, sensory and cognitive symptoms, such as weakness or paralysis, loss of balance, tremors or difficulty walking, and…
Read MoreHow to support neurodivergent clients in the nail space
One in seven people in the UK (more than 15% of the UK population) are neurodivergent, meaning that the brain functions, learns and processes information differently. Neurodiversity includes conditions such as ADHD, autism, epilepsy and mental health illnesses. Scratch explores how to accommodate neurodivergent clients to ensure they enjoy their nail appointment… CHECKLIST Always address…
Read More8 reasons why you get dry skin on your feet
To best avoid rough, dry, tight or cracked heels, Bryony Cocksedge, head of education at Louella Belle, explains the major causes and solutions… Lifestyle and genetics Lifestyle and genetics are both factors that have a major say in your skin’s characteristics and conditions. For many, when they think of summer sandals, they immediately think about…
Read MoreRevealed: 5 steps to make your pedicure go the distance
Keep dry, hard skin on feet at bay post-pedicure with a helping hand from Bryony Cocksedge, head of education at Louella Belle… 1. Start with a bowl of warm water and add a capful of Footlogix Foot Soak which is a pH balanced, gentle, cleansing foot soak with anti-microbial properties. It helps soften dry, rough…
Read MoreHaywards Heath nail tech reveals her diagnosis, treatment & journey with breast cancer
Scratch chats to Carla Fenu of Haywards Heath based salon Frankies about her breast cancer battle, and her advice for other nail techs who may be going through the same experience… Please detail your background in hair and beauty? I decided to pursue a career in nails due to having the flexibility to work and…
Read MoreRaynaud’s Syndrome: Here’s how you can help sufferers
Raynaud’s Syndrome is named after French physician, Maurice Raynaud, who first recognised the condition in 1862. The phenomenon causes an interruption of blood flow to all extremities including the hands, fingers and toes, when a spasm occurs in the blood vessels of these areas. Spasms triggered by exposure to cold temperatures or emotional stress typically…
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