Salon in the Spotlight: Merrifield Beauty, Preston
Qualifying in 2010, Emma Merrifield has worked in various roles during her time in the beauty industry. However, after the birth of her second child in 2020, Emma realised it was time to take the plunge and set up her own business. “Setting up a business in the midst of…
Read More
Nail Tech Talk: Lucy Ames of By Lucy Alana
Scratch chats to Lucy Ames of By Lucy Alana about balancing a full-time job with tekking, and the sense of community that the nail industry offers… “My favourite products to use has got to be The GelBottle’s Builder in a Bottle or Glossify’s Naturabuild,” Lucy enthuses. “They’re both absolute game…
Read More
Salon in the Spotlight: T’studio, South Ham, Basingstoke
Gemini Lad has been in the beauty industry since 2006, setting up her first beauty salon in Bath in her early 20s before moving salons to work as a beauty salon manager in the north of England. “I ended up moving back down south, so on 1 April 2022, I…
Read More
Mental 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…
Read More
Salon in the Spotlight: JLR Nail Design, Indiana, USA
Jordan Ramos worked at a salon for eight years, but when it was closed, she was left with a decision to make about the future of her career. “I decided it was time to open my own nail salon, which I have now owned since 2018. I have since moved…
Read More
Nail talk: The importance of parallel side walls
Parallel side walls run from the side wall to the upper arch of the nail, starting at the cuticle zone and ending at the free edge. These sides help to give the nail enhancement a slim and slender appearance and they must mirror each other. It is a term heard…
Read More
Nail Tech Talk: Fern Barron of Barron Beauty
Scratch chats to Fern Barron of Barron Beauty about running a business from home and what she would change about the industry… “I had always wanted to be a nail tech ever since I had my nails done for the first time in a nail bar when I was 16,”…
Read More
Salon in the Spotlight: Euphoria Nail and Beauty Salon, Maidstone
Euphoria Nail and Beauty Salon was formally a butchers, but was transformed in 1990 by Carole Lionet, with the help of her husband. “We quickly realised that the beauty industry was becoming more and more popular, so we added beauty room after beauty room, and it morphed into Euphoria as…
Read More
Allergies: Consultation, identification & prevention in the nail space
According to the British Association of Dermatologists, 2.4% of people tested at 13 dermatology units had an allergy to at least one type of acrylate chemicals, the key ingredients in acrylic, gel and gel polish. Widespread media hysteria has contributed to anxiety amongst clients in regard to enhancement services, and advice from…
Read More
The 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…
Read More
Green Salon Collective on the problem with waste
Green Salon Collective was founded in 2020 by environmental experts, campaigners and beauty professionals, with an aim to help member salons in the UK and Ireland to responsibly dispose of their waste. They kick off their blog with Scratch by detailing why non-recyclable and non-reusable waste is so problematic. The…
Read More
Struggle with back pain? Techs share their pain-free pedi setups
Scratch talks to two techs, who reveal how they created the perfect pedi setups to accommodate to their back pain. Becks Dunn of Beautiful Destiny Nails and Tanning Northamptonshire based Becks Dunn has suffered with a bad back for 15 years, after an injury which ended her former dancing dreams…
Read More
Nail Tech Talk: Chloe Amber Slater of Titch Nails
Scratch chats to Chloe Amber Slater of Titch Nails about championing women in business and her love for being self-employed as a nail tech… “I don’t think I have a signature nail style as such,” Chloe smiles. “I just really enjoy creating art with tiny details, whether that’s the small…
Read More
7 tips for a more eco salon
Can you tick off this list of seven eco-friendly ideas? The National Hair & Beauty Federation shares these top tips… Choosing more sustainable ways to run your salon or business will not only save you money, for example in utility bills, but will also help attract new clients who are…
Read More
10 ways to be more sustainable in the nail salon
Scratch serves up a practical guide to help reduce your environmental impact in your day-to-day working role as a nail pro… 1. Washing When washing towels or other items of laundry, set your washing machine to an eco-level and hang them on a clothesline to dry whenever you get the chance.…
Read More
Read the latest issue
