EXPERT ADVICE
A guide to the gel system: when & how to use & troubleshooting tips
Nail pros share insight on the gel system… When to use the gel system Theresa Foddering, Lecenté business development manager & Scratch Stars Shooting Star Award finalist 2025, adds: “If a client has weak or brittle nails that require extra support and strength, hard gel is a great option for enhancements.…
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Nail industry expert: here’s the problem with AI-generated nail designs
Scratch Stars Social Media Star of the Year finalist 2024 & 2025, Hannah Clayton, shares her thoughts on artificial intelligence nail imagery…. We’ve all seen them: every nail shaped like it was designed in a factory with no cuts, dry skin or missing bits of sidewalls. We’re seeing a wave of…
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How to achieve a work-life balance as a beauty professional in summer
Scratch columnist & beauty business and mindset coach, Zaara King, shares advice for achieving a work-life balance this summer… Summer is upon us and I am so excited for the coming months. Seeing seasonal nail designs puts me in the best mood and makes me want to have fun in…
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Fiona Fox, owner of Dorset salon, Ulu Beauty, provides training to beauty pros on areas including mental health awareness, safeguarding, equality and diversity. Here, she explores the importance of self-care for nail techs during the festive season and simple self-care fixes. For many, Christmas is a time to look and…
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What is a heat spike? Why can a burning sensation be felt by clients when a gel product is curing? Dani Bailey, nail educator & recipient of The Shooting Star Award at the Scratch Stars Awards 2024, explains… In August, Scratch posted an opportunity on Instagram for people to send in their…
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We are all feeling the pinch, so check out money-saving solutions for your nail and beauty business… 1. Be economical with your products Let’s use a nail file as an example. When you consider how much of a nail file you use in each service, it is rare that you…
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Vorke Kalusi, founder of beauty business resource, Beauty Hunt UK, serves up financial insight… Understanding finance terms Revenue: The money you make from your services. Expenses: The costs of running your business, such as supplies, rent and utilities. Profit: The money left after paying your expenses. Profit = revenue –…
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What is HEMA? HEMA, also known as 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate or hydroxyethyl methacrylate, belongs to the monomer family and is used as an adhesive in nail products. Having an adhesive property in the product is important to prevent service breakdown. When alternative ingredients are used, using a coarser grit file can…
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Fingernail half moons are the rounded, white shadows at the base of the nails. The industry term for this is lunula, which is Latin for ‘little moon’. The place where each nail begins growing is known as the matrix. This is where new cells are made that will make up…
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