EXPERT ADVICE

Onycholysis image

Onycholysis: what is it & how can it be treated?

By Jess Watts | 31 July 2025

Let’s talk the causes of onycholysis, aka nail separation, how to prevent and what to do when it’s presented at the nail desk… Picture this: you scrape your knee and pop a plaster over the top to help it heal. Three days later, that plaster has started to lift. At…

Read More
Nail salon client

How to elevate your beauty business by seeing it through clients’ eyes

By Marie-Louise Coster | 30 July 2025

Session nail stylist, salon owner & educator, Marie-Louise Coster, discusses the importance of understanding clients’ perspective… When was the last time you walked through your business as if you were an existing or new client? We all need to walk through our businesses, whether physically or virtually, on a regular basis…

Read More
Nails and file

The nail hyponychium: what is it & why does it need protecting?

By Jess Watts | 25 July 2025

Not all heroes wear capes… but sometimes they deserve a little appreciation. Here are some key facts about the hyponychium – your underappreciated nail protector. Akin to how we fill the cracks in between shower tiles, the crevices of our nails also need sealing to protect the nail bed and…

Read More
Aug 25 low res scratch cover

Read the latest issue

Remote learning tpc

Remote learning: How to keep students motivated

By Scratch Staff | 14 April 2020

Sarah Brenton-Sara, lecturer in Level 2 & 3 Nail Services & Beauty Therapy at Truro & Penwith College, shares advice for fellow educators considering a remote way of teaching, & how to keep students motivated during the coronavirus pandemic… Thank goodness for social media. I have had meetings with my…

Read More
Technology phone watch

Coronavirus: 3 ways to use tech to keep clients interested

By Scratch Staff | 12 April 2020

Jo Martin, marketing director at Sally Salon Services UK & Ireland, reveals how you can you use technology to engage existing clients and attract new ones… Like many other sectors, the nail industry has been significantly affected by the coronavirus pandemic. At first, nail salons and freelancers took the decision…

Read More
Untitled design

Helen Burton-Ward on allergy prevention

By Sophie Nutt | 10 April 2020

Scratch Stars Natural Nail Specialist of the Year 2019 and CND™ education ambassador, Helen-Burton Ward, shares her advice to preventing allergies… Allergies and overexposure are widespread issues within the industry. An allergy may develop as a response to the improper application or cure of a nail system, or sensitivity to certain…

Read More
Notebook

Coronavirus: Learning from ‘unprecedented times’

By Kat Hill | 6 April 2020

Tracy Nash, director of Vu Nail Systems, shares her thoughts on these ‘unprecedented times’… Sit and just take a minute. Reflect on you; relax, breathe, calm. The world is wonderful and already repairing itself. Picture the beauty and set your mind ready… ready for the months ahead. Start with a…

Read More
Julie anne lariviere

Coronavirus: 6 ways to make the most of your extra time

By Sophie Nutt | 4 April 2020

Julie-Anne Larivière, Salon System nail expert and salon owner of Sketched by J-A Nails, shares top tips for how techs can utilise the extra time they have as a result of Covid-19… As difficult as this time is for most self-employed nail technicians, it is, for some, a blessing in…

Read More
Piggy bank

3 ways to boost your income during low trading periods

By Sophie Nutt | 3 April 2020

The team at Sienna X shares three top tips to boosting your income during quiet periods… Covid-19 has given many of us a new perspective, not only on our health, but also the way that we can operate business during times of extreme trading lows and uncertainty. With normality interrupted, we…

Read More