How to Become A Nail Technician Acrylic Nails-Manicures-Pedicures-Nail Care:
? How much would it cost ? How long would it take to become a nail technician? Where should I go to train ? Will I be a good nail technician?
All these questions I have asked myself in the past and it was only recently that I went about answering them.
I have always wanted to become a nail technician and kept promising myself to pursue this venture. Due to work and family commitments this was not possible until recently.
To my delight I can now call myself a qualified nail technician. In this article I will do my best to help anyone who wishes to work in the nail industry.
Training to Become a Nail Technician The first question we need to answer is, ?
You need to seek out the best training school for nail technicians in your area. When I decided to pursue my dream of becoming a nail technician the first place I went to was 'Google'. There are many other places to go to should you not have access to Google.
Which School or College should I Train In?
There are your local newspapers. A lot of these are free newspapers you can pick up in your local supermarket. There are also your national newspapers. Another good place for information on training is your local library. Whichever way you find the place that suits you it is important that you shop around for the best value for money. Like all industries there are good and bad out there so be sure and train with a reputable school so as your Certificates are recognised when you are ready to seek employment in the nail industry.
Which Nail Course should I enrol in?
When I decided to become a nail technician I approached NSI in Swords, Co Dublin, Ireland. I liked what they had to offer so I enrolled in two of their courses.
I decided on a Manicure @ Pedicure course. I felt it was important to learn not only how to do Acrylic or false nails but to also learn about nail health care and nail anatomy.
What is a Manicure A manicure is a cosmetic beauty treatment for the fingernails and hands performed at home or in a nail salon by a Nail Technician. A manicure consists of filing, shaping of the free edge, treatments, massage of the hand and the application of polish.
There are also manicure services that are specialties for the hands and feet. For the hands, the soaking of a softening substance and the application of a lotion is a common specialty. When applied to the toenails and feet, this treatment is referred to as a pedicure.
Other nail treatments may include the application of artificial nail tips, acrylics, or artificial nail gels. Some manicures can include the painting of pictures or designs on the nails or applying small decals or imitation jewels, known as Nail Art.
In many areas Nail Technicians are licensed and follow regulation. Since skin is manipulated and is sometimes trimmed, there is a certain risk of spreading infection when tools are used across many people and therefore, sanitation is a serious issue.
French Manicures and Nail Art Manicures began 5,000 years ago. French manicures are manicures designed to resemble natural nails, and are characterized by lack of base colour, or natural pink base nails with white tips. The tips of the nails are painted white while the rest of the nails are polished in a pink or a suitable nude shade. French manicures may have originated in 18th-century Paris and were popular in the 1920s and 1930s.
Natural nails are made up of protein keratin. The nail plate requires a certain amount of flexibility and moisture to encourage healthy growth. Using 'hardening' treatments and harsh chemicals on natural nails will make the nail plate brittle and more prone to breakages. The use of nail moisturizers and clear polish proteins is essential for perfect growth.
A professional Nail Technician or Manicurist will use a written, verbal, and observational consultation to determine the condition of a client's natural nails.
A manicure treatment should take from about thirty minutes to one hour.
Nail Anatomy Nail Anatomy is very important and a good place to start on your road to becoming a nail technician. While on my manicure and pedicure course I learned all about the anatomy of a nail. There are 13 points to nail anatomy.
The Matrix Mantle Nail Bed Nail Grooves Free Edge Smile Line Nail Plate Nail Walls Lunula Cuticle Hyponychium Peronychium Eponychium Contra-Indications to Manicures or Pedicures It is important also to learn of any Contra-Indications to Manicures or Pedicures.
These can vary from a Bacterial infection to a Viral Infection or Fungal infection.
Nail Shapes You will also learn of the different nail shapes.
You have Straight sided with a slightly Oval tip Oval Square Oval Almond Round Square Square with rounded corners Pointed Sanitation-Disinfection-Sterilization Sanitation Disinfection and Sterilization are also important things to learn if you wish to become a good nail technician.
I know all this sounds very boring and you would love to just get started on doing your clients nails whether that is Manicure, Pedicure, Acrylic nails or Gel nails. Personally I decided on the acrylic nails. I will be publishing an article on Acrylic nails in the near future but until then it is important that you learn all you can about the Natural Nail. It is as important to have knowledge of the nail itself and the best way to maintain healthy nails while using artificial nails.
A Well Balanced Diet for Healthy Nails This also includes a well balanced diet which is the secret for achieving healthy nails. Foods that are particularly good for fingernail health include:
Protein which is found in chicken wings-soy bean product- and also eggs:
Vitamins from Grapefruit-Strawberries-Kiwi fruit and Oranges:
Minerals found in Seaweed-Seafood (sardines @oysters) -Liver and Tuna:
Water: It is also important to drink plenty of water to hydrate the skin, ideally try to drink 2 Litres per day. This will make sure the cuticle does not become dry and flaky.
Natural Nail Growth You will also learn of the growth of your natural nail.
Normal growth rate is 0.5 to 1.2mm per week.
There are certain conditions that could either slow down or speed up your natural nail growth.
Manicures and Pedicures If you wish to become a good nail technician you need to do as much theory study as practical. It is important to know how to prepare your client for manicure and the consultation with the client is also an important first step to manicure. You need to learn how to decide if there are any Contra indications before preforming any manicure or pedicure. You will need to get to know your equipment needed for manicure and also your products that you will be working with.
The preparation of the client for manicure- Consultation before manicure- Contra indications to manicure- Equipment needed for manicure- Products- Implements:
You will need a fair amount of equipment and I have to say they are not cheap. If you are lucky to find a good training school for nail technicians you may find that the equipment/implements and products may be included in the price of the course itself.
With NSI I received a starter pack for the manicure and pedicures.
I also received the NSI Starter Pack for Acrylic Nails which I will go into in more detail in my next article on HubPages.
Equipment needed for Manicures and Pedicures manicure trolley- emery board- orange sticks- hand cream or oil- base coat- colour nail polish- top coat- nail polish remover- hoof stick- cuticle nippers- nail scissors- cuticle remover- cuticle oil or cream- cotton wool and tissues:
Your Professional Appearance PROFESSIONAL APPEARANCE; Personal hygiene Uniform - professional/clean Hair - clean and tied back Nails and hands - clean and neat Make up - Fresh look (not too much) Perfume - heavy perfume too strong Shoes - flat no heels Jewelry - just wedding band and small stud earrings Store and Handle your products Correctly Your Products:
All products must be handled and stored correctly, follow these basic rules:
Technician and client must not eat or drink at the manicure workstation Thoroughly wash hands after manicure before handling food or drink Keep dust to a minimum and have extraction unit fitted if possible Work in a well ventilated room Waste products should be put into a bin liner then placed in a metal bin with a lid Store all products in a cool place and keep lids on at all times Keep products in a cool place and keep lids on at all times Keep products out of the reach of children and pets Do not remove labels from products Do not smoke, light candles or burners when using products Follow correct hygiene rules for equipment Chemicals should be disposed of correctly Hand and arm Massage Sequence Full effleurage covering the whole of the hand and forearm. Repeat six times.
Thumb kneading to the anterior forearm in 3 sections covering the whole arm. Repeat six times.
Kneading around the carpals. Repeat six times.
Kneading in between the metacarpals.
Turn over the arm/hand and repeat steps 1 to 3.
Thumb kneading to the palm of the hand.
Cross frictions to the palm.
Passive movements with wrist supported. Link the client's fingers and rotate the wrist three times to the left and three times to the right.
Gently flex and extend the wrist.
Kneading to the phalanges with finger pulls.
Complete this 6 times - effleurage to the whole hand and forearm.
Remove massage medium with damp wool.
Tone the area.
Some manicure routines may include use of hot towels for removal of excess product.
Squeak the nails - use nail enamel remover to remove any excess oil from the nail plate.
Types of Massage Movements Types of massage movements:
EFFLEURAGE: -- These movements always begin and end the massage sequence. They are soothing, relaxing and stroking movements, performed in upward movements.
PETRISSAGE: -- These are finger and palmer kneading movements, which are both relaxing and soothing to muscles. Slight pressure is applied with each movement, assisting the return of blood and lymph to the heart.
ROTATIONS: -- These are circular movements, applied to joints to aid joint mobility.
CONTRA INDICATIONS TO MASSAGE Nail diseases Recent surgery or scar tissue Extremely hairy arms as the massage may be uncomfortable Recent sunburn to the arms Over stretched, very thin skin MASSAGE MEDIUMS:
Cream -- Used for dry or dehydrated skin types OIL -- Dry or dehydrated skin types Your Manicure-Pedicure Sequence Manicure -Pedicure Sequence Wash your hands Examine the client's hands and nails Explain the purpose of a manicure to the client Wipe the client's hands with surgical spirits Apply nail polish remover Push back nail walls with orange stick and polish remover Cut and file nails Buff the nails Apply cuticle cream and massage in Soak hand Repeat step 5 - 9 on opposite hand Dry hands Apply cuticle remover Push back cuticles Allow nails to soak for short period, brush cuticles with nail brush Repeat step 12 -15 on opposite hand Treat cuticles with cuticle knife and nippers proceed with massage - 10 minutes Remove greasy residue from nails Apply base coat Apply 2 layers of colour Apply top coat Apply quick dry Start your Training Today I hope this article has been of some help to you on your road to becoming a Nail Technician. There is a lot to learn should you wish to become a good nail technician so your theory work, such as nail anatomy, natural nail growth and your contra indications are important if you wish to maintain your client's nails for the long term.
I will be publishing an article next on my training for Acrylic Nails. I decided not to include it in this as it is important to know how to do a good manicure/pedicure on your client before you proceed with any type of artificial nails as long term use of these can be harmful to the natural nail if not applied and maintained properly by a professional nail technician.
Should you wish to pursue a career in the nail industry you will need many products. Amazon sells some great items from your powder, liquid, instruments and even books on nail anatomy and nail care. You can also buy coloured acrylic powder to mix and make your own unique colour. The Black Acrylic Powder is my favourite and mixes well with the white to make a lovely shade of Grey.

It is used to dot and draw circles. It is a necessary tool for designing polka dots. There are various sizes of RBI tools. It is recommended that novices start with the RBI tools of medium size at one end and small size at the other end, so as to facilitate the conversion of sizes at will. You can buy stippling tools at the beauty shop. In addition, you can also use the small black hairpin to make one. Break the card straight and dot it with the round head end. After use, wash and dry the card to prevent rust.
Very important manicure design tools, long and thin brush heads attached to nail polish, can be used to hook or add patterns. It is suggested that novices start with two colors. You can buy the hook pen separately, but not all brush heads can match the nail polish. The newly purchased manicure brush is the safest from the water based nail polish. Finally, thoroughly clean and dry the brush head with acetone, soapy water and paper towel.
A very practical gadget for manicure. It is particularly useful when constructing lines and geometries. You just need to cut the transparent textbook into a straight line or any shape you want, then stick it on your fingernail, and tear off the tape after applying nail polish, you can get the desired line segments or geometric shapes.
If you want to do Art Manicure, you must have a set of painted manicure brushes, including five basic shape brush heads: Fan Brush, flat brush, flat bevel brush, fine brush (used to draw details) and line brush. The most practical and economical way is to buy a suit containing the above five brush heads. Or start with one of the most commonly used nail brushes and buy a professional painting brush set until you are skilled.
Five, three Nail Polish
Three kinds of nail polish are necessary for exquisite nail enhancement: high quality color nail polish, bottom oil for color protection and repair, and bright oil for increasing luster. In time of rush, quick drying and bright oil will save time, but if time is enough, transparent nail polish is more suitable for complex and exquisite manicure. Nail polish is best to choose a large brand with guaranteed quality, hold the color better, and apply it on the nail surface more smoothly.