LET'S NAIL IT
                           SALON | TRAINING

Your first nail course gives you starting point, but it can't teach you and entire profession. Here is why continued, targeted education matters as your skills and experience grow

The TPO Ban Has Arrived in the UK — What Does It Actually Mean for Nail Techs?

if your clients keep experience lifting, don't assume it is your prep. Discover 10 common causes of nail lifting - from base coat and product selection to structure, nail length and maintenance - and learn why improving nail retention starts with the right diagnosis.

Stop Guessing... and Go Beyond Prep If you've been following me for a while, you've probably noticed I've been talking about nail retention and lifting quite a lot. It's a topic that keeps coming up, whether in my salon, on training days, or in my inbox. Then one day it hit me... Why don't I just write a book about it? Well... I didn't stop at one. I ended up writing two. The reason is simple. Most nail technicians are never really taught how retention works. We're told to pr

The Nail Industry Sold Many of Us a Dream Not intentionally. But many of us entered this industry believing that after a one or two day course, we would be ready to do nails. And sometimes that does happen. If you find a great educator, have plenty of practice opportunities, and continue learning afterwards, you can build a successful career. But for many nail techs, reality looks very different. You leave your training excited, motivated and convinced you know what you're do

How I Reduced My Appointment Times When I first started doing nails, my appointments took forever. I thought being slow meant I was being careful, precise. I thought spending 45 minutes on prep meant I cared more. I thought constantly fixing nails during the appointment was just part of the job. Now looking back? I was not slow because I cared. I was slow because I didn’t fully understand what I was doing yet. And I know so many nail techs are stuck in exactly the same place

Stop Blaming Hairdressers for Lifting

Family, Friends & The Pricing Mistakes We All Make Let me tell you something I see over and over again. A nail tech starts. She’s excited. She’s practising. She cares. She wants to do well. So she charges £15 for something that takes her 3 hours. She gives her best friend a free set. She squeezes in her cousin at 8pm because “it’s only this once.” She copies the prices of the cheap salon down the road because she’s scared. And then 24 months later she’s exhausted, slightly re

What is the Best Recommended Product? This question never goes away. “What’s the best gel?” “What brand do you recommend?” “Just tell me what to buy.” I get it. You don’t want to waste money. You don’t want drawers full of half-used bottles. You don’t want to struggle with lifting and not know whether it’s you or the product. But here’s the grounded truth. There is no universal “best” product. Yes - I Do Recommend Products Let’s be clear. I do recommend brands. I use

Why You Shouldn’t Practise With Cheap Products and “Save the Good Ones” for Clients I know why you do it. You don’t want to “waste” the expensive gel. You tell yourself you’ll practise with the cheaper one… and use the good stuff once you’re better. Sounds logical. It’s not. Because your hands are learning the behaviour of the cheap product - not the one you’ll actually use on paying clients. And that’s where the struggle begins. You End Up Fighting the Product Cheap gels oft

Lifting Isn’t Random - It’s Feedback If nails are lifting, something is talking to you. Lifting is not “just bad luck.” It’s not always “the client’s fault.” And it’s not always “the product.” Every lift has a pattern. If you learn to read it, you stop guessing. Let’s break down what lifting is really telling you. Lifting Around the Cuticle This is the most common one. And yes - most of the time it’s prep. But let’s go deeper. Cuticle lifting usually happens because: The natu

Choosing the Right Base Coat: Stop Guessing, Start Understanding There are a lot of base coats on the market. Fancy names. Big promises. “Vitamin-infused”, “miracle retention”, “one base for all”. Most of it? Noise. The real problem isn’t the number of options - it’s that nail techs don’t understand what base coats actually do, so they keep switching products instead of reviewing the real cause. Let’s simplify this. What Is a Base Coat Actually For? A base coat is a bonding l

What Nails Not to Practise On When You’re Starting Out There are hands… and then there are hands. Some are a dream to work on. Others will test every bit of your patience and skill. And yes- even experienced nail techs can struggle with certain nail types. When you’re just starting out, practice is everything. But who you practise on matters more than most people realise. The mistake many beginners make At the beginning, money is usually tight. You’re investing in products, t

How to Save Money When Switching Nail Brands

January Reset for Nail Techs - What to Do After the Christmas Rush

2026 Won’t Look Different to 2025 Unless Your Skills Do

Examples of Nails That Screams for an Upskill Part 4

nail transformation

little nail transofrmation

Let’s Talk About Nails That Almost Look Good We’ve all seen sets that look fine at first glance… But when you tilt the hand, look from the side, or take a photo - the flaws jump out. These aren’t dramatic mistakes. These are the tiny details holding techs back from truly professional results. Details that clients can’t name… but they can definitely see . And this is exactly where upskilling changes the game. So let’s look at some real examples - how small corrections in struc