KS Nail Technician cheat sheet

Four levels of microbial control, weakest to strongest: cleaning (soap and water), sanitizing, disinfecting, sterilizing.

A disinfectant must be EPA-registered and used at the label dilution for the full label contact time; organic debris left on an implement inactivates the solution.

Porous items - emery boards, buffers, wooden sticks, cotton - cannot be disinfected and are single-use only; discard after each client.

Non-porous implements: wash with soap and water, dry, fully immerse in hospital-grade disinfectant, rinse if the label directs, store in a clean closed container.

Blood or body fluid on an implement or skin: don gloves, remove visible matter, then disinfect with an EPA-registered tuberculocidal product for the label contact time.

Wash hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds before and after every client and after glove removal; sanitizer does not replace washing when hands are visibly soiled.

Pedicure basins: scrub with detergent, disinfect with an EPA-registered hospital-grade product at the label contact time, and dry before reuse; do this between every client.

Keep every chemical in its original or a correctly labeled secondary container; never transfer product into food or beverage containers, and keep an SDS on file for each product.

No double-dipping: remove product from a jar with a clean spatula and never return used product to the container.

Performing nail technology in Kansas for compensation requires a current individual license; the salon where the work is done must also hold a current salon license.

A current license must be available for inspection at the workstation or posted in the salon so an inspector can verify legal practice.

The Kansas Board of Cosmetology adopts the administrative regulations governing sanitation and practice and may investigate complaints and fine, suspend, or revoke a license.

Continuing education is required for license renewal; the number of hours and the approved topics are set by the Board and change over time, so verify the current rule each renewal cycle.

A licensee must not service a client with a known infectious or contagious condition; the client is referred to a physician.

Licensed salons are subject to inspection by the Board or its authorized agents during business hours, and violations can produce citations for both the salon and the technician.

The salon's license does not cover an individual technician; an employee or booth renter must hold a personal license that is current and in the correct category.

Nail plate is hard keratin produced by the matrix and contains no nerves or blood supply of its own.

Structures to know: matrix produces the plate; nail bed underlies and attaches to it; lunula is the visible matrix; eponychium (cuticle) seals the base; hyponychium seals under the free edge; lateral folds form the sidewalls.

Growth rate: fingernails grow about 1/8 inch (3 mm) per month and fully replace in 4 to 6 months; toenails take roughly 9 to 12 months.

Disorders that may be manicured include ridges, furrows, leukonychia (white spots), onychorrhexis (splitting), and onycholysis caused by trauma or over-filing.

Diseases that must not be serviced and require referral include onychomycosis, paronychia, Pseudomonas (green) infection, warts, and any inflamed or pus-filled tissue.

Terminology: onychocryptosis = ingrown nail; onychogryphosis = thickened ram's-horn nail; koilonychia = spoon nail; pterygium = living skin creeping onto the plate.

Aggressive filing of the plate or cutting living cuticle tissue can cause permanent ridges and open a portal for infection.

The nail bed is richly supplied with blood vessels and nerves, so a sudden dark streak, new swelling, or pain without trauma is referred rather than covered with product.

Decision rule: contagious, inflamed, or undiagnosed condition means no service and a referral to a physician.

Basic sequence: sanitize hands, inspect nails, shape, buff, soak and soften, cuticle care, massage, then base coat, color, and top coat.

File natural nails with 180-grit or finer abrasives and work in one direction from corner toward center to prevent splitting and peeling.

Bevel the free edge after filing to remove sharp corners that snag and lift polish.

Use nippers only on hangnails or clearly dead tissue; never cut into the living eponychium or sidewalls.

Push back cuticle gently with a rubber-tipped or wooden pusher held at a low angle; metal pushers used at a steep angle scrape and thin the plate.

Polish application: one thin base coat, two thin color coats, one thin top coat; cap the free edge to seal the tip.

Common nail shapes: square, squoval, round, oval, almond, coffin, stiletto.

Massage movements are effleurage, petrissage, tapotement, vibration, and friction; massage is avoided over inflamed or infected skin.

Sequence: soak 5 to 10 minutes, trim straight across, file, cuticle care, callus reduction, massage, then polish.

Basin protocol between every client: detergent wash, hospital-grade disinfectant at the label contact time, then dry before reuse.

Toenails are cut straight across and corners are only lightly rounded to remove sharpness; deep corner cutting encourages ingrown nails.

Callus rasps and pumice are used on heels and soles only; credo blades and any cutting device are prohibited, and work above the ankle is outside scope.

Contraindications requiring referral or physician clearance: diabetes, peripheral artery disease, neuropathy, fungal or bacterial infection, and open wounds.

Support the foot at the ankle with the knee flexed, and avoid prolonged pressure on the calf or behind the knee.

Single-use items for pedicures include toe separators, files, buffers, and wooden sticks; they are discarded after one client.

Warm water soaks are skipped for clients with circulatory problems or insensitive skin, because they cannot detect heat damage.

Acrylic is a two-part system: liquid monomer plus powder polymer; a correct medium-wet bead has no bubbles and cures without yellowing or brittleness.

Prep sequence: sanitize, shape the natural nail, remove shine, dehydrate, apply primer if the system requires it, then do not touch the plate before application.

Three zones: zone 1 at the free edge is thin, zone 2 (stress area) carries the thickest apex, zone 3 at the cuticle is thin with no product on skin.

Tips are bonded to the free edge and blended; forms wrap under the free edge and are removed after the product sets, allowing a sculpted extension.

MMA monomer is banned or restricted in many states because of its hardness and removal difficulty; EMA is the accepted monomer.

E-file use: coarse bits reduce product, fine bits work near the cuticle and sidewalls, and the bit is kept moving in one direction to avoid friction burns.

Removal: reduce bulk with a file, soak in acetone, and never pry or force product off the natural plate.

Rebalance every 2 to 3 weeks; lifting at the sidewalls usually signals incomplete prep or product applied on the skin.

Wrap materials are silk, linen, and fiberglass; resin bonds the fabric to the plate and the wrap is used for repair or added strength.

Wrap application: prep the plate, apply resin, lay the wrap, press smooth, apply resin over the top, seal the edges, then buff.

An overlay is acrylic, gel, or wrap applied over the natural nail for strength or color without adding length, so it is thinner than an extension.

Gel products cure under UV or LED light, and cure time depends on the manufacturer's specification and the lamp's wattage.

Gel polish removal: break the surface with a file, wrap in acetone-soaked cotton for 10 to 15 minutes, then gently push; never scrape the plate.

Never apply wraps, overlays, or gel over an infected or inflamed nail, and stop the service if the client reports burning, itching, or heat.

Glitter, gems, and decals are placed over cured color and sealed with top coat so edges cannot lift.

Uncured gel left on the skin can cause allergic sensitization, so product is kept off the skin and every layer is fully cured.

Consultation covers health history, medications, allergies (acrylates, nickel, fragrance), occupation, and the client's expectations for the service.

Any contraindication found during consultation results in a referral, not a diagnosis or a treatment recommendation.

Informed consent means explaining the service, products, risks, alternatives, and cost, then recording the client's agreement.

Client records and health information are confidential and are shared only with the client's permission or when the law requires it.

Communication techniques that build trust: open-ended questions, active listening, paraphrasing, and plain language instead of technical jargon.

Ethical practice means charging the quoted price, disclosing add-on fees before the service, and never claiming a product cures a disease.

Scope of practice limits the technician to beautifying the nail; abnormal conditions are referred to a physician.

Records to keep per client: date, service performed, products used, any reaction, and patch-test results.

Service price floor = labor + supplies + overhead + profit margin; pricing below that line means the service loses money.

Keystone markup doubles the wholesale cost: an item bought for $5 retails at $10.

Rotate inventory first in, first out and check expiration dates on monomer, gel, and polish, since expired product performs poorly.

Keep business and personal finances in separate accounts and retain financial records for the period required by tax law.

A booth renter is an independent contractor who holds a personal license, pays the salon owner rent, and sets their own prices and hours instead of earning wages.

Professional liability insurance covers claims that a service caused injury or damage.

Retail recommendations are based on the client's actual need; describe home-care and strengthening uses but never make medical claims.

Track rebooking and retention rates, because rebooking at checkout is the lowest-cost form of marketing available to a nail technician.