Nail Care and Services
The Nail Care and Services domain tests whether you can deliver a manicure, pedicure, or artificial-nail service correctly - right sequence, right chemistry, right limits. Expect items on filing technique, cuticle care, acrylic and gel handling, massage contraindications, and consultation.
Standard sequence
- Consult first: allergies, medications, prior product reactions, diabetes, skin conditions.
- Wash your hands, then the client's hands or feet.
- Remove old polish or product, shape, soak, push back the cuticle, massage, polish or build.
- Natural nails are shaped by filing in one direction, corner to tip; a back-and-forth sawing motion splits the plate.
- Cuticle work means pushing back the eponychium with a soft implement - cutting living tissue is not part of the service and opens a portal for infection.
Product chemistry
- Acrylic systems cure by chemical polymerization of liquid monomer and polymer powder. Ratio and brand matter; never mix manufacturers or substitute monomers (MMA is prohibited).
- Gel systems cure under UV/LED light; curing too-thick or under-cured product causes lifting and allergic reaction.
- Acrylates on skin are a leading cause of allergic contact dermatitis. Keep product off the skin and keep SDS sheets on site.
Worked example
A client asks for a fill on a lifted acrylic overlay; there is green-black discoloration on the nail plate under the lift. Reasoning: the lifted area traps moisture, and the discoloration suggests bacterial colonization (Pseudomonas). Correct action is to remove the enhancement entirely rather than seal it with new product, do not file aggressively over the discolored plate, refer the client to a physician if there is pain, swelling, or the discoloration persists, and discard all porous files and buffers used.
Traps
- Filling over lifted product, which traps moisture and debris.
- Over-thinning the plate with a drill, causing heat spikes and damage.
- Massaging over inflamed, swollen, or broken skin, or over severe varicose veins.
- Treating the free edge and hyponychium as though they were sterile fields - they are not.