Nail Art, Repairs, and Maintenance
Art media and sanitation
Nail art includes polish, gel paint, acrylic paint, airbrush, stamping, foils, decals, rhinestones, and encapsulation in clear product. The sanitation rules do not change because the service is decorative: brushes that touch skin are cleaned and disinfected or are single-use; polish bottles are not "sanitized" but their necks and caps are kept clean and product is never returned from the client's nail to the bottle. Airbrush equipment is cleaned between clients and the nozzle wiped with an appropriate disinfectant. Decals and stones come from a clean container with clean tweezers, not from a shared open pile touched by bare hands.
Repairs
A cracked or broken enhancement is repaired, not hidden. Remove loose product, clean and dehydrate the area, then rebuild with a wrap, acrylic, or gel so the repair is flush with the rest of the nail. Repairing a natural nail crack works best when the split is trimmed back and the surface is lightly buffed before overlay. Never trap moisture, debris, or discoloration under a repair - that is how Pseudomonas gets started.
Maintenance
Enhancements need rebalancing every two to three weeks: thin the grown-out stress area, fill the new growth, re-establish the apex, and reshape. Maintenance is also client education - cuticle oil, gloves for housework, no nails as tools, and prompt return if product lifts or the nail feels hot or painful.
Traps
Questions ask whether you can "fill over a lifted corner" (no), "use the same art brush on two clients without cleaning" (no), and "repair a green nail by covering it" (no - refer and remove product).
Rule of thumb: repair, rebalance, then re-educate. Never seal in a problem.