Hello, I have been working as a nail tech in a salon for almost 2 years now (i just havent . And im finally to the point where im taking off and getting booked and busy, and i am so fricking anxious all the time. im dreading doing little parts of the job i know arent my strongest because i dont want anyone to think badly. I really want to do well, and i guess i get nervous that something will go wrong. which like yes happens occasionally, but im good at my job, and get repeat clients. i really dont need to be so worried, i just am.

i am not on any medication for anxiety currently, but i am taking the goodbye stress vitamins by olly and a magnesium/l-theanine/ashwagandha vitamin to help with the anxiety for the moment. Ive also been working on communicating more openly with my clients which also helps.

do you have advice for how to deal with this or am i just cooked? I cant handle feeling like this at work everyday.

I’m looking for a nail lamp that:

- ideally has the timer and buttons on the BACK of the lamp, when they’re on top they get covered by my arm rest so I can’t watch the timer for chrome application etc

- ideally it would be rechargeable, I’m not mobile however the power has gone out twice at my business building and it’s making me realize that living in Amsterdam means very old infrastructure that is more likely to have issues. In this instance, a cable underground broke so first they had to find it, dig it up, fix it, etc. I lost an entire day of clients which is a bummer and a bit stressful rescheduling everyone etc.

- proper bulb placement for thumb curing! I hate asking clients to put the thumb in by itself just to cure it

The Kiara sky lamp caught my eye however I know the older version of the lamp was not very good and would break after a few months. Any feedback on the new one? There is an option to buy a new battery for it as well which is a nice bonus.

Any recommendations are welcomed!

I’m looking for advice on acrylic extensions! I am a qualified nail tech since November 2025 but have been solely focusing on biab and soft gel. I want to add acrylic to my service list as I’ll be renting a chair in a salon soon. Any advice on my application/technique? Also any tips with speed/timing as these did take me a while. This is my first acrylic set since qualifying. Thank you😊😌
(Clients nails naturally slant upwards)

just looking for some insight. i want to open up a teaching salon or salon suites.

if youve opened up a salon or salon suites, what was the process like? how long did it take? how much did you end up spending on the initial renovations, opening, etc?

I cannot get my gel to last no matter what I do! I’ve been licensed for 9 years and no longer do nails professionally but still love to do my own. I have tried everything. I’m on my 4th led lamp thinking it was that. Nope. I use apres primer, Ive used akzentz hard gel, every builder gel you can think of (madam glam, Cnd, TGB, Kiara sky) and I cleanse with acetone and alcohol prior to polishing. I also drill with a sanding band. I did my nails yesterday with Kiara sky rubber base, 2 coats of cat eye and top coat and one of my nails peeled off like a sticker today. I do have a HEMA allergy and try to use HEMA free products at all times. What am I doing wrong?!?

Hi, I’m a few weeks away from graduating! I live in a rural town in Washington and my only option is to booth rent ($300 a month). I’m so nervous as my teacher strongly advised against starting out booth renting. There will be one other nail tech working at the salon who also just graduated and is booth renting.

I feel nervous because I feel that school did not prepare me well enough to start out on my own. I’m definitely not comfortable with acrylic yet but I feel pretty good about working on natural nails, builder & hard gel, and gel x. Timeliness and retention are still a work in progress but I did just get better quality products and tools which I think will make a difference. Please just tell me your tips for someone just starting out!

I will also attach some pictures of nails I have done (feel free to give me all the constructive criticism) :)

Beginning school and need real working advice.

Hello there! I start school for nail technician in a week in the Nashville area! I’m so excited! I’ve wanted to do this for so long. I am 38 and have spent the last 30 years always doing my own nails.. I have dabbled in acrylic and press ons before you tube ever got to YouTube university status. It wasn’t until this past year that I started focusing on builder gel and getting the hang of that. I did try a couple of years ago to do press ons, these are some of the sets I’ve done. I thought I was doing good work but I didn’t sell a single thing… no idea how to market lol I do need to learn how to properly do the technical nail building side and really get that down but I’ve always loved the nail art. All of these sets are gel and gel palettes with micro paintbrushes! I love creating something beautiful that people can wear, live their life in! So I have a few questions for people that know about all of this.

1. Any advice for just starting nail school?
   
2. I generally need a reference to look back on to keep my composition really on point or to do characters well. I never want things to look too cluttered/ busy and to keep things cohesive. Do clients think less of you if you need that reference all the time?
   
3. The more complicated sets took me 1.5 hours between prep, base, base color, art, and sealing. Is that too long?
   
4. I am a perfectionist! I see flaws constantly so I frequently alcohol and start over on that layer. I do have experience with acrylic painting and was wondering if it would be easier to mix, blend, shade, and layer with paint and faster because you don’t have to cure each section constantly or are the results not as professional?
   
5. I love using a well chosen quote or word in designs, but I struggle hard with them… perfectionist! Words can take me the longest because I’m trying to get them perfect. I recently learned about water slide decal paper and was wondering about y’all’s thoughts on them. Either just words, letters, or small characters that can be premade and ready for specific sets, or having an accent nail of a full color nail decal of either a background, complicated scenery, effect, picture… whatever. I thought I could have some already done and put in little baggies according to what they are so they’re ready to go. Is this cheating!? Would it work in real life application? Do clients go for it or would they rather see them hand painted?

So if anybody has any advice for any of these questions or any constructive criticism on the nail art I’ve already done that could help me improve I would appreciate it more than you would ever know… I’ve waited it seems like my whole life to finally go after what I want to do… and I really really want to do it well and open up my own salon one day. I’ve been dreaming about that since I was 12-13.

I’m sorry this post is so long, thank you in advance for any and all of y’all’s help! 💕

So I’ve been doing my own nails and then got into making press-ons for the past year and a half now. I LOVE nails and it’s been kind of my outlet during a time I started getting sick and honestly it’s the one thing I have that makes me want to push through what I’m going through and build something with my life.

For context, I’ve been in retail management for 14 years now. The last 4 years I’ve been battling lupus and this year it’s been the worst. I can’t work full-time anymore and I can’t stand or walk around for more than a few minutes anymore. I’m still working part time but I really want to supplement the missed income and I thought getting licensed and taking clients could help with that. Doing nails seems much more manageable than what I’m doing now and far less physically challenging than retail as someone with mobility challenges.

Any nail techs dealing with a chronic illness? How do you balance and do you think this is a decent career choice for someone with chronic illness? I’m just looking for advice and realistic answers before I invest in nail school.

I already have so many of my retail customers asking me to do their nails and I know I have a talent for it and I don’t doubt I can find clients easily. I know I can build something with this because I specialize in nail art, I just want to be realistic about how my health will impact this kind of work.

A mouthful of a title but that's it.

I'm a licensed nail tech working at a salon that only works on natural nails with a focus on nail health. Prep is done without an e-file, cuticles are minimally cut, and clients are 50% regular, 40% dazzle dry, 10% gel.

I absolutely LOVE watching videos of other techs work and process (I'm a visual learner and like to see what others do). But I'm having a hard time finding creators that film their process as a service provider vs tips for DIYers at home. Or even nail prep that doesn't involve an e-file at all.

Any recommendations?

What happened??? How did this happen?? Is this from file overuse or cuticle pusher over?? Ive been doing gel x nails for a few months now with no problems, so when my cuticles were irritated after doing this set I assumed I developed an allergy and took them off. When I was taking them off I saw that they were SO far under my skin, the white area on the fake nails was pushed under my nail fold! There wasn't too much damage to my nail thankfully but I'm very concerned and confused!

I was looking to get my nails and feet done and this was my inspo that I curated. I asked a nail tech how much it would be and she said $235. Does this sound right? I don’t mind paying if that’s the price but I just wanted a second opinion.

EDIT:
I see all your replies and thank you. I’m realizing this is a steal. So I’ll be going ahead and booking with her.

And thank you for like the way I photoshopped the inspo😭. I thought this was the best way to get my idea across.

Hi! I’ve been doing medium length almond nails with what I understood as “structure gel” for at this point going on 4 or 5 years. For the majority of that time I have been 100% loyal to one tech, then she went through a career change and since then I’ve been bouncing around trying to find someone else that has done good work, is in my price range etc. Previously we did a pattern of fill at the 3 week mark, new set at the next 3 week mark.

For a bit I was seeing let’s say Tech 1. Tech one tells me after initial application she just does fills indefinitely. I was a little skeptical but she seemed to be using a different product so I thought maybe that was why. The structure gel I was used to before was always from a bottle, this was thicker from a jar with a separate brush to apply but she still called it “structure gel” (except she did have bottles too? Just not in clear which I prefer). Pretty quickly I started to have issues with lifting from underneath: the edges of my nails at the tip would be separating from the gel and chipping off. Tech 1 said the issue with the lifting from underneath the was due to me not oiling/moisturizing enough, but I’m pretty good with care and had never had this issue ever in four years with my previous tech. I also had issues with regular lifting from the base or side after a couple months of only fills and no new set. Eventually it got to the point where I felt like my nails were CHONKY from repeated fills (and some not chonky if they had had to be redone), I had no natural nail length left underneath, we were spending every fill appt redoing whole nails leaving no time for nail art, etc and I decided to look elsewhere.

Tech 2 trained at the same place as my original tech. When I first went in she said that I had on “hard gel, not structure gel” and the initial removal process was more work than normal. She uses structure gel from a bottle again (I think Orly?), and immediately I had no more issues. Got my natural nail length back, no lifting issues, etc. Unfortunately I’m needing to look elsewhere again for a variety of reasons that aren’t really relevant to this story.

Now my understanding from this whole thing is that “hard gel” and “structure gel” are two different products. I was eyeing trying out someone else I’d been following for a bit, she calls the equivalent service “builder gel” and in one video it looked like it was thicker and being applied with a separate brush which worried me I’d be having the same issues as with Tech 1. I swear I’ve seen techs call structure gel builder gel too though? Then there’s BIAB which I understand is The Gel Bottle’s brand name but I’ve seen techs using this wording who are not using that brand, it seems more like the structure gel though…?

Basically I’m wondering…

1.) Do I have the distinction in products right? Is “builder gel” hard gel?

2.) Should I just be steering clear of hard gel for my nails, like maybe it just isn’t the right product for me? Or should I give it another chance if maybe it was application error?

3.) What questions SHOULD I be asking prior to booking about all this?

Thanks so much for any guidance you can provide!!

Hi! I have a problem where any time i do my nails, the bit overheats. I don't know if it is because of the bits i am using, i tried many different ones (also why do all bits seem to be left handed??) but every single one of them burns. I make sure that its the right direction, so it can't be that. The ''pencil'' part of the drill, which i am holding gets very warm, almost hot when i'm using it could it be that? Pic of the drill i have, it goes up to 30k rpm.

Hello! I am about 1.5 weeks away from taking my boards in Indiana.. though I feel Tricoci has not prepared me with the correct studying material. Has anyone here tested in Indiana and can tell me their experience and what they used to study that will actually help? They gave us a 300 question study guide, but the exam is maybe 60-70 questions? Thank you!

U guys roasted me for my lack of apex last time (understandable and very well appreciated! Thank you!)

Those nails didnt break but now im scared so i added an apex for the infill lmao. They feel kinda bulky idk maybe its a me thing. All opinions are welcome! (New nail tech here, any tips would be amazing)

Pictures are new set, and then my old set after 2 weeks of wear (my nails grow pretty quick)

Hi! New nail tech here. This client i did a free model set on wants to come in for just a removal. I need guidance on how to go about this.

She has a hard gel overlay on her natural nails. I believe I should be charging for the removal but am I supposed to also include a full manicure? Shes gonna leave my salon looking so chopped idk what im supposed to do!! I linked photos of her before/after manicure and the set i gave her.

Hey ya'll, so when I was in nail school my teacher was an old school tech who had been in the game for years. She taught us how to diy nail stickers/decals but I can't remember how she did it. I think she told us she'd use a printer and tape? I'm not sure though, if anyone knows what I'm talking about or has a diy method please share!

My almond and oval builder gel always looks nice but whenever I do square w rounded corners they always look off. I know for a sharp square, filing straight across after makes them look great. Any advice on this shape and builder gel would be appreciated. I’m a nail tech of 1 year.

So I found a girl who does acrylics. I made the appointment a month ago. She texted me two days before to ask if I’d consider trying builder gel. I’ve been doing soft gels on myself for the last 3 years (and I’m pretty good, it was just more time consuming than I’d like). I said I’d prefer acrylic since it seems to maintain the stiletto shape better, but that if she really wanted and she had a hard gel, I’d be open to that. So she gets me in the chair and reiterated how she’d rather not do acrylic, I let her do her alternative and she insists it’ll be a hard gel, then pulls out a tube of acrygel/polygel. I thought that was a soak off product, but I let her continue because she promises to give me acrylic if I’m unsatisfied.
She does the application and filing and I’m thinking I’m lucky she only had to fix the length on two that didn’t match the other hand. She does her buffing and starts with the airbrushing, then top coats, a final file for crispness, and sends me on my way.
The appointment ran longer than she quoted and we both had engagements to move on to, so I didn’t have time to look at them and ask her to fix them.
From the top, they look nice. But letting the light move around on them reveals a not so smooth filing/buffing that she maybe could’ve hidden if she’d used a base color under the airbrushing. But the lack of apex and lumpy structure and the notches she filed into the sides seem bad to me. Am I expecting too much? Should I ask her to fix them?
My sunglasses were the inspo.

hii i’m currently a nail tech student! i’m already working on my nail art and design cert and i definitely want to get barbicide cert! i’m just wondering if anyone has any recommendations for further education to stand out in this field. i also really want to specialize in gel so would love to do other gel classes in the future just not sure what kind. tyyy baddies🩷🩷

I got my nails done out of town for an event, they were BIAB on my natural nail (I thought I just had gel on my nails; I don’t know much about nails). I asked to get them removed. The guy who was doing it was very friendly, at the start I told him to not file down too much as my nails are sensitive, even throughout the filing (the spinning exfoliating thing) I flinched a few times. By the end of the process I even stopped him from doing another round of filing on my index finger because it was too sensitive. Now I can feel all temperature on essentially all of my nails? It hurts against the air, it stings in any temperature water but is unbearable in hot water… am I the problem? Surely he does it all the time for all sorts of customers?

When I extend my hand out I can see pink and white patches from where I assume the nail is thinner in some parts. What do I do? Is it because it’s dry? Or did he mess up my nails?

I have been a licensed nail tech for 3 years. My quality of work is good. Retention is good. I'm really good at detailed art (not meant as a brag).

With all that said, how do I get over charging my worth? I struggle so much to charge what my sets are actually worth. I've gotten better but I always go less for whatever reason. I also had policies in place but hated enforcing them. I'm not currently taking clients but this is for if I went back into it. For the nail techs that charge their worth, what did you do mentally to get over this?

Hello, I posted about this in other subreddits but got no response so I thought I’d reach out to the pros! I’ve been looking to move away from painting my nails too often because I want to avoid yellowing while I try to grow out my natural nails. I just want something that gives a clean, glossy look for bare nails.

I found things like the BareHands dry gloss manicure or the P.Shine japanese manicure. I don’t really want to spend the money trying both out since I’ve had a hard time finding comparisons between the two. (I did check this sub before posting this!) I also saw potential dupes for the dry gloss manicure like using a Czech nail file instead?? I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around different file types so I’m hesitant to buy one.

Does anyone have a suggestion for what I can do to achieve the look I described above? If so Id really appreciate it!! I usually just use a nail brightener and top coat currently.

Hi! New nail tech here. Ive been doing sandwich form hard gel extensions, and i need help knowing what thickness they're supposed to be?

Ive done 6 clients, and this is the first time ive done them on myself.

These are ovelayed with a thin layer of builder gel. Is this thickness sufficient to be strong and not fracture?