Bella10 Philosophy

BELLA10 PHILOSOPHY

At Bella10, we are all about the natural nails! We know it takes care and time to create a beautiful set of natural nails and smooth, healthy skin and cuticles enhance the overall appearance. Bella10 supports natural nail care through skilled nail technicians, personal nail care and great natural nail care products. We always recommend regular manicures, whither done by a licensed professional or at home, by yourself or with friends. Bella10 does recommend being a knowledgeable consumer when choosing a nail salon, nail technician, nail care product or tool. Bella10 is here to help.

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Showing posts with label Painless Artificial Nail Removal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Painless Artificial Nail Removal. Show all posts

Monday, September 24, 2012

Trip to a Nail Salon

A regular client of mine came in the other day and wanted to tell me a story about her trip to Texas and a nail salon that she visited with her son.  They wanted to get a pedicure together.  She remembered all I told her about how to make certain that the salon and the technician were clean and especially sanitized.  (See "Finding a "Well-Manicured" Nail Salon/Technician")

She told me that one of the first things she noticed was that the technician brought out the implements and they were in a sealed bag.  She said that she thought, "This is a good sign".  But then she noticed that they used some of the same implements between herself and her son.  She then started to notice more!  She didn't see anyone clean the foot bath before they sat down for the pedicure and didn't see any of the foot baths being cleaned in between the other clients.  That's when she started praying "please don't cut me, please don't break my skin"!

The part that shocked her the most was after the pedicure, she saw the technician rinse the pedicure implements in cold, and she emphasized it wasn't hot, water, dry off the implements in a towel then put the implements back into the bag and resealed the bag.  Ugh!   They hadn't even been sanitized!  And they were probably like that before they were used on her!

In a salon, implements need to be sanitized for a minimum of 10 minutes in disinfectant that kills bacteria, viruses, fungus and tuberculosis.  Pedicure foot baths must be cleaned out and sanitized with the same type of disinfectant between every client!  There are many different products that can be used to disinfect properly.  Some of them are Barbicide, Ultracare, Cavicide and Citrus II Germicidal Cleaner (all are registered trademark). 
Who wouldn't want a quality manicure set? This one is Awesome!!!
INOX Stainless Steel Manicure Set in Nappa-Leather Case
Here is where I would suggest that more people should start bringing their own implements unless you know for a fact that the salon and technician are cleaning and sanitizing regularly between clients.  I have found a few manicure sets through a company called Zamberg.  They have high quality manicure and pedicure implements along with complete manicure sets that will last you a lifetime compared to the cheap tools you find elsewhere.  The nice thing is that you can sanitize your own implements with something as simple as alcohol.

Saturday, August 11, 2012

FINDING A “well manicured” NAIL SALON/TECHNICIAN







Part 4 of 4


Congratulations!  You’ve found a great salon and a fantastic nail technician.  Here are just a few added practices that you can do for yourself and for your nail technician.

A Few Added Guidelines
1.      Never shave or wax your legs within 24 hours of a pedicure. Don’t leave yourself open by giving bacteria or infection a way into your skin and body.
2.      Cutting callus (especially with a razor), cutting ingrown toenails or cutting live skin is not permitted in a salon environment.  These types of procedures are for the doctor’s office only. Please do not expect your nail technician to act as a physician.
3.      Do not expect service to be performed on any infected area (skin, nail, foot, etc), please see a physician before attempting any kind of nail service. 
4.      You should not go to a nail salon for a services if you have a contagious or infectious disease (fungus, athlete’s foot , eczema) or any other unhealthy conditions of the skin or feet.
5.      For those who are unaware, nail service prices usually do not usually include a tip for the technician.  Please use the same tipping principles for your technician as you would for a waitress or waiter.

Just a few simple steps to assure your perfect nail experience! Manicures and pedicures are a wonderful way to relax and take care of yourself, just be informed and sit back and let your favorite nail tech lead the way!  And may you both enjoy each other’s friendship for many years to come!
 

The Basics
A Simple Checklist
Five Easy Questions
    
 

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

FINDING A “well manicured” NAIL SALON/TECHNICIAN


Part 3 of 4
So you are in the salon of your choice and you’ve seen some of what they can do and you’ve determined, on sight, that you may want to utilize them as a service provider.  This is where you really learn if you can trust them.  It doesn’t matter if you are there for a full set of acrylic or gel nails, a shellac or basic manicure or even a pedicure, here is where you ask your technician a few simple questions that you are entitled to ask.  Don’t be afraid to ask these questions, it shows that you are an informed and intelligent consumer. 

What to Ask
1.      Can they show you a current beauty license when asked?
2.      Can they explain their sanitizing/disinfecting process for their files, buffers and implements? 
3.      Does the sanitizing solution look contaminated?  Sometimes it’s hard to tell.  If uncertain, ask!
4.      Can they explain their sanitizing process in between clients for the foot spa?  IF you are concerned ask if they have a sanitizing logbook for daily sanitation processes of their foot spas?  This is not always a nail salon requirement, some states require it, some states do not.  If they have one, they should not mind you asking for it.
5.      What product brand do they use to create their artificial nails?  Can they give you an answer or is it “proprietary”?  Ask to see the original container if it is in an unmarked one. This could be a potential indicator of MMA.
After getting a few satisfying answers from your technician, you are on your way to a perfect nail experience. Now relax and let your new nail technician lead the way to manicure and/or pedicure bliss.
 
The Basics
A Simple Checklist
Added Guidelines

Friday, August 3, 2012

FINDING A “well manicured” NAIL SALON/TECHNICIAN


Part 2 of 4
In part 1, I gave you some of the basic knowledge when trying to find the right nail salon/technician. But how do you know if they are being safe and sanitary.  Here is a great checklist to help make you comfortable about your choice of nail salon/technician.  When you are relaxed about the technician and the salon you are in, your nail experience is better because you have more peace of mind!!! Remember, you are there to relax, and not come home with a toenail fungus.

Simple Observations in the Nail Salon
1.     Does the salon, nail station, and/or pedicure area look clean?  Clean is good.  Dirty stations and floors with nail clippings, etc, should make you wonder how clean is everything else?
2.     Have you observed the technician cleaning their implements and sanitizing their implements in liquid sanitizers?  Does the sanitizing solution look contaminated?  All sanitizing liquids are different, but a clean liquid should usually look free of debris.
3.     Do they consult with you and ask questions before performing a service?  People who are diabetic, have peripheral vascular disease, neuropathies, or who are on blood thinning medications should be especially cautious, especially before pedicure services.
4.     Do the files, buffers and other tools look clean?  Did they come out of a clean drawer/container or directly out of a sanitizing solution? 
5.     Are you provided with clean linens and towels?
6.     Do they wash or sanitize your hands/feet AND their own hands before providing any nail service?
7.     Did you observe them cleaning and sanitizing the foot spa in between every client? This should be done before you put your feet in it.  All implements, basins, and bowls must be clean and disinfected before a pedicure service.
8.      Do they use an implement to forcibly remove or pry off artificial nails?  Is this nail service painful or does it damage your skin and/or nails?  Remember, nail services should never be painful!
9.      Do they use care when using an electric filing machine (drill)? Are the bits clean and sanitized? 
10   Do they use a spatula when retrieving product from jars and containers? They should never use their hands for this process.
11   Is the salon using products from unlabeled or unmarked containers? If so ask them to provide you with the label or ask not to use it. 
12  Concerning acrylic nails: Does the acrylic liquid used in creating acrylic nails have an unusually strong odor?  Is the nail enhancement extremely difficult to file or does it require more than an hour to soak off?  Both are possible indicators of MMA.
13  Does your technician use a coarse nail file when “roughing up” the surface of your own natural nail before applying your acrylic nail? While some “roughing up” is required in preparation of an artificial nail, usually a medium grit file is all that is needed, just to remove the shine. 
 
The Basics
Five Easy Questions 
Added Guidelines
 



 

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

FINDING A “well manicured” NAIL SALON/TECHNICIAN


Part 1 of 4
          I receive numerous questions about choosing the right nail salon/technician. Most consumers assume that if they are in business, they have customers, then they must be safe and sanitary. Unfortunately this isn’t always true. Rather than bore you with a list of laws and regulations I am going to provide you with a handy checklist and a few insights to make your nail experience even better!!! Remember you are there to relax, coming home with a fungus (or much worse) definitely wouldn’t be an AHHH experience.

The Basics
1.     Nail Technicians need to be licensed within the state that they practice and these licenses should be posted and visible to the public. 
2.     All salons and nail technicians should clean and sanitize stations, implements, and tools between every client.
3.     Nail services shouldn’t be painful nor should they damage the nail or skin.  If there is any pain ask the tech to stop.
4.     The use of MMA (Methyl Methacrylate) is prohibited from use by the FDA on soft tissue like nails and it’s illegal to use on nails in most states. (MMA is the chemical adhesive used to apply acrylic nails and the like)  In an educational update, the Nail Manufacturers Council (NMC) issued this statement:  “Serious adverse skin reactions and permanent nail deformities are only part of the risk of using MMA.--- Some of the primary consumer complaints range from ‘skin allergy, loss of sensation in the fingertips, permanent loss of the nail plate,’ usually the result of repeatedly exposing the client’s soft tissue to the monomer liquid.”
 
A simple checklist
Five easy questions
A few added guidelines to your nail care comfort.