One
year ago today, I officially retired as a Nail Technician. I feel as if I have gone through the “5
Stages of Grief”. I had worked as a full
time "manicurist" since 1982. There were times when I would become
burned out, discouraged and quit working in a salon or close my salon, but I
would always find my way back. It was my
passion! I would become more
knowledgeable, learn the latest products and techniques. I would define natural nail techniques successfully,
through trial and error, for almost any natural nail type or type of client. I would grow my business acumen and start a
new salon, bigger and better than the last, even write a book on natural nail
care. But a year ago, things really
changed. Sever allergies, specifically
contact dermatitis, and growing problems with arthritis took me away from the
service side of the nail industry.
At
the beginning of the end of my service career, I struggled with Denial.
I had been developing the contact dermatitis for years. I did my best not to touch acrylic monomers
or gel products that would create the skin reactions, but the effects gradually
grew worse. My skin now peels off in
sheets and my skin cracks, even bleeds, when I come into contact with the
smallest amount of the acrylates on the exterior of a gel polish bottle. And since I’m getting older, my arthritis was
building. It hurt just to hold people’s
fingers or toes as I worked on them. It
doesn’t sound like much, holding someone’s finger or toe, but this was constant
and repetitious. Imagine pinching your forefinger and your
thumb together to hold a moving object still or turning it from side to side
for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week for over 30 years. It took a toll on my joints.
I
couldn’t believe that I would possibly have to give up doing nails, just
because of some silly skin conditions and joint pain. I got Angry
(the second stage). I was not about
to let these little problems stop me! I started
to Bargain with myself (third stage),
that I would wear gloves; I took (and still take) anti-inflammatory drugs; I
used creams, ointments, and anything else that might minimize my reactions and
my pain. It just got worse. I still had my side business, Bella10 Nail
& Skin Care, but I had to give it up the “hands on” service side of my
business. It became obvious, I needed to
“retire” from nails.
Needing
steady regular income, one of my client/friends was nice enough to offer me an
office job that I felt quite qualified for.
As a new employee, I decided to focus on her business. I had to put my Bella10 Nail & Skin Care
business on hold for what I deemed as “a little while”. I focused, I learned, I struggled for 9
months… until my boss/friend had to let me go.
There are no hard feelings towards my friend and their business, it was
a great experience. I started to realize,
as I was coming to an end of my office job, that I had been in a steady emotional
decline for the last 9 months, over having to “retire” from the nail service
industry. I missed my client/friends,
the comfort level of being an expert in my field, being able to provide my
clients and new customers with great advice and products. I was officially in a state of Depression. The worst part was, all my prior hard work on
my Bella10 Nail & Skin Care business had suffered as well.
Since
I left my friend’s business, I have been home.
My partner has been helping me, supporting me, and I have been helping
him, taking care of him. I felt that I wanted
to try to focus on Bella10 products (and this blog) again, but he motivation
wasn’t quite there. I tinkered around
with some formulas that could be of benefit for natural nail care. I had one formula fail, I created two others
which require adjustments to the formula and I have another that I believe was
an amazing success. My success with my
CutiOil Balm and a conversation with one of my favorite beauty bloggers (who
can’t get enough of my Bella10 products) have inspired me and given me he motivation
to build Bella10 Nail & Skin Care again!
Can this be my Acceptance
phase? It’s been a year since I
“retired” from the nail service industry.
Do I dare to concentrate on natural nail care and nurture my Bella10
Nail & Skin Care product line? Why
not? I honestly believe in natural nail
care whenever possible and I don’t actually have anything to loose right now. I have friends and relatives who emotionally
support me, I’ve built friendships with Bella10, trust in my brand, now I get
to start my nail career over again but with a different focus.
I
still feel the loss of all my old client/friends from when I did nails. I generally miss our regular visits at the
salon, seeing their wonderful faces and just being in their presence. I still try to keep in touch with many of
them, in person or on Facebook. They
really don’t stray far from my mind since they are the ones who inspired
me! They inspired me to create one of
the best natural nail care product lines. Over 30 years of providing nail services, learning
about nails and skin, discovering what does and doesn’t work, WERE NOT IN VAIN. I originally created Bella10 for my clients
and my friends, the next chapter of my life is to share Bella10 with the world!
