There has been a lot of discussion on SM about the validity of traditional nail polish Vs UV Gel Polish. It seems that many are deleting this service from their menu!
Let us think about this!
- Allergies to acrylates are on the rise
- Not everyone wants a UV gel polish or don’t want the same colour for 2-3 weeks
- A UV gel polish is not suitable for some clients with or without an allergy
- With so many allergies, many clients and nail professionals cannot wear UV gel polish
- Retail sales of nail polish is on the rise
- Drying speed and longevity is improving with newer formulations
- It is a good retail item for salons
- Not having nail polish as an option is excluding a % of clients
- Some clients cannot afford the regular maintenance of a UV gel polish but love the occasional manicure
- It is safer for those that choose to provide nail services to minors
One of the problems seems to be that some do not like painting with nail polish as it dries too quickly, and they are used to the lack of ‘drying’ with a UV gel polish. This really shouldn’t be a problem as a nail professional should be able to paint any nail with any product. It just needs practice.
New brands of UVGP are popping up every week. These together with the problem of the very short courses and so much for sale on the internet are a few of the many reasons why allergies are on the increase. High quality brands with good education and customer support are more expensive but less troublesome.
So many business models at the moment are based on very low charges in the ‘race to the bottom’ so can only afford the much cheaper versions thus creating more allergy problems. This situation is spilling over into the higher end services and products as clients and nail pros become allergic to a wide range of acrylates.
Who knows where all this is heading? It is definitely heading somewhere and may result in fewer choices for nail pros and their clients.
So, look at the bigger picture. Why exclude a % of clients? Why not offer a temporary colour service instead of only a semi-permanent version? Why ignore that fact that a manicure with a nail polish is still very popular service?
In my opinion, it is a mistake to cut out nail polish. I have always believed that a nail pro is a specialist. As a specialist our clients should have options as ‘one size does not fit all’. Many choose to be a natural nail specialist and that can work well. Others choose to be a full service nail pro thus giving their clients the maximum number of options. Many sit in the middle of both. Whichever way, why discount a service option that is inexpensive and needs no extra equipment?
It makes no sense!
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