Now, THIS is a great article! I only found only a few minor things I wanted to point out...
1. Spot on, except for the mention of using a pumice stone; those things harbor so much bacteria... ew. I will use a sloughing cream, a foot file, and a moisturizing scrub to reduce your calluses, but I will not shave them for you. I highly recommend purchasing a foot file for home use in between pedicures, as well.
2. Spot on, except for the mention of "rinse & disinfect" tubs... Tubs should be WASHED (with soap & water), scrubbed free of debris, rinsed/drained, then refilled with disinfectant. If your salon uses piped (whether hard-plumbed or not) jetted tubs, they must also sanitize & disinfect INSIDE those jets & pipes in between EVERY client and at the end of the day.
3. Yes, yes, yes. *I*, personally, WILL NOT use any implements you bring to me since I trust that my procedures are above & beyond state law, however, I will tell you that the "at home" procedures this article states are correct.
4. True.
5. True. Although never required, a tip is always appreciated and tells us we've done an EXCELLENT job.
6. This one, at least for me, is a no-no. Cell phones are notorious breeding grounds for bacteria, and I just went through all the proper prep on your nails to make sure they are free of contaminants. Not to mention it takes time away from your appointment, which I've so carefully scheduled for a specific amount of time; that's just rude. Unless it's a true emergency, stay off your phone.
7. SUPER-YES! Even if you can only afford a pedicure a few times a year, you must take care of them at home. And, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE use cuticle oil (stop rolling your eyes at me)!
8. Once in a while, no problem. Every time, no. Keep your hands out of your mouth, wear gloves when gardening & doing dishes, don't pick, and use your cuticle oil.
9. My state does not require new every time, so I follow meticulous disinfection procedures. My clean tools are in a sealed container, my dirty tools are in a sealed container in a different spot, and one-use items are always thrown away. I don't use a "pedi throne" type pedicure chair, either... You get a properly disinfected tub and a cushioned chair.
Monday, November 10, 2014
I Keep Telling You: STOP GOING TO CHOP SHOPS
Our local ABC news affiliate posted this article a few days ago (after running the story on the news). While Shellie Bailey-Shah got it generally correct, she missed a few finer points:
1. In Oregon, you cannot reuse emery boards, buffing blocks, etc (as mentioned), but she neglected to say you *can* reuse professional files, buffer files, etc when labeled as sanitizable/disinfectible. These are "emery boards", these are "professional files"... see the difference? Same thing applies to buffers; there are one-use ones and there are reusable ones. Your tech must either PROPERLY sanitize & disinfect all implements (then store them properly), or use new ones.
2. Most techs don't soak nails anymore, but if they do, obviously you should get a fresh bowl of water each time, and the bowl itself should be properly disinfected & stored between uses. The reason most of us don't soak anymore is because it bloats the nail plate, leaving your polish/product more susceptible to breaking/chipping as your nails return to their normal hydration level.
3. All hands (yours and your tech's) should be WASHED (with soap & water) before service (I also use hand sanitizer on myself & my clients before I start), paper towels are to be thrown away after using, and implements (as I said) are to be washed then disinfected after use.
4. I shouldn't even have to say this, but since she mentioned it: dirty implements, dirty towels, etc should be put into a "dirty" bin (I have a Rubbermaid container with lid marked "Dirty Implements", and a laundry basket for dirty towels... I also have a clean towel bin and a lidded container for clean implements).
5. All one-use items should be put into a garbage container with a lid.
6. Your tech should have their state/city/county licenses on display AT ALL TIMES! I, personally, have a City Compliance one, a Nail Technician one, and an Independent Contractor one (since I booth rent). My salon owner has a Salon license, as well as her own personal ones, as does every beauty professional in our salon. These must be in the salon and posted for your tech to be legal; he/she cannot leave them home, in their purse/pocket, etc.
Many bad things were brought up in this news story, but *most* salons have good techs working there. Of course only the bad ones usually make the news... There is a BE SAFE checklist in the article; read that. Then, check the link (if you're not in Oregon, you can call your own state's Cosmetology Board) she provided to see what, if any, violations your salon has had. Also, and I keep telling people this, report violators -- link here! With only 6 inspectors in Oregon, they cannot keep up on all the corner shops going up, so if you don't report them, they're going to continue with their unsafe practices.
1. In Oregon, you cannot reuse emery boards, buffing blocks, etc (as mentioned), but she neglected to say you *can* reuse professional files, buffer files, etc when labeled as sanitizable/disinfectible. These are "emery boards", these are "professional files"... see the difference? Same thing applies to buffers; there are one-use ones and there are reusable ones. Your tech must either PROPERLY sanitize & disinfect all implements (then store them properly), or use new ones.
2. Most techs don't soak nails anymore, but if they do, obviously you should get a fresh bowl of water each time, and the bowl itself should be properly disinfected & stored between uses. The reason most of us don't soak anymore is because it bloats the nail plate, leaving your polish/product more susceptible to breaking/chipping as your nails return to their normal hydration level.
3. All hands (yours and your tech's) should be WASHED (with soap & water) before service (I also use hand sanitizer on myself & my clients before I start), paper towels are to be thrown away after using, and implements (as I said) are to be washed then disinfected after use.
4. I shouldn't even have to say this, but since she mentioned it: dirty implements, dirty towels, etc should be put into a "dirty" bin (I have a Rubbermaid container with lid marked "Dirty Implements", and a laundry basket for dirty towels... I also have a clean towel bin and a lidded container for clean implements).
5. All one-use items should be put into a garbage container with a lid.
6. Your tech should have their state/city/county licenses on display AT ALL TIMES! I, personally, have a City Compliance one, a Nail Technician one, and an Independent Contractor one (since I booth rent). My salon owner has a Salon license, as well as her own personal ones, as does every beauty professional in our salon. These must be in the salon and posted for your tech to be legal; he/she cannot leave them home, in their purse/pocket, etc.
Many bad things were brought up in this news story, but *most* salons have good techs working there. Of course only the bad ones usually make the news... There is a BE SAFE checklist in the article; read that. Then, check the link (if you're not in Oregon, you can call your own state's Cosmetology Board) she provided to see what, if any, violations your salon has had. Also, and I keep telling people this, report violators -- link here! With only 6 inspectors in Oregon, they cannot keep up on all the corner shops going up, so if you don't report them, they're going to continue with their unsafe practices.
Sunday, November 2, 2014
How & When To Use What
When I come across articles that seem like they'll have good advice in business, I read them. Then, I decide if it's good advice or not, but this article is way too generalized for it to apply properly to all people. So, let me rewrite for you, specifically to fit me (and probably a lot of others in the beauty industry):
1) If you want a response from me within 30m -- text me. Unless it's during traditional sleeping times, my phone is on & on me 95% of the time. It serves as both my professional phone as well as my personal phone, and texting takes less time/energy/effort out of me than talking &/or emailing you back.
2) If you want a response from me within 2h -- text is still appropriate, as is calling. Unless it's a business call after hours, I usually get back to people who leave a voicemail or text asap.
3) If you want a response from me sometime today -- text, call, or PM on FaceBook. While I don't have Messenger on my cell, I do have it on my tablet, and my laptop doesn't require it to respond.
4) If you want a response from me a day later or more -- email. I check my emails every morning, and can most easily respond on the laptop. I *do* have both email addresses set up to notify on my phone & my tablet, but unless only a quick response is needed, I prefer the real keyboard on the laptop.
5) This isn't mentioned, so I will do so here: Your beauty professional needs their day(s) off. If you know they don't work on a certain day (for me, that is Sundays & Monday, plus major holidays -- although I will return messages on Mondays), there is no need to disturb them. There is also no need to text/email/call late at night or super early in the morning (unless you have an emergency & need to cancel or something). A *lot* of people (beauty professionals, included) keep their phones on in the middle of the night for true emergencies; don't disturb them because *you* happen to be up at 2am.
1) If you want a response from me within 30m -- text me. Unless it's during traditional sleeping times, my phone is on & on me 95% of the time. It serves as both my professional phone as well as my personal phone, and texting takes less time/energy/effort out of me than talking &/or emailing you back.
2) If you want a response from me within 2h -- text is still appropriate, as is calling. Unless it's a business call after hours, I usually get back to people who leave a voicemail or text asap.
3) If you want a response from me sometime today -- text, call, or PM on FaceBook. While I don't have Messenger on my cell, I do have it on my tablet, and my laptop doesn't require it to respond.
4) If you want a response from me a day later or more -- email. I check my emails every morning, and can most easily respond on the laptop. I *do* have both email addresses set up to notify on my phone & my tablet, but unless only a quick response is needed, I prefer the real keyboard on the laptop.
5) This isn't mentioned, so I will do so here: Your beauty professional needs their day(s) off. If you know they don't work on a certain day (for me, that is Sundays & Monday, plus major holidays -- although I will return messages on Mondays), there is no need to disturb them. There is also no need to text/email/call late at night or super early in the morning (unless you have an emergency & need to cancel or something). A *lot* of people (beauty professionals, included) keep their phones on in the middle of the night for true emergencies; don't disturb them because *you* happen to be up at 2am.
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