Reinvest To Be The Best

As an educator for a brand for many years, and a salon owner, I have seen first hand that wasted product is wasted money. I get it, no one gets it more, I promise you. But if that bottle of gel has been sat on your shelf for 5 years, it is past it's best and is going to cause you trouble. How so you ask? When the client goes on holiday and the colour fades to a nasty shade of nicotine because the gel has separated in the bottle and the pigment is less stable than it was when it was new, the manufacturer will not want to know about an issue with an expired bottle of gel. That aside, there could have been regulation changes and those gels may now contain banned ingredients. Once you have done a couple of sets of nails with a new bottle of gel, the rest of the work you do using it is pure profit....so if it's sat on a shelf rotting and past it's best, don't be afraid to give your gel selection the upgrade it deserves.

How to prolong the life of your gels; keep the neck of the bottle clean, always put the lid straight back on, shake them thoroughly before use, don't pour other products or brands of gel in to them, avoid sunlight and UV exposure except when curing.

And whilst you are at it....invest in that new curing lamp. Yes, they are a costly item compared to some of the other items we buy, do the maths though, my lamps in the salon cost 8p per service with average use and are replaced every 2 years ( LED UV lamps are a funny thing, they'll light up but not necessarily emit the same strength of UV as they did when new, so put a little £ aside each month for bigger purchases like these.

And what do you get out of it? You get assurance that the products you are using are in top notch condition and performing at their best, which means happy clients, a great reputation and a full diary, all whilst still making a profit.

Watch out for offers from your favourite brand for those bigger purchases, or for discount days with wholesalers. Always register your lamp warranty, and a tip from me, write the date you purchased the lamp on the base of it in a Sharpie, and then you know exactly when to replace it.