nails : liquid&powder
Nomatter what the trends in Nail Art, the classic Frenchmanicure in pink and white will always remain a firmfavourite.
Ever since the classic look we recognise today as a ‘French’wasmade fashionable by Orly founder Jeff Pink in themid-1970s, a well-crafted pink and white can epitomise class and style and never goes out of fashion. Whilst gel and polish can be used, there’s a crispness and longevity that using liquid and powder, or acrylic, achieves that keeps this technique as a popular choice for nail techs and clients alike.
To some nail technicians, liquid and powder is the bane of their life and they avoid it like the plague, due to itsmisunderstood reputation as a difficult technique as well as an abundance ofmyths surrounding its suitability as a nail treatment.
However, once you’ve learnt the skill of creating the perfect ‘bead’ of liquid and powder and practised your application method, this is a popular technique that could see you offering tip and overlays as well as sculpted tips and even 3D nail art,making it a valuable tool to have in your repertoire.
myth busting
To refer to liquid and powder enhancements as ‘acrylics’, can be a littlemisleading as all nail enhancements including gels and wraps are acrylic in nature, as Doug Schoon, scientist and nail industry expert, explains in his article TenTopMyths Related toArtificial Nails. He writes:
“Every type of UV gel nails and all types of so-called ‘acrylics’ (aka liquid / powder) nail enhancements aremade fromacrylic ingredients and are cured by acrylic chemistry, therefore both of these types of nail enhancement coatings are just as ‘acrylic’ as the other, regardless of how they aremarketed.
“Other thanmarketing claims and application procedures, the only real differences between these two types of systems are in the way they harden (polymerize)…These two types of systems are very similar and one is not any better for the nail or safer than the other.”
Doug also explains that wearing liquid and powder nail enhancements does not damage the natural nail if applied and removed properly.
“Nail coatings don’t harmthe nail plate and any nail damage is usually a result of improper application and / or removal. If the nail plate underneath the enhancement is
much thinner than the area of new nail growth, this strongly indicates excessive filing with amanual or electric file,” he writes. “Overly aggressive filing causes the majority of nail plate damage seen in salons. This isn’t done just in discount salons, it happens even in high end salons and is indicative of an improperly trained nail professional.”
He continues: “If upon removal the plates are not any thinner, but feel like they are overly flexible, this does NOT indicate the nails are ‘weaker’. Instead, this is a temporary effect created by an increasedmoisture content of the nail plate. Nail coatings increase the moisture content of the plate by 10 - 15% and this can last up to 12 - 24 hours after coating removal; after which themoisture content returns to normal, as will the nail plate’s normal level of rigidity.”
Visit the Resources pages of Doug Schoon’s website at
www.schoonscientific.comfor moremyth busting advice in his educational articles, and sign up for his e-blasts to receive periodically updated information.
the science bit…
Creating a perfect liquid and powder ‘bead’ is down to chemistry, and the ratio of monomers and polymer, so here’s the science bit.
Monomers are singlemolecules that can join themselves together, head-to-tail, to produce a polymer, this process is known as polymerisation, ormore commonly the term ‘cure’ or ‘curing’ is used.
In order to start this reaction, themonomers need something to kick-start theminto action and this is where the initiatormolecule comes
in.The initiatormolecule provides the energy and encourages themonomers to link themselves together, thus forming the polymers.
Cross-linkingmonomers are essentially the same as normalmonomers but as well as joining head-to-tail they have extra arms to link with nearby
chains.The result is a strongermore flexible working surface.
In liquid and powder systems, the ‘liquid’ is really a complexmixture ofmonomers and the ‘powder’ is a polymer that contains the initiatormolecules, amongst other ingredients. Liquid and powder enhancements aremade when the heat- sensitive initiatormolecule is exposed to roomtemperature and begins the curing process.
The growing chains ofmonomer wrap around the polymer formingmultiple microscopic strings. Once all themonomers
have disappeared into chains, the initial reaction stops and although the resulting surfacemay be hard enough to file, it will take days before the chains reach their final lengths.
When using a liquid and powder system, it is important to get the right consistency, ormix ratio. This will usually vary fromproduct to product but technicians who use extra liquid to smooth the surface of the enhancement are increasing their clients’ chances of having an allergic reaction and the reduced strength can result in excessive breakage.
Similarly, if the consistency is too dry the enhancement is prone to lifting and
breakage.The general consensus is that a medium-to-wet bead, approximately 1.5 parts liquid : 1 part powder, is the best consistency to produce strong, flexible enhancements that adhere well to the nail.
“Obviously there is an ‘ideal’mix (which varies with different products); however it’s not the end of the world, and you won’t encounter big problems, if yourmix varies either toward slightly too wet or slightly too dry,” explains Gigi Rouse in her book Nailclass.
She continues: “The problems come when one goes farther to either side of the perfect mixture. Not only will there be problems with the enhancements you produce, but your brush won’t be able to control the bead, which willmake your life as a nail technicianmuchmore difficult than it needs to be. Learn tomake the correctmix always.”
According to Gigi, your ‘bead’ of liquid and powder should resemble “the look of wet sugar or wet snow”.
The chemistry is the same whether you are working with a cover pink, white or coloured acrylic, although different brands of products will behave in a different
way.Therefore, you need to ensure that, firstly, you only use liquids and powders in combination fromthe same range of products, and secondly, that you train with the brand you are using.
Whilst your college coursemay have taught you the essentials when it comes to creating beads, applying, filing and rebalancing, each brand will have a different treatment protocol and youmust ensure that you follow this. This is important for two reasons: firstly you need tomake sure your client receives the best possible service you can deliver; and secondly, your therapy insurance could be compromised if you carry out treatments without the necessary training.
Turn the page to see the latest collection of liquid and powder systems available…
110 GUILD NEWS
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164