TIP OF THE WEEK #3 with Vicki Peters
January 22, 2000
DISCLAIMER
Any products mentioned in the "Tip Of The Week by Vicki Peters"
is not an
endorsement of any kind.
There will be no tip of the
week next week - sorry everyone - I will be doing
photo shoots for Nailpro so I will be in LA for a few days and
then I will be
going to the Long Beach Show. Next tip of the week will be sent
approximately Feb 3 or so. Remember I would love your suggestions
on future
tips of the week.
Vicki
NATURAL NAIL BITS
Most of us use an electric file for refining the cuticle area,
backfills and
shortening acrylic nails with a carbide or diamond bit. According
to the
AEFM, The Association Of Electric File Manufacturers, (which I
am the
director for) these bits along with the paper sanding bands should
never be
used on natural nails. The reason we tend to get rings of fire,
which are
the grooves at the cuticle area, is because these bits are too
harsh for the
natural nail and when using a barrell shaped diamond or carbide
bit or
sanding band at the wrong angle it is very easy to do.
However I will contradict
myself a bit here and recommend Lysa Comfort's
(from EZ Flow) prepper bit. It is a very gentle diamond round
edged bullet
that should be experienced with caution. So make sure you get
proper
instructions on how to safely use it.
*******
This tip of the week is about natural nail bits, which come in
green, black
and yellow colors. They are actually very soft like a pencil eraser
and wear
down quickly with use. These bits come from the jewelry industry
that use
them for buffing jewelry. If you wear
The tips of the bits down and need to refresh the shape take the
bit when it
is in the electric on a low speed and hold down on a regular file
100 grit
file and press to re-shape the tip flat. These bits need a flat
edge like a
barrel to be effective and get into the cuticle area.
The Green color is the coarsest,
black medium and yellow fine. They come
either a flat topped barrel or a cone with a pointed tip. Aseptico
(800/426-5913) sells the cones and Medicool (800/433-2469) sells
the flat
tipped barrels and are the only two companies that sell these
bits to the
nail industry. Both are equal in quality and price.
I have used these natural
nail bits for several years to remove the ptergyium
and prep the natural nail for a full set. You can also use them
to prep the
nails for a high shine during a manicure. We will talk about that
later on.
For the ptergyium:
Step 1. Start by filing and shaping the natural nail for the full
set or
manicure. Make sure the client has washed her hands with warm
water which
will make the cuticles softer.
Step 2. Use your cuticle pusher as you normally would, pushing
the cuticle
back gently exposing any ptergyium.
Step 3. One a very low speed - I use about 3,000 rpms, gently
place the bit
on the nail plate at the cuticle area. Use the flat edge of the
tip just
like I tell you NOT to do with a metal bit. Your going to do 2
things here:
1. Press down on the nail at the cuticle area to remove the ptergyium,
while
2., you push the cuticle back. These natural nail bits are very
soft and
will not hurt the nails or cuticle if you do this gently. Too
much pressure
or speed will damage the nail and heat up, however not enough
pressure will
get you no where - so find a perfect medium.
These bits need to be used
carefully, I cannot stress this enough. By gently
pushing up on the cuticle and pressing down on the nail you will
get a very
clean cuticle with one swipe of the bit. This is perfect for those
hard to
get up cuticles or when you need that extra help getting a very
clean nail
plate and cuticle area.
Use the same bit flat to the
nail to take the shine off a virgin nail in your
prep work.
Be sure not to press too hard because pressure causes friction
and friction
causes heat.
You can also use these bits
to high shine natural nails, but again remember
about too much pressure causing discomfort to the client. I suggest
that you
use the black - medium grit bit first, the green coarse bit may
be coarser
than the surface of the natural nail. Remove the dust in between
graduating
your bits to softer grits so your not buffing in the higher grit
left behind.
High shine bits available
from most all of the electric file companies vary
from chamois buffers to goats hair buffers used to buff in the
buffing cream
to synthetic bits. They are all very inexpensive to purchase and
all can be
washed.
SANITATION
All of the natural nail and buffing bits are NOT sanitizable,
however they
are washable. Purchase several of each style bit so you are using
only one
per client before washing them. Take them home, rinse out the
dust and
buffing cream and throw them is the dishwasher. The dishwater's
water may
only get up to 120 degrees, however the drying process is much
hotter. Just
remember use only 1 bit per client to stay sanitary. Emersing
them into your
disinfection solution will not work and contaminate the solution.
I am a big fan of the natural
nail bit for cleaning the cuticle area up
especially the challanging ones