whereby the natural free-edge of the nail
is painted white, and the nail bed is painted
pink, beige, or clear, to mimic a healthy
looking natural nail. Sometimes the moons
(lunulas) are painted in as well.
in air, such as smoke. Nail products do not
produce fumes; they produce vapors. See
"vapors".
organisms, such as mold, dermatophytes,
and yeast. Only 2 members of this family
can form colonies (infect) in or under the
natural nail: Candida Albicans (a yeast), and
Trichophyton Rubrum (a dermatophyte
that feeds on keratin and other dead
tissue). Molds do NOT infect nails. Many
times green bacterial infections are
mistakenly called a mold or fungus. Since
fungi cannot make their own food, they
are considered parasites, and feed on
organic matter (such as the keratin protein
in nails. They multiply rapidly. They can go
dormant (hibernate) by protecting itself
with a hard spore shell, and then reappear
6 months or many years later to re-infect
their host.
when in fact they are based on both the
methacrylate and the acrylate family, and
are indeed acrylic. Gels are made by pre-
joining monomers into short chains called
oligomers. Oligomers are single chains
that are several thousand monomers
long. These oligomers are then cured
(hardened to create rigid surface coatings)
by exposure to ultra violet light. (No-lite
gels are simply a thickened cyanoacrylate
in a "gel type" form, and should not be
confused with U-V light cured gel nail;
technology.) Gel also refers to a high
viscosity (thick) liquid, as in "gel type" nail
adhesives.
based) used to remove the stick/tacky
dispersion layer that is left after gels cure
in the U-V light source. Once it is removed,
a very smooth and shiny surface will be
revealed.
cure gel nails. They come in many different
shapes, sizes, styles, and most importantly
bulb styles. See the "Gel Nails" educational
section of this site for more information on
gel lights.
to describe nail adhesive. True glues are
protein based, not cyanoacrylate based
as those in the nail industry. The correct
terminology to use is nail adhesive.
of a file or buffer; these are the same
numbers used to define sandpaper. Low
numbers are the most coarse (such as
80-100 grit files), and the highest numbers
are the least coarse (or softest). High-
shine buffers (for both nails and autos) can
reach the thousands. Medium is generally
120-240. Soft is above 240, and super-soft
buffers or shiners are above 1,000 plus.
This is a general guideline only however,
as the type of material a file is made out of
can affect the relative "feel" of coarseness
or softness. (Such as emery, diamond,
plastic, zebra, etc.) The best way to know
is to first a) follow the manufacturers
recommendations (and files) for the
product, and b) try other and comparable
files out at shows, or individually purchase
an assortment from your supplier to try.
that promotes, speeds up, or controls the
curing/drying/hardening process during
the chemical reaction that takes place
during the change from one physical state
to another, such as liquid to solid in acrylic
or gel nails.
causing physical or health related injury to
an exposed individual. MSDS contain info
on potentially hazardous ingredients in
salon products. Following proper handling
and product safety measures can reduce
hazards. See "Safety In The Salon" within
the education section of this website for
more info on the handling of hazardous
ingredients.
the free edge of the nail that forms a seal
to protect the nail bed. Some clients may
have an overgrown hyponychium that
attaches to the underside of the free-edge
of the nail and continues to grow forward
with it. This is live tissue and must not be
cut. If a clients' hyponychium becomes
painful or problematic, refer her to her
doctor.
plate. Keratin in a protein. Proteins are the
building blocks of life!
the natural nail.
linked. These polymers have less strength
and are more easily dissolved in solvents
(such as acetone or water) than cross-
linked. Cyanoacrylate (nail adhesive) is an
example of a linear polymer.
of the nail where the matrix and the
connective tissue of the nail meet. The
area under the lunula is the front of the
matrix. The light color of the lunula may
be due to the reflection of light on this
soft/unhardened nail area. It has long been
held that the larger and whiter the moons
(lunula), the healthier the natural nail.
beneath the nail root and contains nerves,
lymph and blood vessels. The matrix
produces the nail and its cells undergo a
reproducing and hardening process. The
matrix will continue to grow as long as it
receives nutrition and remains in a healthy
condition.
things. Ratio of liquid to powder in acrylic
systems. Such as 1:1 (even mix ratio), or
1:2 (a dry mix of twice as much powder as
liquid), or 2:1 ( a wet mix of twice as much
liquid as powder).
use in the nail industry due to the severity
of allergic reaction and damage to the
natural nail plate. It adheres so tightly to
the nail plate that it can literally rip the nail
plate from the nail bed under pressure
from a blow or trauma to the nail. MMA is
so hard that it can take hours to soak off
in pure acetone (not a safe practice) -- so
it must be filed from the nail plate with a
heavy abrasive or electric file.
the surface of organic matter. Mold is not
a human pathogen, thus it cannot infect
human nails.
Individual, reactive chemical units that may
be linked together to form a polymer. A
small molecule that may react chemically
to link with other molecules of the same
type to form a larger molecule called a
polymer.