As a new nail tech you will run into a few things that may need some troubleshooting and this is a normal part of the learning process. Please read section 26, followed by Section 33 of the manual and complete the quiz to move to the next module.

Lateral structure, also referred to as the lower arch is an area that lots of new nail techs struggle and it can be due to a few reasons. 1. The wrong angles are being used when filing the nails, 2. Filing the Side walls in an attempt to make the nail look narrower or 3. When the applied tip does not cover the sides of the nail – (no.3 is a sizing problem that can only be rectified by removing (soaking off) the improper fitting tip and replacing it with a proper fitting one)  – Regardless of if it is as a result of option 1 or 2 the result is always the same:

In the above picture the underside of the nail/the lateral structure has been filed away. The lateral structure of the above nail should have followed the red line demonstrated on the right of the picture. Please pay particular attention to avoiding filing into the lateral structure in an attempt to make the nails narrow as it will lead to service breakdown. And if you are filing into the side walls of the natural nails too in an attempt to fix the problem ascetically, it can lead to nail separation from the nail bed- which is a contraindication to enhancements. When filing the nails either during the blending stage or the finish filing stage, please turn the client’s finger to the side when filing the lateral structure to ensure you are not filing into the sidewalls of the natural nails and to avoid compromising your nail structure. When you see this problem occurring regularly, it is something you need to correct before it becomes a habit. Below is a video demonstrating how to avoid filing into your lateral structure.

Below is a Facebook live we did in December 2019 and covers what we recommend to do if you encounter a nail where your largest tip doesn’t fit. Below is a Facebook live we did in December 2019 that covers what we recommend to do if you encounter a nail where your largest tip doesn’t fit. Just a few disclaimers with the below video: This video was made when we had limited shapes so you may find better variety in our range now but if you have limited shapes this topic will help; and obviously being a live recording we were replaying to comments during this video which you will not be able to see (if you want to see them please watch the original live video on our Facebook page); and lastly this video was made purely for demonstration purposes on a model that needed the extension removed immediately, and as such some steps have been skipped for the purpose of demonstration- PLEASE ENSURE you follow all required steps to ensure the best outcome.