Free Beauty Tips
Traditionally plastic tips were used to cover the whole of the natural nail. Technological advances have now developed strong, flexible, durable plastic tips that we can use with our nail systems to create beautiful, natural-looking nail extensions. These tips come in hundred of shapes, colours and sizes. The difference in tip materials There are two types of material used to make the tips we apply in nail technology today. 1. ABS (acrylonitrile-butadine-styrene) - all good quality tips will be made from this material. ABS is a plastic which goes through a great number of drying cycles before being moulded and therefore works better with cyanoacrylate adhesives. ABS tips tend to be more flexible and, added to their drier properties, this gives them better adhesion to the natural nail. An added benefit is that this helps eliminate the risk of air pockets when they are applied correctly. An ABS tip has a more opaque look and has a definitive colour that looks more natural than its acetate cousin. ABS is far easier to blend in and produces less heat when being blended to the natural nail. 2. Acetate - these tips have a higher oil content than ABS which means they are harder to blend and do not bond as well with adhesives. If a strong bond is not achieved the instant the tip touches the nail plate there is a tendency for the acetate tip to curl away from the natural nail. An acetate tip does not have enough colour to look natural and is difficult to match to a your hands natural nail colour. The extra filing required on an acetate tip will create heat, which when added to the heat produced from the setting of the adhesive and the use of some accelerators can give some you an uncomfortable sensation of heat. Blending this type of tip is practically impossible without the use of a chemical tip blend. When trying to blend manually you will find that the plastic rolls or chips off, leaving an uneven seam. All nail tips are plastic. They are made in injection-moulding machines, which force the melted plastic into moulds. The plastic cools quickly - approximately 10 seconds. The moulds, made of aluminium or steel, have different depressions for various sizes and tips. If the mould is of poor material quality the possibility exists for the sizes to change slightly as the mould is used over a period of time. High quality moulds which will not change shape are expensive to produce and you will find this is reflected in the price of the tips you buy. When the plastic comes out of the mould in the form of tips it looks like a tree. The tips are snapped off from either side and placed into tips boxes. Some manufacturers will recycle the waste by melting it down again. This process will help keep the manufacturing costs down, but is not beneficial to the quality of the tips. Plastic which has been recycled a number of times produces tips that are brittle and more yellow in colour in comparison to a 'virgin' ABS tip. Always check with your supplier that the tips you are using are of a high quality plastic as these will last longer on your nails, thus giving you a better reputation. Features of a good tip The tip acts as the cast to design a new look for the natural nail, creating a beautiful illusion for yourself. When choosing a range of quality tips for yourself take into account the fact that not every person has the same nail shape. A good nail technician will ensure they have a selection of tips to suit a range of nail shapes and sizes. The essential features of a good tip are: viring ABS plastic deep stop point thin contact area reinforced stress area good structural points Deep Stop point This is the area in the well of the tip that butts into the free edge of the natural nail. This point of the tip should be deep rather than shallow to allow the natural nail to fit snugly into the groove of the tip. This will improve adhesion and also prevent any moisture from leaking between the tip and the natural nail plate. If the tip is fitted properly it will eliminate the risk of dirt sitting in the groove between the deep stop point and the natural nails free edge. This is particularly important when fitting tips to irregular nail shapes such as a ski jump or on a nail biter. If the natural nail free edge is fitted properly into the deep stop point of the tip you will achieve a clean, natural looking smile line after the tips have been blended. This will make the product application, if using white and pink powder or gel, much easier to achieve. Thin contact area The contact area on various tips will differ. Some will cover more of the natural nail than others and some will sit on the free edge with the well already cut out. You may also find tips that have a V cut into the well are to make blending easier and application on a wide flat nail more effective. A good tip will have a thin contact area that will enable easier blending and achieve a clear defined natural smile line to work on with your products. Reinforced stress area Another good sign of a good tip will be the thickness of the stress area. The thickest part of a nail extension is the stress area or apex and the same should be said of a good tip. When the tip has been blended into the natural nail the stress area should remain the thickest part with the sidewalls and free edge being the thinnest. This will give added protection when you are getting used to your longer length of a nail Good structural points There are various features of every tip that you will need to consider before deciding which ones to use. These are the features that will help you to select the right one for each client. There are four main structural points to look for:
Sidewalls Look at your natural nail shape and choose a tip with either tapered or straight sidewalls to match. The sidewalls are one of the most important areas when fitting a tip to a natural nail as they provide reinforcement in a vulnerable area. When choosing a tip, look at the overall shape and whether or not it suits the natural nail shape. A tip should complement the natural nail and not exaggerate any irregularities. If the sidewalls of the tip do not fit perfectly into the natural nail grooves at the sidewall, this will create problems after application of the overlay, as you will need to file through the newly applied product to redefine the shape, possibly weakening the structure 'C' curve You will find that all natural nails will have different 'C' curves and this must be taken into account when choosing a tip to suit the shape of your clients natural nail. The tips needs to sit properly on the natural nail, other wise you will have problems keeping their nails on. If your try to fit a flatter tip on a natural nail that has a deeper 'C' curve the edges will want to curl back up causing problems with sidewalls. Alternatively the opposite could happen if trying to fit a tip with a deeper 'C' curve onto a flat nail: it will want to spring back up and regain its natural shape. This might not happen until a few days later and could also cause your client some discomfort. If a tip does not match the 'C' curve of the natural nail, air pockets can develop between the product and the natural nail allowing bacterial infections. Lower arch Just like the natural nail, a tip should give the illusion of a continuation of the lower arch. This will be easier to achieve when the sidewalls are straight or slightly tapered but is more difficult on a rounded nail shape. When pre-tailoring a tip for application make sure the lower arch is not digging into the flesh around the sidewall and the free edge of the natural nail. This is very important: when performing a treatment if your are a nail biter who has no lower arch, you will need to create one. Upper arch Natural nails all have differing upper arches: some may be curved upwards some flat and other may take a downward turn, for example claw nails. When choosing a tip to fit the upper arch of a natural nail you need to choose one that will complement the natural curvature or that will help to create an illusion of an upper arch that is not there naturally. Choosing the right tip When choosing the right tip to fit your natural nails your need to consider the following areas:
Sidewall to sidewall The tip should fit snugly into the nail grooves on either side of the natural nail plate. If a tip is too small then go for a bigger size and file to fit before application. Never fit a tip that does not fit perfectly from side to side as could result in lifting, premature loss of your nails, splitting or cracks across the stress area and could also damage you natural nails. If you have flat nails or fan nails, choose a tip one or two sizes larger and file down the sidewalls of the tip to the correct size, this will ensure that the tip will sit easier on the flat surface of the nail. Always make sure when sizing a tip that you pull back the sidewalls to expose the nail plate fully, ensuring complete contact with no gaps. Most ranges of tips come in sizes 1-10, one being the largest and ten being the smallest, There are, however, some companies that manufacture slightly larger sizes such as 0. Tip with full contact area Most tips have a full contact area, but in a lot of cases you will be taking at least some of the contact area away before the application of tips to the natural nails. The contact area of any tip should never cover more than 30 percent of the natural nail as the tip is only the platform for the product, it is the product that provides the strength in the nail extension unit. A full contact area is more susceptible to air pockets due to the larger surface area being bonded. This will not only show through the product but can also cause problems such as bacterial infections. A larger contact area will require more buffing and there could be a risk of damage to a your natural nail. The finished nail will not look quite as clear and defined as a tip that has been applied with a smaller contact area Tips with reduced contact area The newest type of tip on the market has a smaller contact area and is consider the fastest to apply. This is because the area to be blended is much smaller. However, this has its advantages:
You will usually find that French or White tips all have reduced contact area and are advertised as requiring no blending at all. However, the contact area will still need to be reduced further to match the natural free edge as this will differ from nail to nail. These tips are not suitable for those who are nail biters or who have a really short nail plate as the percentage of white free edge to pink nail plate can make nails look top heavy and unbalanced. There is no real benefit to blending a French tip into the natural nail, although it is quicker and more cost effective if you wish to have this type of look. By not blending a tip in fully you will sacrifice a little strength in the stress area. If your aim is to create a thin, flexible, strong enhancement than either blend or pre-blend before application of product. Crystal clear tips This type of tip is relatively new and is used mainly for artwork. If using clear tips on natural nails without any decoration you will need a nail plate that is pink, healthy and undamaged, otherwise they could look uninteresting and quite ugly. These tips can be applied to the natural nail and blended or, by using reduced contact area method, they can be left unblended. They can create a stunning look with jewels, rhinestones, bindis and other such decorations embedded into the overlay. You can also use coloured acrylics to design patterns such as flowers, zebra prints, pictures and much more. These tips are very versatile and can be used in many ways. Pre-tailoring the tip before application It is important to ensure that whenever you purchase your products you get full application instructions from the supplier. Techniques vary so much from one product to another that you could have serious problems if you do not check first that the way you are using them is the correct way. Procedure for application of tips
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Tip Application
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