People visit nail salons either to relax and pamper their nails or to groom themselves for that special event. Everyone wants to look and feel their best and with the right nail colour, you are complete.
A manicure or pedicure is supposed to be a treat for yourself so you can relax while getting beautiful nails as a result. However, your nail pampering can easily turn into a disaster when you get an infection from your recent nail session. It can be caused by a couple of factors, but they all result in nasty infections like warts and nail fungus. Here are some things to remember to decrease your risk of infection on your next nail appointment:
RETHINK YOUR APPOINTMENT IF YOU HAVE CUTS OR WOUNDS
These wounds can vary from a tiny bug bite to a huge cut from a sharp object. If you have any of these open wounds on or near the area around your nails, move your nail appointment to a much later date. Open wounds are perfect places for an infection to start, as bacteria and fungi can spread easily and penetrate the skin. Wait for your wounds to completely heal and become dry before going to a nail salon.
CHECK YOUR SALON'S HYGIENE STANDARDS
It’s easy to choose a salon on appearance. But what appears to be clean isn’t always the case.
Check their files! Does everyone have their own set? Files spread fungus so your chances are extremely high.
Manicure and pedicure bowls that carry water for you to soak your nails in should have a bag inside that is thrown out after each use plus bowls should be scrubbed after each client with hospital grade disinfectant. If no bags are being used the bowl needs to be scrubbed and soaked for at least 10 minutes in hospital grade disinfectant between clients.
Metal implements like cuticle pusher and trimmer can also carry nasty bacteria if not cleaned appropriately. There is a process to cleaning and it takes some time and generally is done away from the public eye. With the amount of people salons turn over I’m afraid they aren’t taking the appropriate steps. They would need someone full time just to clean. Implements need to be washed with warm soapy water, soaked in hospital grade disinfectant for 10 mins then left to air dry before going into an autoclave bag and placed in an autoclave for 30 mins. Time after time I always catch salons opening these blue bags with implements inside. Now you would think that they’re sterile and clean but they’re not. That little blue bag is an autoclave bag. It needs to be put into a special machine that incubates up to 121 degrees, killing off pathogens even hepatitis and aids. This is the only way just like your dentists and doctors clean, your salon must too clean to eliminate the spread of infection. The only way you know this process has been done is by looking at the top corners for a BLACK indicator strip. A fresh bag in the corner is always pink! So when you visit the nail salon make sure you check you’re protected. UV sterilizers aren’t strong enough and aren’t Australian standards for cleaning.
BRING YOUR OWN NAIL KIT
Don’t be embarrassed to show up to your appointment bringing your own manicure and pedicure tools. Even the popular nail salons can’t guarantee a zero chance of infection, so they will gladly use your personal tools for your session. A professional nail kit has all the basic tools like pushers and nail cutters. By having your own nail kit, you can make sure that your tools are clean and safe to use every time.
Still looking for a professional nail kit? Talene Hanna proudly offers her new product - top quality mani/pedi tools you can bring to your nail appointments, or use for home treatments. The nail kit comes with nippers, pushers, cutters, files, buffer, and shiner all kept in a cute cosmetic travel bag. Get your own professional nail tools now! Don’t risk an infection!