Acrylic nails are a great way to achieve long, impeccably manicured nails. They do not chip and break like natural nails, and are an easy way to look well-groomed. However, acrylic nails do require maintenance and special attention to stay healthy. Poorly fitted acrylic nails may develop fungal growth in the gap between the acrylic and natural nails. Infections can also develop when a person wears acrylic nails for an extended period of time without regular care and maintenance from a LICENSED PROFESSIONAL. We know that you love us because our nails last and last; no popping off, no lifting, etc. However, we need to see you more than once a month, every other month, or every three months for your Fill-in. We love you, but more important, we love your nails too!!! Our goal is to give you long, healthy nails that you can be proud to show off. So, here are five ways to maintain healthy acrylic nails and prevent unwanted damage.   Apply Nail and Cuticle Oil Daily Healthy nails are clean nails, and acrylic nails require daily cleaning. Oil should be applied to the nail several times per day to maintain flexibility, eliminate separation between the natural and acrylic nail, to prevent the nail from cracking or peeling, and to promote blood circulation and nail growth. We recommend focusing primarily on the free edge of the acrylic nail and the cuticle. Cleaning with antibacterial soap and water, and a small nail brush several times a week also helps minimize the risk of infection. Make sure to towel-dry thoroughly after washing.  Always pay close attention to and moisturize your cuticles to avoid dryness; which can lead to cracking of the skin and infections.   Check Daily to Determine if Nails are Loosening When acrylic nails loosen from the natural nail, fungus and bacteria can develop in the gap. If nails are loose, schedule an appointment with a professional salon quickly in order to repair the damage. The risk of infection can be reduced by dipping the nail in rubbing alcohol prior to repair. Never use household glue for nail repairs. This can lead to serious damage of the nail.   Always Wear Rubber Gloves when Handling Chemicals Acrylic nails can be weakened, discolored, or stained by household chemicals including detergents and cleaning products. Wearing gloves when handling chemicals at home or at work, prolongs the life of these nails. Gloves should also be worn when gardening.       Treat Acrylic Nails like Jewels, not Tools Acrylic nails are beautiful accessories, but they do not have the same utility as natural nails. Do not use them to pry open anything, especially pop tops. Learn to use fingertips rather than fingernails to prevent breakage. Need to open that can of soda? Use a coin. Need to remove your ATM or credit card from the machine? Keep a pair of tweezers handy. Acrylic nails should always be maintained at an appropriate length for your lifestyle and activity level.   Touch-up Acrylic Nails every 2-3 Weeks As the natural nail grows out, fills are needed to stabilize the artificial nail and eliminate the bump between the acrylic and natural nail. A visit to the salon is recommended every 2-3 weeks or sooner if your nails grow quickly or start to wear and the gap between the acrylic and the cuticle becomes noticeable. Ignoring the maintenance of your acrylic nails can lead to fungal infections and serious damage to your natural nails; including loss of your nail or inhibited nail growth.  Never remove acrylic nails by prying them off. The application and removal of acrylic nails takes lots of practice and should ALWAYS be applied and removed properly by a LICENSED PROFESSIONAL to avoid damage to the natural nail plate.    ...read more

Fingernail biting or onychophagia… It’s a bit weird isn’t it? You start fingernail biting almost without noticing it, and it slowly enters the mysterious realms of what many call the subconscious mind, to then build a three story house and live there forever. Or at least until you finally have the guts to do something about it.xml version='1.0' encoding='%SOUP-ENCODING%'   Why Do People Bite Their Nails?  Nail biting has its origins in a nervous condition, a condition that probably developed when growing up, but was triggered later because of a certain event.  Some doctors say that until you have dealt with that event you can’t let go of the nail biting habit. So it is important to know the reason why people bite their nails in order to solve the issue.   Nail biting is a bad habit that’s hard to quit when you are an adult. But what does it mean to a toddler? Although it falls in the category of “nervous habits”, toddler nail biting not always means that your child is anxious, he/she might be bored, curious or just passing the time. As parents it’s logical that we want our child to fall into his habit, especially when we take into account that out of the other nervous habits, nail biting is the one that sticks with us the most. It is very hard because at this age the children are not always conscious of what they do.    Most nail biting cases start during childhood and become a habit – and a problem, as the person grows up. There’s always an underlying reason for child nail biting, even if they don’t know really what it is. Soon it becomes uncontrollable and the need of getting rid of the habit arises. Child nail biting is a nightmare to parents. We always hate to see our children fall into this habit and often try to punish them, ignoring that punishing or yelling at them will only make things worse. So the first step you should take to address this issue is talk to your child. Talk about anxiety, stress or how they feel. Many parents find that by being more patient and caring for their children, the nail biting just disappears.   When your children are older, they will also notice how nail biting is affecting their lives. This is especially true for girls. At this stage, you can talk to your daughter and help her find a great treatment, but you must be sure she really wants to stop nail biting. If you are a mom, you could show her how beautiful your nails are and teach her by example, but don’t make her feel bad. You should give these examples in a way that makes her feel positive.   Nail Biting&Fungal Infections… Did you know that the habit of nail biting is closely related to fingernail fungus?  When your hands come in contact with infected surfaces, the fungus takes advantage of the damages on your nails and the skin surrounding the nails to penetrate into the nail bed.  Nail biters contribute to the damage of the nail, the cuticle and the skin, providing not one, but many entries to the fungus.   Nail biting leaves the nail without its natural protection.  The cuticle serves as a protection from bacteria and numerous infections. It also helps protect the new nail as it begins growing out. Once the fungus enters your fingernails, there’s no quick and easy fix.  In fact, nail fungus treatments take months to finish, even using the most potent medicines available like Sporanox or Terbinafine. Although fingernail fungus is a less common than toenail fungus, as a nail biter, you are always in danger.   Quitting; It’s Not So Easy… The nail biting habit is not something that you just say stop and that’s it.  In fact stopping the nail biting habit can prove to be one of the hardest things to do just by sheer will because it is a behavior that has been practically tattooed into your brain, repetition after repetition. There are many methods out there that try to deal with the nail biting habit, and, although it may be said that ultimately all of them work, not all of them work for all people.      Creams…Nail biting creams are some of the oldest methods to get rid of this bad habit for good and have proven very helpful for people around the world. Nail biting creams are applied in the same manner as you would apply polish to your nails. So, what do they do?  They repel you from putting your fingers in your mouth, because these creams have a bitter taste.  But, nail biting creams come with an added benefit: they will also help repair the damage that nail biting has caused your fingernails.   The best nail biting creams include vitamins and nutrients that will help your nails grow healthy and recover faster.  The most common ingredients they have are aloe, vitamin A and vitamin E; since the skin around the nail is damaged as well.  However, there is a down side to applying creams. You need to keep applying them daily until one day you unlearn the nail biting behavior.  This may take some time, and money, not to mention getting in the habit of putting cream on your nail every single day.   You should try the nail biting cream first to see if you feel comfortable with this method.  If creams don’t seem to be working for you, there are always other alternatives.   Nail Biting Hypnosis…Nail biting is a habit.  Habits are, according to Random House Unabridged, “an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary”. This means that if you bite your nails you do it because you have been doing it for quite a while, and this behavior has entered the subconscious – you end up putting your fingers in your mouth without even noticing it. Since it is a behavior that resides in the subconscious, it makes total sense that you ‘attack it’ from there.  Hypnosis will suggest to your brain to stop nail biting, but in a positive way. Slowly, these positive hypnotic suggestions will enter your mind and, almost as silently as nail biting entered your life, it will leave.   What Products are available for Nail Biting Hypnosis? Hypnosis tapes are the most common method, because they are either bought or provided by a hypnotherapist.  You can skip going to the hypnotherapist, but tapes are necessary.  The success of this nail biting treatment depends on the repetition.  Hypnotic suggestions must be given regularly on a daily basis, but they do not last long, usually 20 minutes.   A lot of people complain when they use these tapes saying that they don’t hear anything, or that “it is just music on the tape”. But what they don’t consciously perceive is what gives power to these tapes.  There is a range of sound that it is not consciously perceived.  These tapes put all the positive hypnotic suggestions you need in this range of sound.   Hypnotherapists also give out tapes when treating patients.  The advantage of going to a hypnotherapist is that they will assess you personally, but nothing more. If you are planning to go to a hypnotherapist, make sure it is not a scam.  Ask for a certification first, and do your research to see if he or she comes from a good institute.  You could ask a psychologist if he or she does hypnotherapy. Psychologists use hypnotherapy as part of their treatment arsenal for a variety of behaviors.     Cold Turkey?...Although going cold turkey is the hardest way to stop your nail biting habit, there are certain tips that can help you on your way to stop nail biting. These tips are easy to follow and to remember:   ·Keep your nails polished. This tip is especially useful for women. When you have your nails polished, every time you put your nails in your mouth, you'll be conscious of it, and it will help you break the action immediately. ·Keep your nails short. This way you'll have nothing to bite right? ·Get enhancements (acrylics, gels, or MINX) applied to your nails. Just the beauty of your new enhancements will keep you from snacking on those fingernails. ·Get others to help you. You can tell your family and friends to help you overcome nail biting by letting you know when you start doing it. ·Stay focused in your goal. Now, this is not as easy as it may seem, but in the way of doing it you'll also learn how to control yourself in every situation.   Don’t get discouraged.  Quitting any habit can be hard, but you CAN do it. You CAN get rid of nail biting, but it requires patience, determination and consistency. Good Luck on your journey to break the nail biting habit!!! ...read more

We at The Nail Den have a major problem with some nail salons. The use of the Credo Blade seems to be a popular question that we have been asked about and why we don’t use them in our salon.Most people don't know this because they were never educated concerning the deadly Credo Blade. So, here is a little 411 we think you might appreciate.   The Nail Den believes in education. We take pride in educating our clients about what calluses are (dead skin), why they form (the skins way of protecting itself from friction or irritation), and the fact that the nail professional is not trained or licensed to surgically remove callous tissue with a sharp instrument. If the callus is that thick, it needs surgical removal by a podiatrist.   We have all seen the news reports concerning the cleanliness of the spa chairs, but they never mention the deadly Credo Blade!! We can almost guess that you have let other nail techs scrape your heels&the; bottom of your feet with that little amazing tool that you call a “corn cutter” or “cheese grater”. Well that amazing little blade can cause you problems you just don't want. Its correct name is the CREDO BLADE and here in the State of North Carolina, it is very ILLEGAL to use.   What is a Credo Blade and how does it work? This is a razor-like device that is used to cut off calluses. A credo blade functions much like a fruit peeler, and tends to remove callous with a scooping action, rather than shaving it off slowly (how a professional podiatrist will remove calluses). It is illegal in most states but pedicurists routinely use them. One doctor equates using the Credo Blade to minor surgery.   Why can't nail techs use them in the salon?   Because we're not educated in our training to use tools that actually cut into live skin and our licenses prohibit it. Cuticles are dead skin, so we can use nippers. The Credo Blade not only gets rid of dead skin, but healthy live skin as well, resulting in excessive removal. Too much removal will cause your skin to be irritated and will cause your body to produce more callus to protect itself. The new skin has to regenerate over the dead&healthy skin. This is the reason your heels get hard in a few days after you have had your pedicure. Only podiatrists (medically trained doctors that specialize incaring for the feet) are allowed to use the Credo Blades. Stores still sell them (along with the “Pedi Egg”) for your own personal use, which is still not recommended by doctors and educated nail techs.   What's the big deal?   It's actually a huge deal on many levels:      First,most salons who perform this illegal procedure do not sterilize the Credo Blade after use on a client. If they aren't sanitized properly, you're at risk for blood borne diseases like hepatitis, herpes, and possibly HIV. There's no cure for those, so are you willing to take the chance? All it takes is the tech to nick someone, draw blood onto the tool, not sanitize it properly, use that tool on the next client, and pass on an incurable disease.      Second, techs can't always determine the depth of the callus they are shaving, so it's common to take off too much. That results in sensitive, pink skin, emphasized with jagged cut marks (due to the techs lack of training with Credo Blades). Walking is painful after that, plus the wounds are open to infection.      Third, diabetics are at extreme risk of getting an infection due to the lack of feeling in their feet (neuropathy) and their inability to heal normally. Even a small nick can lead to gangrene, resulting in the amputation of toes, feet, or legs. Then if the infection can't be contained, death follows. A large portion of people walking around today have diabetes in varying stages, but they just haven't been diagnosed yet. You could be one of them.      Fourth, calluses are nature’s way of protecting a bone within your foot. When there's friction between your foot and shoe, a callus occurs. Women that wear high heels normally develop calluses on the balls of their feet. Women that wear backless shoes, such as flip flops or strapless sandals, usually have calluses on their heels. It's far better to reduce the callus with an abrasive foot file, which smoothes it down, instead of shaving it off.  Calluses always come back anyway, only much thicker if you shave them off.   Why do some salons use the Credo Blade to cut calluses off my feet?   It may seem that some salons are doing you a nice favor by using a Credo Blade on your calluses, but that is not the case. Basically, your nail tech isLAZYbecause he or she does not want to work hard and wants to rush you in&out (it's all about the numbers) as quickly as possible. What you don't know is the best way to get your feet smooth and soft is to use a FOOT FILE. It is not expensive; you can buy it from anywhere. The Nail Den gives you a foot file with your service if a callus treatment is done. The foot file can be disinfected and washed. It's also healthier.The underlying problem is that there are no certainties in gauging the thickness of any callused area which may lead to over shaving. It doesn't matter how much experience a technician may have with shaving calluses, you may be on the receiving end of an unfocused day. Shaving callused skin can produce open areas with an increase chance of contracting viruses. Calluses are on your feet for a reason whether it is for dancing, running, standing, etc. You need those calluses and if shaved off, you have to go through the process of growing them back. Only now, they are deeper into skin nearer to the bone. This can cause irritation later and possible surgery to remove it.   SHOULD I BE IN PAIN WHEN I GET NAIL SERVICES? No!!! You should communicate any pain or sensitivity issues to the nail technician so that they can stop discomforting you. We don't understand why people go to some nail salons stressed because they know they are going to be in pain on the receiving end with an insensitive Tech. Nail services should be relaxing and you should not be expecting to experience pain!!! If you have ingrown nails, cleaning them can be painful. Please tell the Nail Technician so that they can adjust the service. There is also an outpatient procedure a Podiatrist can perform to help with ingrown nail pain.  If you have open cuts on your feet, cuts from athlete's foot, or a fungus; you should not be getting a pedicure!!! Please go to your doctor for a treatment first. Some clients havePlantar Fasciitis, where a pain can be felt during a massage on the bottom of the feet. Please consult your doctor about this as well. Other than these types of issues, you should not feel pain.   If there is a spa or salon that you know is using thisillegalinstrument you can do the right thing and report them to State Board. Only you, as a law-abiding citizen, can help society and nail professions uphold a law or regulation. So, the next time you get a pedicure, tell them not to use the Credo Blade!!! If they try to insist, tell them that there are safe and pain-free procedures that can keep your calluses smooth and softened, and thatyou will call State Board and report them for using thisillegalimplement andwalk out. Then come visit us at The Nail Den where Credo Blades don’t exist!!! ...read more