Nail Technician

What is a Nail Technician?

The following job responsibilities are common for individuals in nail technician roles:

• Perform manicures and pedicures
• Clean and soaks hands and feet to make them supple for cuticle shaping and callous removal
• Trim and file fingernails and toenails
• Apply nail polish to fingernails and toenails, or put on and paint artificial nails
• Sell nail care products and nail polishes to clients

A Day in the Life

Nail technicians—also known as manicurists and pedicurists—perform manicures and pedicures for clients. When clients arrive, the nail technician converses with clients to determine what services the client wants to have performed. Then, the nail technician gets to work performing those services. Nail technicians may be paid hourly—depending on employer—but the bulk of their income usually comes from tips and commissions on product sales, so it’s important to provide excellent customer service.

When performing a manicure, the nail technician may seek to make the client’s natural fingernails look good, or he/she may work to apply artificial nails on the client. The nail technician starts by soaking and cleaning the client’s hands and nails, and then applies lotion, often massaging hands in the process. Next, the nail technician uses a special cuticle tool to push overgrown cuticles back. Finally, the nail technician cuts nails, files them into shape, and either paints natural nails or applies and paints fake nails.

When performing manicures, the nail technician begins by soaking the client’s feet in warm water or a foot spa. This helps clean feet and make them supple so that callouses and other rough spots on feet can be removed. To remove these, the technician files feet using a special foot filing tool. Next, the technician pushes cuticles back, trims toenails, files toenails into shape, and applies nail polish. The nail technician may also apply lotion to feet and massage feet and lower legs in the process.

Typical Work Schedule

Nail technicians may work either a full eight-hour workday or part-time. While some nail technicians may work day shift during the work week, most work second shift in the evening and on weekends as these are the busiest times for nail salons and spas.

In general, their working schedules can vary greatly by employer. For instance, some spas and salons are closed one or two days per week while others are open all 7 days. Other privately owned or specialty facilities may have different hours of operation altogether, so it’s important for job hunters to fully understand what hours may be required of them.

Projected Job Growth

Demand for nail technicians is expected to grow in the coming decade due to nail salons making the process more convenient for clients. Where manicures and pedicures used to take an hour or more and required visiting a salon, many nail technicians are now offering shorter sessions—called mini manis—and mobile services, traveling to clients’ homes to perform manicures. The increased convenience is driving more people to utilize nail technician services, increasing demand for the position.

Prospects are particularly good for those technicians who specialize in one or two nail techniques. Some of those techniques to have in your repertoire are:

Acrylics: These faux nails are created by mixing a liquid and powder together to cover the natural nails and affix an artificial tip. Eventually acrylic nails grow out and can be removed by soaking them in nail polish remover.

Gel: Another type of artificial nail, these are brushed onto natural nails and dried under a UV light. These tend to be more expensive because they last longer than acrylic nails.
Dip powder: Once a basecoat has been applied, the nail is dipped into a special colored powder. The process is repeated multiple times until the desired color level is reached, then a sealant is painted on over to set.

Silk: Many women experience cracked nails. In addition to being painful, they can also cause the entire nail to split. To solve this problem, fabric wraps are fitted onto the nail and then glued. This helps protect the underlying nail so it can grow out.

Paraffin wax treatments: During this treatment a client’s feet or hands – or both – can be covered with warm wax. This provides a soothing experience that also hydrates the skin. This treatment is usually accompanied by a manicure and/or pedicure and perhaps even a light massage.

Typical Employers

Some nail technicians may choose to be self-employed and either own their own nail salons or travel to client’s houses to provide service there as part of a mobile manicure business.

Those technicians who seek employment at other businesses have a lot of options. Beyond working at the obvious nail salons and spas, you may also find employment at a small nail care station within an airport, on a cruise ship, at a podiatrist’s office, or working as an instructor at an educational facility.