Magazine for the professional nail industry.
Issue link: http://nailsmag.epubxp.com/i/317565
76 | 2014 NAILS CAREER HANDBOOK Thank you to the following state boards of cosmetology for providing lists of their top violations for this article: California, Texas, Florida, New York, and Virginia. Check yourself: NailsMag.com ofers a free self-inspection checklist that you can use to up your salon safety. Print it out at http://fles.nailsmag.com/ handouts/selfnspection.pdf. COMMON VIOLATION: Safety Data Sheets not kept on premises THE FIX: Safety Data Sheets (formerly called Material Safety Data Sheets or MSDS) give you important instructions for how to use the product safely, frst-aid solutions in case of an accident, and storage instructions. If you can't fnd yours, go to the manufacturer's website and print the sheets out and keep them in your salon. (If the manufacturer doesn't have the sheets available online, call and ask for a copy.) COMMON VIOLATION: No photograph on license THE FIX: Many states require a Passport- sized photo that you must attach yourself. And sadly, a lot of techs forget to attach their photo (or, though we don't like to think about it, don't attach it on purpose in order to try to illegally "share" a license). Check your license and if it needs your photo, go ahead and attach it now. We'll wait. COMMON VIOLATION: Possession of MMA THE FIX: In the early 1970s, MMA (methyl methacrylate) monomer was the main ingredient in many acrylic liquids. However, in 1978, the FDA found MMA to be unsafe for use in nail products due to a variety of health risks (including skin allergy and permanent loss of the nail plates) and because the resulting enhancements are too rigid (which can cause the natural nail to break). Plus, MMA-based enhancements are so difcult to remove that their removal generally results in damage to the client's nail plates. So why, more than three decades later, are some salons still using MMA? In general, it's because these unsafe products are cheaper. If you're using an MMA monomer, switch to a reputable brand and increase your prices to cover the diference. (Trust us, it's better than getting fned, which may be the least of your worries — you also risk being sued by an irate client.) If you're a nail tech who's in the position of removing nail enhancements from another salon that were created using MMA, we encourage you to fnd out which salon applied the enhancement and report them to your state board to help eradicate the use of this dangerous product.