A Nail Varnish Must Have Several QuaHties If It ls to Be Successful

Solvents
Solvents are used to wet the nitrocellulose and make the varnish of a suitable consistency to apply,tmly with a brush. Butyl tate and ethyl acetate are the most common solvents and they a:re usually mixed with toluene to stabilise them and regulate their. It is this evaporation which affects the drying time.

Diluents
Diluents help to stabilise the vscosity of the varnish and make the application easier. The most common diluents are three of the alcohols - ethyl, isopropyl and butyl alcohol.

Colour ants
Creme vamishrts contain insol.uble colours mixed with small a.mounts of titanium dioxide. Iron oxide can also be added. PearUsed varnishes get their pearl effect from the addition of brilliant1 reflective, transparent crystals of guanine; these lfe obtained from the skin and scales of small ocean fish such as henmgs. Synthetic pearlising e.g titatium dioxide-coated mica flakes or bismuth oxych:lotide-coated mica. flakes is cheaper, but these p.arti.des tend to be larg-er than those of guanine and so settle out much more quickly.

Qualities
A nail varnish must have several quaHties if it ls to be successful.

1 It mus t have a quick drying time.
2 It must flow smoothly, making it easy to apply evenly with no streaks and little tendency to form air bubbles. These are unavoidable if the product is vigorously shaken or overworked.
3 It mus t dry to a hi.gh gloss.
4 Once dry, the surface must be hard and scrateh-resist, thus
providing a protective coattng to the surface of the nail.
5 The colour should be even in application and cons istent between batches.
6 The product should adhere to the n ail surface wen, making it kmg lasting in wear.
7 It must be flexible when dry with no tendency to ·crack when bent.
8 It must not be allerge nic, or harmful to the nails, or stair1 them with the pigment resins which it contains.
9 The pigment resins must not separate out of the product during storage.
10 Any pearlising should remain in suspen.sion ilnd not settle to the hottom of the bottle. (A tittle settling is inevitable, hence the ball bearings which help to redistribute it.

Nail varnish thinner

Paste pollsh (buffing cream)
This is a mildly abrasive cream or powder which is us-ed in conjunction with a buffer to impart a shine to the surface of the .nail. Tm oxide or pumice powder are the usual abrasive constituents of the aeam.. Paste polish does not conta in any nu tritive ·elements. The fri ction that occurs durin,g the bttffirg p:rocess draws the blood to the capillaries of the nail bed: this increase in the blood supply mar have a slight stimulating ·effect on the health and gr-owth of the nail. If coloured nail varnish is not required, or if it i a male n1ankure, then the buffing procedure would be done Last. {Often speciallruffing files, instead of paste polish and chamois leather buffers, are used to raise a h igh gloss shine.) If buffing is bceing carried out to remedy ridges, poor irculation, fragile nails and the like, it can be incorporated earlier in the manicure.

Nail varnish thinner
This is used to thin the nall varn ish if it has thickened due ,to the evaporatjon of its olvent. Some t tpe of nail varnish need to be thinned. up to 20 minutes before use, to allow the pigm.ent:s and other ii constituents to become ~ually distributed and blended throughout  the varnish again. Nail varnish rmurvr!"r must never be used as a 1 thi.tmer because it contains oils and w.ater and will prevent the nail 6varnlsh from drying properly. Only a pure sot vent with no addwves such. as amy acetate or ethyl aetate, i suitable for thinning. Usually H manufacturers produce thinners to match their own na.il varnishes: because these use the same btend of solvents, they do not i.nhibit the setting of the van1ishes.

Nail bleaches
These are used to remove stains from the surface of the nait from undenu!ath the free edge of the nail, and frotn the skin surrounding the nail. Nail bleaches usuaHy contain diluted hydrogen peroxide, or orga.nk acids such as lemon juice or citric acid, as their bleachin.g agents. Glyef?rine, a humectant, is often incorporated to coun teract the dry ing effect of the bleach. DistiUed rater or roseater is the usual dilut.ant, and tl1.e bleach. can be left ln a liquid .form or mixed with other ingredients to form a cream.

Nail buffers

Nail buffers
NaiJ buffers fall in.to two distinct categories. The old type of buffer
was designed to be used, with paste polish, to impart a natural shine·
to the nail surface as well as stimulate the blood drcula.tlon t;o t:he mall
bed and matrix. !his type (Figure 6J.3) should have a removable
frame to allow for the replacement and cleaning of the chamois
leather or muslin cover. (his difficult to sterilise the chamois lea:th·e:r
covers effectively, hence the use of ctisposabl.e muslin.) The newer
l'yp@ a,r'@ synthetic~ disposable bu.ffers, designed solely t.o impart a
shine to the nail plate or false nail surface. The most usual design of
this type· of· buffer is the three~ or fourwsided buffer. Her~, three or
four grades of synthetic emery, from fine to ,extra fme, are used to
cover and sandwich a thin sponge or plywood supporting pad. The
coarsest emery should only be used. at the first buffing. to buff away
ridges or imperfections in. the nail pla·te. Over~use of this quafityfbf
e:mery v.riU thin and weaken the mill plate. This coarse em~).s
foUowed by the finer emeries in sequence, to impart a high g~s
shine which will last for weeks. On subsequent buffings, only ~
finest emeries should be used. ~
These buffers are in turn being superseded by synthetic buffing
fabrics of differing grades. These fabrics are inserted into holders of
various d~sig:ns, and prove sensitive and accurate in. use.
Spatulas
If pwnp dis_pen.sers ar-e not used for dispensing cream..'l and the like,
tl1en spatulas are needed to rentove creams from. their jars to avoid
contamination of the product. Spatulas should either be disposable or
be made of mate:rials which can easily he disinfected.
Toe separators
These are specially designed sponge pads which .fit under and in
between the toes to prevent them from touching and smudging wet
naif varnish when it has just been applied (Figure 6.14). Toe separators
should be washed i.n hot (60 <>C) soapy water after every use.

Potassiun hydroxide (KOH)

Petroleum jelly
A mixtur@ of semi-soHd hydrocarbons, petroleum jeUy is a colourless
to }'eJJow~white, jelly-like semi-solid, obtained from the fractianal
distillation of petxoleum, the process whereby the vadous substances
that together ,C'tlnstitute petroleum are separated from each other .
Petroleum jelly is obtained earlier in the process than mineral oil. The
more refined1 white varieties are used in cosmetics as a lubricant and
as .a healing base in cold creams, lip salves and sticks, hand jelties,
creams and cuticle Cl"eams.
Potassiu1·n hydroxide (K OH)
An alkali, used. in a weak form (2-5 pe:r cent) to manufact.ure cuticle
ren1ovet . It is also often used as the alkaH fur soap making. It can be
used as an emulsifying agent in vanis hing creams.
Preseroa tives
These are essential to prevent the growth of bacteria and fungi in
cosmetic preparatjons. A common one for amateur use is Nipagin M
(methyt~p-hydroxybenzoate) : a microspatula m~asure added to any of
the hom~ r~dpes given in the next chapter wouJd extend their shclf
life by a few weeks.
Rose-water
A distillation of ros€ petals and alcohoL n is slightly perfumed, dear
and colourless. Its mUd tonk a-ction makes it suita.ble for all skin types
and it is the main ing;r,edient of skin-softening crean" astringents,
lotions and mafl'\1' other cosmetics . •
Spennace.ti substitute
This is used in creams to improve gloss; it is also a stabiliser for
oil-in-water emulsions. Jt is a wax and is a synthetic subs titute for real
spermaceti, which used to b@ obttLin~d from the sperm whale.

TERMS USED

Allergy
An abnormal sensitivity (hypersensitivity) to a Substance or food
which wouJd not provoke a .reaction in, or prow! completely harml-ess
to, most people. (See the section on skin disorders, page 306.)
The substance causing the a:Uergic reaction is known as an allergen
or sensitiser. Th.e most common sen..sitisers in the cosmetic industry
are perfumes and colourants, although the widening range of chemjw
cal compounds used in making various products can cause skin
irritations ·which affect only certain individuals. Even hypoalle:rgenic
(supposedly non-allergy causing) products will cause a reaction in some people.

The European Community (EC) is consulntly reviewing the ingredients
used bv the cosmetic, medical and food trades in order to.
eliminate potential sensiti ers and ham1ful ingredients. Proven harmful
ingredients a.re then banned from use throughout the EC. One
example of this was the ban placed on certain nail varnish colowllnts
proved to be potent sensitisers. Manufacturers we.re forced to find
alternatives and for quite a while popular colours were changing
subtly with every b~tch of product made! Because of this care being
taken, our cosmetics are becomillg safer .and less aUergenic as time
goes on.

Detergent
A substance which is ab1e to mix fith both oil and and ovater. Because
of this ability, some detetgents can act as emulsifiers or emulsifying
agents. For example, in their usual states, oU and water will not ll1ix
but will fotm two separate layers in a contain.er, one floating above
the other. By bridg1ng the oil and water states, the detergent breaks
the oil into tiny droplets. These become suspended evenly in the
water, fonnittg an emulsion. Because they emulsify thoily films
which trap dirt in the fibres of a fabric1 allo"ring the dirt to become
wet and float away, detetgents are used as deaning agents.

Emollient
An emtllient is a substance: which softens living tissue. Examples are
spermaceti substitute, beeswax, ptittoleum jelly, lan.olin, minetal oil,

Aidsand, Hepatitis B General Hygiene: A Checklist

* Tube dispensers should be used where the cosmetic is too thick to be d.ispensed through. a pump, as. with cuticle creams.
* Where pump or tube dispensers are unavailable and the cosmetic is kept in a jar, a clean spatula or cuticle stick should be used to take sufficient product out of the jar for a single application on a client. The spatula should not be re-dipped into the jar to obtain more product. If onJy dean spatulas are used to remove product, and if th.e jar is kept tightly covered between uses, then the hygiene of the product is maintained.
* For cuticle remover solutions and nail varnishes, if these solutions are used on obviously infected clients, then the whole bottle, brush and solution must be discarded after use. Provided the clients are not visjbly infecte-d, then the use of these items on consecutive dients is acceptable. :Each bottle should be used until empty, and then discarded: to maintain dea:n:Liness, bottles should not be topped up fr.om fresh, bulk supplies.

General hygiene: a checklist 
1 Set up a sensible and hyg,ienic cleaning routine for the salon. Make regular checks to be sure that it is being follred.
2 Keep the saJon light and airy, clean and dry.
3. Pay special attention to personal hygiene, especially washin hands before and after teach client.
4 Always disinfect or sterilise implements as necessary before ti their use on the next dient.
5 Always follow carefully the instructions for the use of disinfectants and sterilising s·olution.s. Ne,rer top up a solution or exce.ed the rec.:ommended dilution or soaking time. Always rinse and dry chemically sterilised implements before handling.
6 Wherever possible, use disposable items, for example client" s and manicurist's hand towel.s and hand- and armrest covers.
7 Remember that all procedures are vital for the protection of the manicu.rist as well as fur the protection of the clien ts.

AJDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) is the most srinus result of infection bv a virus now known as the human im. " mttnodefi.ciency virus (HlV) .. People with this virus in their bloodstream are said to be HIV-positive. Not all HIV-positive people develop AIDS: som.e tay well, with no indication that they are carrying HIV; some become slightly ill, and othe rs will go on to die from AIDS. However . all HfV -positive pe-ople are carriers of the virus.

GENERAl SALON HYGIENE The Salon

The salon
The salon should b@ kept d .Nt:n itnd dry, as it is bacteria which are the nudn source of infection within the salon and most of these will dehydrate (dry up} and die in a clean dry atmosphere. As far as possible, the salon shouJd be light and airy, as sunshine inhibits the growth of micro-organisms, and the circulation of air will prevent the development of the warm, moist conditions which enco urage bacterial growth.

Floors mzd chairs
Floors should be kept deane and vacuumed or mopped regularly. Chajrs should be washed de;rwn regularly with household detergent and hot water. Hot soapy water is in itself a good disinfectant and antiseptic and should be used liberally.

Surfaces
All surfaces in the salon should be, washed down regularly with household detergent and hot water. Cream cleansers can be used, but abrasive cleansers should be av·oided as these leave SCOW' marks which cru1 harbour bacteria. Surfaces being used for manicure sholi J:d be wiped down and disinfected between clients, using 70 per it akohot isopropyl akohoJ plus chlorhexidine, or any other pur. made formulation. Glass surfaces a..re the easiest to clean.


Equipment
Overall
The manicurist's overnU must be dean and pressed every day. It should be washed in. soapy ter in a, minimum 60 ~c wash as tnost bacteria are killed af a 60 OC temperature.

Towels
Each cl ient shou:td have a clean towel and the towels shouJd be laundered in hot (60 o,C) soapy water to kill bact:eri,a. However, there are spedal cool-wash powders now available which will disinfe.ct and deru1 at only 30 OC, tllus saving a litt le wear on the salon equipment.

Plastic manicure ba-wls
These should be washed behveen clients using hot (minimum 60 ~c) soapy water or a cn~am. dea.nser. The use of abrasive deaners should.