Pinching - By Rise’ Carter
This is a hot topic for me.
PINCHING, TWEAKING, PRESSING, GRASPING, SQUEEZING, CLAMPING, ALTERING, GRIPPING…
Take a closer look at those words. What images are brought to your mind? Perhaps you’re picturing your least favorite household chore, putting yourself on a strict financial budget (yikes!), or remembering that “pressing” appointment that every woman over 40 is forced to schedule every year.
In any case, those words do not evoke a sense of fun, excitement or comfort. That being said, they are surprisingly NOT uncommon terms in the nail industry. No matter which word you choose to use, in the nail biz, they all mean the same thing - PAIN AND DAMAGE!
Is this technique really necessary?
I know that this is common practice. The purpose of “pinching” is to create a deeper (than natural or average) “C” curve, which is the view when you look down the barrel of a nail enhancement. Some technicians, competitors and competition judges “feel” (have they actually experienced pinching?) that the “C” Curve should be at least 50% of a complete circle. The myth is that deep “C” Curves add design, form and strength to the enhancement. In reality, proper design, form and strength are achieved by using a high-quality product, correct mix ratio, proper placement of the apex, thin sidewalls and a thin cuticle area.
So if a client or model has a flatter nail, how do you accomplish a deep “C” Curve? How would a technician go about pinching? What exactly is pinching?
While the enhancement product is going through its chemical reaction known as polymerization, the setting and partially cured enhancement is squeezed, pinched and clamped along the sidewalls of the natural nail just at the free edge. Eeeeeeeeeeek. Let’s think about this. We, as nail technicians, are always concerned with product adhesion. We want to achieve superior bonding more than anything. NSI has taken great lengths and spent massive amounts of money for research and development so that nail technicians can create worry-free enhancements. The products are designed to adhere, or marry, to the natural nail. Period.
Let’s consider this analogy. When pinching occurs, you are taking the partially cured enhancement product that is “marrying” the natural nail, and squeezing the heck out of it to alter its shape. The “newlywed” natural nail plate does not want to separate from, or “divorce”, the enhancement product it just married, so it clings to the product, which in turn pulls the natural nail plate right off the “bed” (and you know which bed I’m referring to).
This practice damages the natural nail and causes a separation called onycholysis, which is when the nail plate is pulled away from the nail bed. This usually occurs due to mechanical force. There are devices designed, produced, and sold to help with this altering process and make it easier for us. Imagine that!
Let’s not forget the other issue - PINCHING HURTS. A nail service, like a haircut, should NOT hurt. What do we need to do next, pass out pain medication to the client prior to their nail service? I deliberately buy shoes that don’t pinch my feet, I hated it when my grandmother thought it was cute to “pinch” my cheeks, and when my mother wanted to get control over me, she would pinch my upper arm. It also didn’t feel too good when my record player got stolen (pinched) in college. I know what you are thinking -”record player?”
Anyway, I think that you have figured out by now that I am not a big advocate of this type of nail torture. I do understand that this practice will continue, but I don’t understand why we would let our industry get a bad rep? Shouldn’t maintaining the health and integrity of our clients’ natural nails be first and foremost in our minds?
Email This Post