Do you enjoy having beautiful nails or admire them on others? Polished nails range from simply painted, short nails to long nails with elaborate artwork. Nail care isn’t limited to women, either! Many men like to have their nails and toenails neatly trimmed and maintained. Nail technicians have unique skills to make people’s nails look attractive. If you like doing your nails, you might be wondering how to become a certified nail tech (or licensed nail tech).

Let’s explore what nail techs do, how to become one and how much nail techs make!

What Do Nail Technicians Do?

At first glance, it might seem like nail techs only trim, file and paint nails, but they do far more than that! Nail techs, also known as manicurists or pedicurists, help keep clients safe from injuries and infections. As a nail tech, you might also answer the phones, schedule appointments, and collect payments as part of your job. Cleaning and sanitizing equipment and tools are also a key part of the job.

Here’s a list of what nail technicians typically do when giving a basic manicure:

• Before starting: You’ll talk with customers about what they want, show them colors and describe options such as gel or acrylic.
• Trimming and buffing: You’ll shape nails with an emery board and buff them to smooth out ridges.
• Soaking and cuticle care: After soaking clients’ hands, you’ll apply cuticle remover cream or oil, then use tools to trim or push cuticles back. Then you’ll massage moisturizing lotion into the skin. Some add-on services include salt rubs to remove dry skin.
• Polishing and finishing steps: You’ll apply a base coat, two color coats and then a top coat.

For men: The steps are typically the same, although you may need to remove calluses and rough skin. Men sometimes skip polish and prefer a buffed natural look instead.

For Pedicures: If you’re giving a pedicure, the steps are essentially the same but will typically include foot callus removal.

Beyond Basic Manicures and Pedicures: You’ll have clients who want intricate designs or nail enhancements (extensions, extreme shapes, 3D sculptures, etc.). This is where your creativity can shine! Being able to do advanced techniques is one of the most exciting aspects of being a nail tech.

Key Skills Every Nail Technician Needs

Nail techs know more than just how to give basic manicures, pedicures and advanced services! Here’s a breakdown of the skills that you’ll need to be a successful nail technician:

• Cleanliness and Hygiene: Maintaining a clean and sanitized workspace and tools is extremely important. You or your clients don’t want bacterial or fungal infections.
• Nail Anatomy: You’ll learn about the nail plate, matrix and cuticles so you can apply nail enhancements. You’ll also want to be able to identify infections or structural damage before starting any nail treatment.
• Dexterity: You’ll use sharp tools and sometimes electric filers. You’ll want to work carefully to avoid injuring yourself or a client.
• Product Application Skills: More advanced services use gels, acrylics, extensions and dip powders, which you’ll need to apply expertly.
• Artistic Skills: This is the fun part because you get to showcase your artistry and creativity! Nail art includes intricate, hand-painted designs, 3D artwork and tiny embellishments.

Good nail techs need more than just technical skills to provide nail services! Here are additional skills that successful nail technicians have:

• Active Listening Skills: Listen carefully to understand what clients want, and ask follow-up questions to make sure you understand.
• Social Intelligence: Like with a hairstylist, clients often share details about their lives and concerns with their technicians. Regular clients often appreciate it when their nail tech remembers details they shared and asks how things are going! You’ll want to be able to “read” a client to know whether they want to chat or relax in silence.
• Upselling Skills: Your employer might want you to sell products or encourage clients to buy add-on services to improve business profits.

Advanced Nail Tech Skills You Can Learn Through Practice

Nail art and dramatic nail enhancements are extremely popular. Once you learn the basics, you can move on to learning how to provide more advanced services such as:

• Extreme Shapes: These are structural designs that you’ll build onto clients’ nails, with shapes such as stiletto, edge, pipe, gothic almond and lipstick.
• Gel Sculpting: Using clay gels, you’ll sculpt intricate artwork such as flowers or other shapes.
• Airbrush and Blending: You’ll use a special air gun to create ombré effects and color gradients.
• Hand-painted Designs: These are tiny designs you’ll paint on using ultra-thin shaping brushes.
• Stone Replication: These are realistic-looking natural textures like marble, tortoise shell and jade that you’ll apply.

Nail Technician Career Paths

Most nail techs start out working in a salon or day spa, but once you gain experience, you can move on to more challenging, higher-paying roles. Here are some options:

• Independent Nail Tech: You can rent a booth or a private suite and work for yourself. You’ll handle scheduling, pricing and collecting payments.
• Mobile Nail Tech: You’ll travel to clients’ private homes, hotels or corporate offices, typically for wealthy or famous clients.
• Medical Nail Tech: With some additional training, you can work alongside dermatologists or podiatrists. You’ll help clients with medical conditions that affect their nails or toenails.
• Nail Academy Instructor: With some additional training, you can become an instructor in a cosmetology or manicuring program.
• Session Nail Artist: These artists work backstage at fashion shows, design nails for celebrities, and work on TV and movie sets.
• Salon Owner: You can open your own salon or buy into a franchise and run your own business.

Is a Career as a Nail Technician Right for You?

If you enjoy doing your nails or the nails of friends and family, that’s the first step! However, to work as a full-time nail technician, here are a few questions to consider:

• How much can a nail tech make? In Michigan, most nail techs earn $13.34 to $31.67 per hour, or $27,740 to $64,880 annually. Keep in mind though; this is an average of all nail technicians. How much you make will vary based on a number of factors including your experience, where you work, the services you provide, the client base you’ve developed, etc.
• Can you handle the physical demands of the job? You’ll sit and bend over for several hours per shift. Your hands need to be stable for extended periods as you paint and apply treatments.
• Are you artistic? Clients may come in with unusual requests or don’t know what they want. You’ll need to make suggestions or make their visions a reality, even if you haven’t done a design before.
• Are you patient? Clients may smudge their nails or decide they don’t like the color or design, and you may have to start over.
• How comfortable are you being social for long periods? If you prefer working alone, being a nail tech is not a fit! You’ll be chatting with clients much of the time, so you’ll need a strong social battery.

Learn more about how to become a certified nail tech by training at Dorsey College. In less than a year, you could be working as a nail tech after completing the manicuring program at Dorsey College and obtaining your license!

Dorsey College’s Manicuring training program has been determined to be sufficient to meet educational requirements for licensing requirements in the state of Michigan only. No educational determinations have been made for any other state, district or US territory in regards to licensure requirements.