ACCESSIBILITY TOOLS & TIPS

Check out tools designed to support the accessibility needs of nail pros & clients

REBECCA HITCHON REPORTS

Supporting your personal wellbeing needs, as well as those of your clients, is vital in creating a comfortable and inclusive nail space. Information on how to accommodate the needs of personal and work communities is more accessible than ever before – and rightfully so, as in 2021/2022, an estimated 16 million people in the UK (24% of the population) had a disability. But put this in stark contrast with the fact that only 4% of beauty and personal care companies cater to physical disabilities*, and it’s clear that there’s still work to be done.

*P&G research, 2019

Instagram.com/lorealgroupe

I’d like to hope that if carried out today, P&G’s research would be drastically different. There have been huge technological advances since 2019, from artificial intelligence offering audio product application cues to disabled beauty enthusiasts, to devices like HAPTA from Lancôme (pictured left). Designed for those with limited mobility and reduced grip strength, the handheld make-up applicator harnesses motion-stabilising technology when users plug products into the tool.

There is also a wealth of digital and physical resources that can support the needs of you and your clients during appointments, to promote a positive and satisfactory experience on both sides of the nail desk.

Tippy Type Keyboard Cover in Milky White £37 inc VAT www.tippytype.co

New product alert!

US-based beauty tech company, Tippy Type, has released its flagship product: a 3D silicone keyboard cover designed for those with long nails. Reducing the hand strain, typos, nail damage and loud noises that typing with long nails can cause, the Tippy Type keyboard cover promotes productivity, accuracy and comfort for laptop users with long nails. The cover is currently available for Apple MacBooks.

Leona Kelly

Motion amendments

“My mother-in-law has Parkinson’s disease, and found that her fingers were sticking together when inserted into the lamp during enhancement services,” shares Leona Kelly, Bristol artist & educator of Nails By Leona. “I invested in finger/toe separators, which have made a huge difference and allow her to enjoy her nail services, even though she suffers from shaking hands. Separators are also great for those with anxiety who shake, as they support fingers or toes and avoid them touching, eliminating the risk of product touching the skin.”

CNDTM Pro Skincare Toe Separators £2.45 + VAT www.sweetsquared.com

Nailpad is a portable nail painting surface for manicures and pedicures, designed to keep hands steady and solve the problem of unstable surfaces when tending to nails. Available in black and pink, it offers a small, flat surface, pull-out leg to keep this surface steady and nail polish pot holder to secure products. When folded, Nailpad can store accessories like nail files and buffers.

Nailpad £12.95 inc VAT www.nailpad.co.uk

TOP TIP

“By using social media to advertise that your business accommodates clients’ individual needs, new clients will feel at ease to enquire about and book appointments,” shares Yasmin Hodge.

Yasmin Hodge

Case study: Yasmin Hodge

“I try to be as accommodating to individual client needs as possible,” shares Yasmin Hodge, owner of Wolverhampton business, Gels by Yas & creator of the Nailing Disabilities and Accessible Beauty social media initiatives. “As a disabled client, I was never asked how my accessibility needs could be catered to, and found it extremely difficult to enjoy my treatments. Most of the time, they caused immense pain afterwards. As a nail tech, I enquire with individuals about any needs I might need to accommodate for before their appointments. This means clients can relax during appointments and not feel judged.”

How Yasmin caters to clients’ needs:

• “I have two wrist rests available for clients: a low one for those unable to keep their arms at a high level, and a higher one for the majority of clients,” notes Yasmin.

• “I use height-adjustable chairs in case some individuals are unable to sit on lower chairs,” Yasmin comments.

• “I don’t play music during appointments, because I struggle with hearing and know how difficult it can be to concentrate on speech when there is background noise,” says Yasmin. “I recognise that some clients may prefer silent appointments without pressure to speak, too.”

Chat-O-Meter is a free, downloadable resource from Fiona Fox, owner of Ulu Beauty, Dorset, a Scratch Stars Home Nail Salon of the Year finalist 2024. It allows a client to signal how they are feeling without speaking and share how comfortable they are to talk during an appointment. Download via www.ulu-beauty.co.uk/resources

REM Height-adjustable Clover Beauty Stool from £193 + VAT www.rem.co.uk

• “For clients that can find appointments challenging, I allow a longer time, so we can stop and have a break if needed,” Yasmin explains. “For individuals that are unable to sit for a long period, I ensure they have opportunity to stand and stretch during appointments.”

Nailing Disabilities & Accessible Beauty

“Nailing Disabilities is a private Facebook group for professionals who suffer with chronic illnesses or disabilities. It’s a safe space for them to talk with like-minded people about their struggles,” details Yasmin. “A number of people tried to join to learn more about chronic illnesses and disabilities, so I created an account for their questions: @accessiblebeautyy on Instagram. The page raises awareness of conditions, their symptoms and how treatments can be adapted for professionals and clients with the conditions. Each month, I ask followers to tag me in nail work that features symbols representing a certain condition, then I reshare these to raise awareness.”

Scan to join the Nailing Disabilities group Follow the Accessible Beauty page on Instagram: @accessiblebeautyy

Tailored tools

Americanails ErgoNip Angle Nipper £11.99 + VAT & ErgoPush Pusher/ Cleaner £6.99 + VAT www.americanails.com

The Ergo-series of tools from professional nail brand, Americanails, offers ergonomic, stainless steel designs to aid comfort and control. For example, the ErgoNip Angle Nipper’s angled structure reduces pressure on hands and wrists, while the unique shape and textured handle of the ErgoPush Pusher/Cleaner reduces strain when carrying out precise nail and cuticle work. Katie Barnes Tool Range provides a variety of products to support the comfort of professionals and clients. It stocks hand and wrist rest, Wrist-AssistTM , designed by nail tech, Robin Stopper. This elevates and stabilises clients’ hands at a comfortable position, so that nail stylists can achieve proper posture and placement with minimal effort.

Katie Clark

The tool line also caters to left-handed nail techs. “Scissors are renowned for being tricky for left-handed users,” explains Katie Barnes Tool Range founder, Katie Clark. “Traditionally designed for right-handed people, the bottom blade tends to be on the left when held in the right hand. When held in the left hand, this blade doesn’t change position and the upper blade blocks the view, resulting in a less effective cut. A left-handed user must hold right-handed scissors in an unnatural way, putting stress on their hands and wrists. With the KB Curved Cuticle Scissors, the pivot point, alignment, shape and size of the blades does not affect vision for right or left-handed techs. “With cuticle tools, the ‘knife’ side is typically designed in a direction suitable for right-handed users and cannot be adapted for left-hand use, due to having one blunt and one sharp side,” Katie continues. “Left-handed techs should seek tools with even, sharp edges, as these can be used universally, such as the Katie Barnes Tool Range cuticle tools.”