Red Flags That Mean You Need To Switch Manicurists

If you've ever questioned a nail salon's sanitation practices, you likely had a good reason. After all, a salon's hygienic practices are crucial to the customers' health. "We all go into those corner nail salons, and there's dust everywhere — on tables, in drawers. That's stuff from other people's nails," celebrity manicurist Deborah Lippmann told Refinery29.

Does your manicurist wear gloves? That's a good thing. "Nail technicians should be wearing latex gloves as protection from transferring disease and fungus," said Ruth Kallens, owner of Van Court Studio, a health-focused salon in New York City, in an interview with The Zoe Report. And if your salon performs dip powder manicures, technicians must carefully follow sanitation procedures. "If handled improperly and product is reused from client to client, bacteria can certainly develop," nail technician Elaine Ling Lee told Insider. As such, salons must use new dipping powder for each client.

Foot spas, while feeling glorious on your feet, can be another source of infection. The United States Environmental Protection Agency provides sanitation guidelines for foot spas to avoid bacteria buildup that can lead to infections. Each should be disinfected with an EPA-registered hospital disinfectant between customers and daily after closing, and pedicurists should closely follow the instructions for proper disinfecting. Ask if you're ever unsure of a salon's cleaning practices.

You're probably aware that many nail salon products, including glues, polishes, removers, and emollients, contain harmful chemicals. These include toluene, formaldehyde, dibutyl phthalate, methacrylate compounds, and acetone (per the United States Department of Labor). And, if you ever notice a funny chemical smell while getting your nails done, this is another cause for concern because it means the salon is not properly ventilated. "That strong chemical scent is usually a clue," as board-certified dermatologist and Nu Skin nail health expert Dana Stern told Today.

According to Stern, two chemicals to avoid are ethyl methacrylate (EMA) and methyl methacrylate (MMA). "EMA can be found in the acrylic," nail technician Stephanie Ullrich shared with CBS8 NewsNow. She added that although MMA, which is used in medical and industrial settings, is banned from use in nail salons, some still use it in their products. Ullrich said she finds it used more often on new customers.

Many of these harsh chemicals can easily be avoided by making better choices. "A number of the harsh chemicals in nail salons are from toxin-laden nail polishes," Ruth Kallens, founder of Van Court Studio, a New York City nail studio that puts health and safety first, explained to The Zoe Report. "There is no reason why salons should use lacquers that aren't five-free. A number of high-quality brands produce long-lasting, healthier alternatives."

With rising prices from inflation, manicures have become more expensive along with everything else. While a nail salon with low prices can be enticing, you should watch out: More often than not, these too-good-to-be-true prices come at another cost.

Some salons engage in unethical practices, including excessive and unreasonable work hours, a pay rate well below minimum wage, and unhealthy working conditions with regular exposure to toxins. "...As a rough ballpark, I would say you shouldn't be paying less than £20 for a gel manicure anywhere in the UK," as British industry expert Marian Newman shared with Stylist. "Less than that and the figures just don't add up."

If you encounter a nail salon that accepts only cash, this could be another red flag. While some salons do this to avoid paying credit card fees, this practice could indicate shady tax practices. If so, they're probably also not paying their workers adequate wages.

In 2015, the New York Times published an investigative report on industry exploitation and found nail salons in New York City — a city known for its high cost of living — which paid new employees only $10 a day. "You can be assured, if you go to a place with rock-bottom prices, that chances are the workers' wages are being stolen," according to Yale Law School lecturer Nicole Hallett.

If your manicures don't include tips and you notice unhealthy changes to your natural nails, it's likely you have an infection and should question your nail salon's practices.

Preventing infection is important for healthy nails. "Fungus grows in warm, moist places such as under nails," as Amanda Zubek, dermatologist and medical director at Yale Medicine Dermatology's Middlebury office in Connecticut, relayed in a Q&A for Yale Medicine. This is why nail fungal infections are more common during the summer or in warm locales. "When fungus has a chance to grow in the nail, it can turn into a fungal infection," said Zubek.

What should you look for? "Typical signs of a fungal infection include new white or yellow patches and streaks, but nails can also turn brown or green," she said, adding that lifting and thickening of the nail are also common. Nails might appear bumpy, have ridges with debris underneath, or could be misshapen or fall off, she added. Some nail infections, however, are due to bacteria. If this is the case, Zubek said, "you may notice redness, swelling, pain or pus in the skin surrounding the nail."

Per the American Academy of Dermatology Association, common fungal and bacterial infections of nails include onycholysis, which causes your nails to lift; paronychia, identified by swelling and redness; and acral lentiginous melanoma, identified by a dark streak across the nail. Others include pitting, yellow nail syndrome, Beau lines, and clubbing.

While you might not mind it if your manicurist doesn't make conversation with you while doing your nails, this could be another red flag. The New York Times' 2015 investigative report described nail technicians working silently in salons that engage in unethical practices. 

"If the person doing your nails doesn't engage with you or with the other manicurists, that can be a warning sign that something's amiss," Justine Currell, executive director of an anti-slavery nonprofit organization known as Unseen, shared in an interview with Stylist. "Often workers being maltreated won't take payment from you themselves – they'll point to someone else for you to pay and may refuse a tip because they're not allowed to accept one."

While this one factor alone may not necessarily indicate an unethical nail salon, other red flags may provide additional clues, Currell added. So, it's good to keep your eyes open.

If you don't get what you asked for or the salon owner is not responsive to your concerns, it's time to go elsewhere. "Ask to speak to the manager and inquire about red flags," Ruth Kallens, founder of Van Court Studio in New York City, shared with The Zoe Report. "If you don't feel comfortable with the response, don't frequent that business."

One woman got more than she asked for when her nails turned out nothing like the inspirational photo she gave the stylist. Sharing her experience in a video posted to TikTok which racked up over 40,000 views, the woman explained that she chose to "trust the process" at the time rather than voice her concern. ”[The nail technician] told me to put [my nails] in the setter and I didn't even want acrylic – I asked for SNS (dip powder manicure) but he talked me into getting them," she bemoaned. "...How embarrassing – and they've got bubbles in them” (via The U.S. Sun).

Then there are reports of customers being refused service because of their weight, such as Bianca Ballard of Byron, Georgia, who told NBC41, "As I was sitting there, the man came up to me and asked me how much do I weigh," Ballard said. "[Being turned away] hurt my feelings because it took a while to get to the point where I'm comfortable with myself ... he didn't pull me to the side or anything."