When you go to the salon to get a manicure, you expect to leave with your nails looking their best. That’s why it seems strange to bring your own nail polish along for the ride. After all, you are paying for expert service, so shouldn’t you be using the tools and products that your chosen technician is familiar with?
But what if the brand of the polish is your favorite, and you want to make sure it gets used? What if the color is a unique shade that you’ll only wear once in a while? There are many good reasons to want to take your own bottle of nail polish to the salon, but is it really ethical? Keep reading to find out.
Can You Bring Your Nail Polish to The Salon?
Whether or not to bring your nail polish to the salon depends on several factors, such as the policy of the salon you intend to visit and your preference. Although most nail salons will allow you to bring your nail polish, its quality and hygiene standards must be of a high level.
Other salons will require that you make an appointment beforehand and inform them of the product you intend to bring. Carrying your own nail polish to the salon is very much possible and has a lot of benefits, as discussed below.
Advantages of Bringing Your Nail Polish to the Salon
Saves time
When you go to get your nails done, you typically don’t know how long you’ll be there waiting for the technician to finish off and start working on you. Moreover, it’s not easy choosing amongst the many colors and shades on display at the salon. Again, your technician will have to dig through the drawer full of bottles that are all piled on top of each other in order to find your shade.
This process can take up valuable time that could otherwise be spent making sure your nails look perfect. Bringing your own polish shows respect for your manicurist’s time as they don’t have to spend hours searching for the same exact match amongst their stock.
Gives you the end look you desire without compromising
Bringing your polish to the salon allows you to have the color and shade you desire without compromising. Although most nail salons will have a wide variety of polishes to choose from, you can never be assured of getting the quality and shade you desire.
Helps Achieve Optimum Hygiene on Your Finger and Toe Nails
Bringing your nail polish to the salon helps you achieve the best hygiene on your toe and fingernails. Most technicians are known to reuse nail polishes till they finish off or go bad, even though economic sharing of nail polishes amongst customers may lead to the spread of germs and other infections.
When you carry your own nail polish to the salon, you are assured of optimum hygiene as the product will only be used on you.
Helps Prevent Possible Allergens
The truth is your nail technician will not have the time to test all the polishes available in the salon to determine which one is safe for your skin type. This puts you at risk of developing allergens upon using these products. Opting to take your polish to the salon helps save you from this menace as it ensures you are only dealing with the right, tested products for your skin type.
Drawbacks of Bringing Your Nail Polish to the Salon
Bringing your nail polish to the salon may turn out to be disadvantageous, depending on how you handle the situation. It can, for instance, lead to;
Spread of Germs and Bacteria
Though it’s your right to use your preferred products during a manicure, some technicians may be against you carrying your polish to the salon due to health concerns and sanitation issues. Your favorite polish bottle may harbor bacteria that might damage the manicurist’s equipment. Worse still, some polishes may contain ingredients that can cause allergic reactions.
To avoid this misfortune, ensure the polish you are taking to the salon is in good condition and has not overstayed for too long. Also, ensure the polish is made using safe ingredients that won’t cause harm to other people.
If you decide to take other tools such as nail files and cuticle nippers, make an effort to sterilize them before bringing them to the salon to prevent the spread of germs and bacteria.
Low-Quality Polish That Doesn’t Apply Evenly.
Another shortcoming of bringing your nail polish to the salon is that it puts you at risk of using low-quality polish that won’t apply evenly. The fact that you are not a professional technician puts you at risk of choosing a low-quality polish for your manicure.
What’s more, how you store your polish at home has a lot to do with how well it serves you. It’s therefore essential to ensure you settle on a high-quality polish before visiting the salon for a manicure. Again, if you plan on wearing your old standby nail polish, ensure that it hasn’t been sitting in your drawer for three years. Nail polish is prone to separating (the pigment settles at the bottom), and if you haven’t purchased a new bottle of polish in a while, you might find yourself with a product that doesn’t apply evenly.
Some Salons May Charge Extra Fee for Bringing Your Own Polish
It’s critical to understand that some salons may require you to pay an extra fee for bringing your polish. The main reason behind doing this is because they have to pay their technicians a commission on products sold during services. They may also markup polish in bulk, which means they can sell it at a retail price and make a profit- and when you bring in your polish, the tech isn’t able to share in those profits by selling one of their own.
Conclusion
When you are getting a manicure, nail polish is one of the most important aspects. It’s easy to feel shy about bringing your colors to the salon, but it can make all the difference between a manicure that looks fantastic and one that looks just okay. After all, nail technicians are expected to use what they have at the salon, not necessarily what you want.
To ensure everything goes smoothly, call the salon before the D-day and inform them of your plans to bring your nail polish during the manicure appointment. This will give them ample time to prepare and assemble all the tools needed to use with your product.
