With the first day of spring fast approaching on March 20, now is the perfect time to get a head start on spring-cleaning. But, along with sanitizing and sprucing up your studio or salon space, this is also a great opportunity to evaluate your inventory of products. In this Nail Clinic, we have rounded up a plethora of product-focused spring-cleaning tips for nail professionals—from proper storage and examining inventory for freshness to labeling and restocking practices that will boost efficiency over the long haul.
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With the first day of spring fast approaching on March 20, now is the perfect time to get a head start on spring-cleaning. But, along with sanitizing and sprucing up your studio or salon space, this is also a great opportunity to evaluate your inventory of products. In this Nail Clinic, we have rounded up a plethora of product-focused spring-cleaning tips for nail professionals—from proper storage and examining inventory for freshness to labeling and restocking practices that will boost efficiency over the long haul.
Inspection Intel
There are many benefits of keeping an eye on your inventory and purging out-of-date items, but many techs believe that preventing service failure is the No. 1 reason to monitor your products. “Nail services can be expensive, and expired product can contribute—as much as poor prep—to that mani or pedi not lasting,” warns Hillary Fry, owner of Hillary Fry Nails and educator/artist in Brookfield, Wisconsin. “A clean sweep of your inventory, especially if it is the first time you have done it, can seem expensive, but be honest with yourself: Is your reputation worth jeopardizing by using product that has gone bad?”
Unfortunately, not every product will have clearly labeled expiration dates, so it is important to personally check them on an ongoing basis. “Lotions, oils, scrubs and most emollients do not have expiration dates on them, so smelling products is usually the best way to see if they are going rancid,” opines Jeffi Girgenti, president and founder of The Nail Cafe in Woodland Hills, California. “Consistency and product separation is not always a sign of rancidity—some products, like polishes, will separate when not used. But, discoloration is a telltale sign it is time to replace.”
Indeed, some signs of too-old product will be obvious, but the signs may vary according to the formula. “In my experience, most nail products do not have a use-by date,” says Jaime Schrabeck, Ph.D., a licensed manicurist and owner of Precision Nails in Carmel, California. “Disposal becomes necessary as containers empty—or in the case of traditional polish, when the consistency thickens beyond what is optimal.”
To get a better understanding of your products’ longevity, Girgenti suggests reaching out to manufacturers to ask about the shelf life for any products purchased (acrylic liquids, polishes, lotions, etc.). Then grab a marker and write the date of purchase on the bottom. “This is a great way to set up for spring-cleaning and makes for an easier, faster way to get through the process next year,” Girgenti explains. “Also, arrange your polishes from new to old and not by color; this makes going through them once a year much faster. Write down the colors to replace—and know that many may be discontinued.”
To facilitate a fresh start for 2022, Fry recommends checking both unopened and opened products. “In general, most product has a 12-to-24-month shelf life, if unopened and in stable temperatures,” Fry says. “For opened product, the handy Period After Opening (POA) symbol is required on all cosmetic packaging if the shelf life extends past 30 months—that will tell you how long your product is good after opening. But, for opened and unopened product, remember it has spent time in manufacturing, sitting in a warehouse, and getting shipped a couple of times over. It may not be as fresh as you think it is when you receive it.”
Disposal Details
When it is time to dispose of old products, you will need to nail the proper procedures for safety. “Most people are unaware that the following salon products are flammable and need to be disposed of just like house paint: acetone, gel polish, nail polish, acrylic liquid and gel removal products,” Girgenti notes. “Read the labels! If it has a flame icon, it is flammable and must be disposed of properly.”
Schrabeck advises techs to check with their local waste management facility for instructions on disposal of hazardous waste. “Containers that have no product residue, or do not contain potentially hazardous chemicals, can likely be recycled according to their materials,” she explains. “Otherwise, we store our ‘empties’ until I can deliver them to my local waste management facility for safe processing. If [we are] purging products we no longer use, I donate them to a local beauty school.” Schrabeck notes that, from a financial perspective, removing products you rarely use frees up space and allows you to focus your resources on purchasing what is most important for your services.
When Fry disposes a large collection of products, she hauls them to a waste collection site, while products like polish and gel polish can be exposed (in an open-air area) to dry out or cure. “Skin products should be disposed of properly in a bin with paper towels, not down the drain,” Fry adds. “When in doubt, check your local poison control or waste management.”
Finally, Fry says, use your spring-cleaning efforts to improve your in-salon supply chain: Properly position everything that needs to be used sooner rather than later, and repurpose old polish or gel as supplies for practicing new nail art ideas. “Have top coats been contaminated with glitter? Do not toss them out!” Fry advises. “It is now the official first coat for sparkly applications, which allows you to delegate your fresh new top coat for use only after that first layer is sealed in.”
And if you find you are tossing more than you should this spring, reduce your frequency of ordering, or buy fewer bulk products. “Buying bulk is not a savings if you cannot use the product in a timely manner—it is just money down the drain,” Fry notes. “This might also be a great time to clean up your purchasing habits!”
Spring-Cleaning Safety Facts*
The Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for a product provides detailed information about a chemical, such as how it affects your health, how to protect yourself and how to safely store the chemical.
- To minimize exposure, techs should put any trash soaked with chemicals (like acetone-saturated cotton balls) in a sealed bag before placing in the trash can.
- When purchasing in bulk, store chemicals in small bottles, and label them.
- When transferring chemicals to small bottles, open doors and windows for ventilation, and close the small bottles when not using them.
- To let in more fresh air, place fans near open doors or windows in the salon.
*Source: Occupational Safety and Health Administration, osha.gov
Helpful Hints
Our experts share additional tips for spring-cleaning your inventory:
“No one ever thinks about how often to replace the white towels we use, but the color and stains on your towels say a lot about how you keep up your salon, in my opinion. I make it a habit to replace all my white manicure and pedicure towels twice yearly; I usually purchase three dozen each time, then use my old towels for cleaning the floors or washing my car! Cleaning products are another overlooked item in salons, but they have a shelf life as well. Drain uncloggers, liquid soaps and cleansers, checking to see if they are flammable. And I clean all my trash cans twice a year with soap and water, which helps maintain a healthy, low-chemical-smelling environment.”
—Jeffi Girgenti, president/founder, The Nail Cafe, Woodland Hills, California
“Maintain safety in the salon by complying with OSHA requirements, which may vary by state/locality and more often apply to employee-based businesses. As an employee-based salon owner, I have compiled a binder of safety data sheets (SDS) for chemical products used in the salon that contain potentially hazardous substances. The binder has a table of contents and sheet protectors—to keep everything easy to find for reference or in an emergency. I periodically update the binder to remove outdated SDS. Even if I worked alone, I would want this information to protect myself and the environment when using chemicals. Manufacturers are required to provide SDS at no cost, and I encourage any product manufacturer to make them easily accessible on their websites rather than burden nail professionals with having to request them. If a manufacturer refuses to supply SDS, that is a red flag about the ingredients and sourcing!”
—Jaime Schrabeck, Ph.D., licensed manicurist and owner of Precision Nails, Carmel, California
“Always code your products so you know when they were purchased/opened. I like to use a color sticker system, going by the 52 weeks in a year, to identify when product comes in and when it was opened—and that tells me when to move it out (if it is still around). Do not forget to keep track of your decanted product, too! And do not forget to check your sanitization/sterilization products—they become ineffective and will not protect you and your clients once expired, so always check those expiration dates.”
—Hillary Fry, owner of Hillary Fry Nails and educator/artist, Brookfield, Wisconsin
About the Author
Tracy Morin is a freelance writer and editor based in Oxford, Mississippi.
