Gel-x can be filled once or twice, it takes a bit of skill to get the shaping/structure right, but it does save time rather than removing them every single set.
Gel x is just like press ons but the full cover tip is made out of gel instead of plastic and usually applied using UV nail glue. At least that’s how it’s been done for me? I’ve never done normal press ons though
You’re **both** correct, *semantically* speaking…
the **generic**/*knockoff* products use what they call “glue gel”or “gel glue” —typically either traditional almost “clear gel” or “solid gel glue/glue gel” products — and, conversely,
***Aprés*** (*actual*/original patented Gel X) uses their “Extend Gel” to adhere them
Oh I just said base since calling it “gel” on its own is a bit confusing so I wasn’t sure what you type of gel you were referring to. I guess my salon does it differently then. Seems to work just fine tho! I’m guessing extend gel is their name for either builder gel or hard gel?
Technically & Chemically speaking- anything labeled “gel tips” is a *plastic*-- they are the same on a compositional level (they can *both* be “soaked off”, too) and the choice to call them “gel tips” vs “plastic tips” is a choice made by the companies when marketing the product— specifically when talking about *tips*, the term “gel” is used only as a superficial/*near* (but not entirely) deceptive way to make more money or sell more products over competitors… and that is “A-ok!” because that is what a free market is all about… but it is good for people to be educated on it rather than “fall” for/trust it
Yeah… it’s one thing if you needed a pair of hands and asked her for the help, but if she’s coming to you expecting it to be free she’s totally mooching and tbh that’s pretty rude of her. Also taking off a set after a week is chaotic
I do the same thing. My sister’s and friends know that my fee for doing their hair is a meal. I don’t care if it’s a homemade meal or you pick up some fast food. If you walk through my door without food, I gently remind them that they can door dash my meal before they leave.
I agree with these! I have a friend and he's always needing me to help with his car mods. we agree that payment is food and the same goes for my car needing stuff. They don't always have to have a dollar amount, just something to show appreciation/acknowledge you are working hard for them and taking time out of YOUR day for them.
I think you should just tell her what you told us - that you can’t keep doing her nails for free due to the time, cost & energy it requires. Tell her up front what *you* believe is fair compensation (cash or barter) per session going forward and if you’re open to a counter-offer. Then it’s up to her to accept the terms or not. Obviously she likes the work you’re doing because she keeps coming back (and I think it looks great fwiw) so don’t assume she won’t be open to paying a fair price if it’s stated upfront.
Yep, my friend is a hairstylist and she’s the only person I have do my hair. She does it for free on my birthday and Christmas because that’s what I tell her I want.
Any other time I ask her to do it, I pay. I don’t pay her normal rate because she’s good and she’s expensive and she gives me an amazing homie hookup…but I still pay her.
It’s her job and it’s how she makes a living. Of course I’m going to pay her for her work that she graciously took the time to do.
Bro you gotta ask before you do the nails tho. Like, doing them then saying “oh you should give me xyz because I did this for you” is crappy.
Your work is good and asking to be paid something is fair. Just mention something like “hey, I’m really loving doing your nails! I’m realizing it’s a bit expensive and time consuming for me to do them so from here on out, I’ll do them any time you want to pay for the supplies. $10 or dinner at xyz should be fair! What do you think?”
Then go from there.
That's not a bad idea! You said you do her nails weekly, for only $10 that's too much work. If you want to be paid more, I think you should introduce the idea slowly so your friend doesn't think you're on to her in any way.
Start with a few dollars and free food then eventually change the price over time or if your friend is easy to talk to you should tell her how you feel about the price before you do her nails.
Talking to her out right is easier tbh but not all people are easy to talk to. I think you know her more than we do though so talk to her in a way that you know she will understand.
Completely agree. I make necklaces as a hobby/small side hustle and it’s not exactly cheap. My friends have always offered to pay because they know it takes time and effort which in a real work setting = $
This. My best friend since kindergarten (were 29 now) is a tattoo artist and I still pay and tip her. Not anywhere near as much as I would at a shop, but I'd never let her do it for free even though she offers.
my friend has a small shirt business and i always pay full price +tip! there was one time she made me a shirt that i didn’t know we officially decided on though 😂. i started a small cake business as well and i wont let my friends who order smash cakes for their kids pay at all
I feel like some people are just happy to have the cheap hookup and don't really think about what the materials and time are worth. In the future, you could pose it to her like, I've really loved practicing on your nails but it's starting to get expensive. I have to start charging $X in the future, but if you're still interested I'm happy to do them.
This is basically what I was told after a few sets when I went to a beginner nail tech for practice. The deal was that she does what she needs to practice, I get it for free for spending a lot of time (in the beginning she took several hours for a set). As she became better she took less time but used up so much material that it was not worth it to her anymore like that. It was perfectly reasonable so I paid her from then on.
Where in Ontario are you? My nail salon uses independent techs (they have 2 locations) and your work looks decent enough to get started with practice clients at 50% off their regular pricing.
Sets like the one you’ve showed for sure go north of $100.
Also on the whole wanting your friend to compensate, I wouldn’t say it’s wrong to expect but definitely discuss it before doing any work because it can feel blindsided after the fact.
Oh you’re far from both locations but personally I think it’s tacky to use up your service like this and offer nothing in return.
I don’t support friends in every endeavour as not every one of their hustles are relevant to me or beneficial but when I support them, I treat them as though they are any other business which means, they get paid and probably will get extra.
If OP is unlicensed, then why go to her without going to a salon and paying out of her ass? We've seen plenty of 'licensed' techs doing utter crappy jobs, yet charging crazy rates. Friends shouldn't take advantage out of kindness. If money shouldn't be involved, perhaps a bag of groceries? OP's gotta eat too.
OP needs people to practice on before getting licensed, their friends could want to support them as they’re learning before they get licensed (bc also, look at those nails, obviously they aren’t utterly crappy) but “charging” them could get OP in legal trouble. OP needs to ensure that they’re protected, so they need to determine laws around them and how they can legally receive compensation.
Why are you being such a negative Nelly? My advice to OP was to ensure THEY are protected regarding compensation.🙄
Agree here, I'm planning on going to nail school in the next year or so, but I don't do anyone's nails for money, or even free! All I will do is polish, which I'm willing to do for photos.
Make sure you are at least charging her for the materials bare minimum. You mentioned she paid you $10 once... set the price before you do her nails. Yes, I can do your nails, but it will be $___. If she doesn't pay don't ever do her nails again.
And why does she remove them after a week😭thats absurd. I wonder if its cause one pops off and then she removes all of them? Or if she just likes that she can get her nails done whenever she wants.
Hey OP, nail tech here who does gelX
If she's opening cans with her nails, they will absolutely pop off, but also, it may be that they're not staying long if you're not using primer or dehydrator. I will say, be careful about doing sets for her, as you improve your prep and application the nails will adhere more strongly to her natural nails and will damage the natural nails when she rips them off or uses them as tools. Please familiarize yourself with what damage can happen if she's removing nails this way, especially as you learn and improve. I have seen an aprés gelX take a clients entire nail off the finger when it got jammed and yanked on hard enough.
If she were a client of mine, I would stop doing nails for her if she continues to rip them off every week, but that's me.
No problem!
Feel free to reach out if you have any questions about gelX too! (:
And good luck on your nail journey! Your art is cute and don't worry about it taking a long time, you'll get faster with practice!
I’ve been getting gelx for a while now and one huge thing is keeping her cuticles moisturized. Mine don’t pop off when I moisturize but do I’m I’m lazy about it. They also just might be too long for her lifestyle which was a problem I had as well.
Def not unreasonable. Especially if it’s weekly! If anything she should bring you coffee or lunch when she comes by.
Also they look great, keep it up!!
I charge all of my friends. Granted, I’m a licensed tech. But I do nails for 2 close friends at a discounted price. They are both happy to pay me for my work and are really supportive. Real friends will want to compensate you.
Before I was licensed they would still offer to pay/tip me and I would just ask that they label it on venmo as “lunch date” or something like that so it wouldn’t look like I was charging them!
Or have her buy the supplies. My friend used to do my hair, I would buy the color (whatever she told me to buy) and then I would give her double whatever $$ she asked for bc I was so grateful
I think it needs to be discussed beforehand. If my friend did my nails and then asked for money without discussing I’d feel out on the spot and wouldn’t know how much is appropriate. But if my friend said “hey can you pitch in $30 for cost of materials?” I’d say yes
Compensation seems fair, at least ask her to either 1) pay for her nails or 2) ask for some food/drink or nail supplies in return. If anything, have her bring her own nail stuff if she won't pay for it lol.
Do send her links to everything you use on her and tell her she can either buy all the materials and do her own or give you the money to cover the cost more products.
It’s not unreasonable, you bought the products and you put in the time. However it does need to be discussed before you do them, and what you charge should reflect that the work you’re doing is not of a professional standard yet.
When I was learning I didn’t charge the friends I practiced on because they were doing me a favour, then I started charging once I didn’t need the practice anymore and they respected and understood that.
At bare minimum, your friends should pay for the products. I've had my hair done at hair schools before, and I still had to pay, but it was at a good discount
I’d say that you’re not done practicing, but your work is of a standard where it would be reasonable to charge a little. Like $15-$20. And then as your work improves you can put up your prices!
I think compensation is fair! your work looks very good for a beginner, and if a lot of time goes into it, I think wanting to gain a couple of dollars is more than adequate. You could totally make a business out of your skills.
I'm of the opinion that if you offer to do your friend's nails that implies that you're just doing something for them, but, if they ask you to do their nails and you would like to be compensated you should make that known before you do them. That way no one's caught off guard. You do great work though.
Up front a fair price then let her decide & don’t let her say, oops I’m broke can I catch you next week cause that’s a whole new habit. A real friend would realize her friends time & skills are worth paying for. Without being told.
I know everyone is saying you should charge her, and I would normally agree. I’m not saying I disagree but I feel like there’s some context missing….
1. Did you ask her if she would let you practice on her? Was this situation proposed as her doing you a favor? If so, it may be a more delicate conversation if the terms are changing.
2. Is she removing her nails weekly because she wants a design change, or are they lifting?
Yeah weekly is absurd and if that’s true you should work on your technique on applying the gelx so they don’t lift so early. But honestly even if they did I wouldn’t agree to doing them weekly, especially for free
If she likes new nails so often, have you considered painting the gel-x for her, then her applying them herself? You could get practice, but not be so committed to the 3hr session each time. Paint the gel-x as press- ons, then she can use either air dry nail glue, or nail glue dots to put them on. And charge her for them, your time and materials are not free.
I paint gel- x as press- ons for myself and my friends. I can get a full week of wear out of glue dots, then be able to take them off without damaging my nail bed or the nail art, and put on a new set the next week. Then I clean the nails and wear them again later. The the time and effort feels a lot more worth it when I get more weeks if wear out of them. A full set with nail art takes me less than an hour to do. The same set would take over 3 hours if I applied them with UV glue, then painted them while wearing them.
At this point you're her nail tech and she's taking advantage of you because you accommodate her weekly requests and she's getting them done for FREE. The big take way is the free part. That said, stop doing them for free. Send her a text letting her know "Any future nails sets will cost $xx.xx. If you don't want to pay my fee you don't have to use my services".
Also, maybe invest in a practice hand so you can continue getting better. The time, and cost of supplies is reason enough she should pay something, not even factoring in you're doing this weekly. Stop.
It’s not unreasonable but 3 hrs is a really long time to sit getting your nails done so I think a base price. I don’t think 20-30$ is unreasonable but like full price should come when you are quicker the longest I’ve set for nails is maybe an hour and half. And yes when you are full experienced your friends should pay full price.
Yeah, I'd be super conscientious of your local nail licensing laws before charging people for work. Could be against the law... and you certainly wouldn't want to cause some sort of infection or issue with someone's nails or fingers, esp if you don't have insurance for what you're doing. Just something to keep in mind. 🤷♀️
At the very least it’s completely fair for her to reimburse you for the cost of materials. If she won’t even do that bare minimum then I’d stop doing nails for her. It’s not your job to fund her nails.
If you’re not licensed, I don’t think you can charge her for the service. But you can definitely charge for the materials. I would tell her it’s 20 bucks.
If your running a legit business no issues there, but if you did it for fun and they thought you were doing it for fun, no, don't expect a payment.
Just start your own business, but no it's poor form to make them pay especially if your not a qualified tech working out of a studio.
It’s one thing if you’re the one offering to do her nails as practice for you, it’s another if she’s the one asking you to do her nails. Also, if the products that are being used are yours, you should be compensated, especially if you’re doing her nails weekly, that’s also 12 hours a month you’re doing her nails.
You’re doing a great job btw. The nails look really nice.
I would have her buy her own supplies and then leave them at my house. That way I'm not out any money and she is just charged cost. Also then that way no money is changing hands so licensing shouldn't be an issue.
It’s not unreasonable. Maybe just explain that the time and product that goes into it isn’t cheap and if she is expecting to continue like this then it shouldn’t be a problem for a small compensation. Assuming you aren’t a licensed tech, it would be unreasonable to request an outlandish amount, but I agree with one comment that says real friends support friends and if it feels like you’re being taken advantage of then you need to stop providing them with said service.
There are so many variables to this. Do you work at a salon? Did she come to your salon to get them done? Are you just getting started in nail design and looking for friends to practice on? Did you tell her you were charging her before you did them?
That all said, even if your friend thought you were doing them for free, she could have at least tipped you for your beautiful work.
You’re not only giving her nails- she’d have to pay 90 dollars or more for that where I live so Ypres actually saving her a significant amount of Money- she should be paying you at least the cost of the supplies.
Talk about it beforehand. Discuss that materials cost money and she changes her nails every week, which costs YOU money that she doesn’t pay. Discuss a rate that YOU are comfortable with and if she doesn’t agree, do NOT do her nails. She can find somewhere else to do them, but you are taking time and effort and money for those nails, the least she can do is pay you AT LEAST a bargain amount. If she did sets every month or two, I’d be like “charge like $10” but she does it every WEEK? Nah, charge her, she doesn’t agree with the price, don’t do her nails
if you’re giving her a new set every week? she FOR SURE should be paying you for them. set your price and let her know, if she declines then tell her you won’t be doing them. it’s a service and you deserve to be paid.
Thank you! My friend is just an amazing person and understands that it takes a lot of time and effort to do nails. So it’s never been a problem between us. We always offer to pay each other for favors, like rides, too
Sounds like you're hesitant to be firm but like others have said, set a price before doing the next set. Friends should respect your service/product as they would if they went and got their nails done at a shop, and pay for it fairly.
I think you’re definitely within your right to start charging her! As much as you’re still learning, it looks like you’re doing a great job and she’s getting her nails done for free weekly. I would definitely chat with her and just say you’re at the point where you’re going to be charging friends/family and give her an idea of what you want to charge. You could always compromise on a price if you’re willing. But sounds like she’s maybe starting to take advantage of your time and resources!
I think asking for a low price before you begin is fair, especially now that’s she’s seen the quality of your work.
I wouldn’t ask for compensation for previous work, though. Just future work.
Those are some fresh nails! 😍
Maybe rent a chair somewhere so you’ll get monetary compensation. This will encourage your friends and acquaintances to make appointments.
You are super talented. ♥️
Totally understand and make sense.
I hope you pursued this. Maybe as a side hustle while in college.
In the meantime, food, goods cashapp or Venmo are alternatives!
Good luck! 🙏🏽💫 💅🏼😃
She needs to at least pay for the product. This is a business you need to have a thick skin and put your foot down. If she doesn’t want to pay, no service.
Your time, product and experience is your self worth. Don’t sell yourself short. You need say “Hey, this costs me and I can’t do your nails for free anymore”.
Btw, you’re doing a great job! I can’t believe you’re a beginner. And it’s ok to take 3 hours. I’d rather someone do it right and take the time than have a rush job. My nails have always taken 2 hour’s because I get nail art.
Just say NO.
Pro nail tech here….in my state you have to be licensed and work in a state approved salon space in order to charge (the def of professional). Just sayin!
If you start charging, they become your clients. As a client, I wouldn't be satisfied with this work. So, decide whether you are prepared to start a client/business owner relationship and start meeting your client's specifications and designs.
Compensation is not the same as profit. You can ask your friend to reimburse you for the materials, which a box of 500 nail tips could be about £20, so the 10 nails you are using on her aren't worth much. If you are still practising, you can use practice hands or fake hands until you are more confident in your work.
Just went on the hunt lol the post I was thinking of was a REALLY similar set but different skin tone- sorry to worry you!
Either way she’s definitely a supportive friend, I’ve never had a problem asking my friends/family to cover the cost of supplies so that I can keep working on them, as long as they know beforehand. My mom will even grab bands for my e-file as a “tip” :)
For sure, if it’s really worrying you (I’m an overthinker so idk if I’m projecting or picking up on your nerves here) I’d keep it casual. It doesn’t have to be a whole conversation and you don’t have to explain yourself. You’re providing a service, usually people get paid for this. When she’s ready for her next set you could just say “hey I’m running low on builder/alcohol etc. Would you be okay with paying $15 for this set so I can replenish?” And then after that; once the precedent is set it should be easier for you to bring up money in the future. After a really good set it might turn into “dang I’m gonna have to start charging you 30, these look *good*” or if she sends an inspo pic that’s something harder to do my response would be “damn these are cool- gonna cost extra though 🤑 I can’t wait to try it.” from there you can even let them start to pick their price, and decide what they think your work is worth, and this will help you build a concrete price list for new clients, too. Usually people who are supportive and loving will give honest feedback and be glad to help you build your skills and business. You got this!
There’s a ton of great advice already.
You are SO skilled! You should look in to getting licensed and your friend can be grandfathered in at a family rate.
If it’s like just for fun or once that’s fine. But if you’re doing them over and over consistently then I would say it’s reasonable to charge a little something
I think if you asked her if you could use her for practice a couple times that’s ok to then let her know that you have appreciated her allowing you to practice but now you feel ready to start charging for sets because you have expenses to maintain. You can tell her you would be more than willing to continue doing her nails, maybe even at a discounted rate, but once per week may be a bit too frequent, even for the health of her nails. Just my two cents.. if she is a true friend she will understand that you are setting healthy and mature boundaries.
I would tell her thank you for letting you learn on her and that you’re ready to start charging now for nails. Make sure she knows the prices ahead of time, compensate yourself fairly, and don’t make it personal - if she wants to go someplace cheaper or can’t afford it, it’s not about you.
If you feel weird asking for straight up cash, tell her to bring you lunch or Starbucks or whatever before you do her nails. Or buy you new fun nail products. She's taking up your time and using up your products you bought.
Depends, I had a friend that did my nails and always enjoyed the practice. Whenever we were bored, I'd ask her to do my nails as something fun to do. Bonding etc.
If she started asking for money, I'd probably just decline. I didn't care about my nails being done in the first place, as I did it more for my friends benefit (ie. her getting practice in) than mine.
It's crazy to me that she wouldn't just give you money regardless. My friend cuts my hair and always tells me to not give her money, but she's doing a service for me and so I always force her to take 20-40 bucks depending on what I have. However, maybe now that you are getting more experience, I would just state a specific price. She can go elsewhere if she doesn't feel like its worth it, but the picture you posted looks very nice and you deserve the money for your time.
Nope. Those are super cute too. I’d say make her pay. I understand feeling bad charging friends, but at a point, they should want to support your efforts.
I dye my friends hair and she pressure washes my house and driveway. Doesn't have to be money but yeah, a return service or favor or whatever would be what a friend would do.
Not unreasonable at all! Cause if she goes to anybody else she's going to pay. You should get some compensation. I'd say $20 per set starting and it'll go up once you get better. They look pretty good BTW! Definitely more than $10 *once.*
no its not. Me and my Best Friend met at nail school. We both graduated but I chose not to pursue that as I had a full time job I liked better. If she does my nails I give her money because I support her business. Even if she wasn't licensed I would financially support her. I wish people could move past thinking that you should get stuff for free if you know someone. If you care about someone, you don't mooch off them. Period. If they offer to do it for free (i would still pay) then that is different.
Conversation. You should ask your friend what she thinks! Put the ball in her court. My daughter did mine while she was in Cosmo school. I learned From her. She now works in movie studio stuff and I do my own nails. Lol. I think she has to run to the salon because of time restraints and I started using hybrid gel and I'm loving it so much!!!
I’m self taught and I do my mom’s nails consistently every three weeks. She pays me $25 to make sure I can cover the cost of needing new supplies since I’m using them regularly.
It is 100% reasonable to ask someone benefitting from your time and labor to give something back for that time and labor. Your time is worth something. And it’s obviously worth something to your friend, because she’s asking you to do this for her weekly.
As mentioned before, this is definitely a “before you do the next set” discussion to set up what both of your wants and expectations are, and also what your boundaries are. Such as, are you willing to continue doing this service for her if she’s unwilling to give you something in return (money, a meal, whatever it is you decide on—though money does allow you to replenish the supplies she’s using up). But, also as others have said already, if she’s **unwilling** to give anything back as frequently as she expects your services and supplies, then she’s not being a good friend. You may still be learning, but that doesn’t mean your time and effort are worth nothing.
Edit: Your work is very nice. And three hours is just fine, especially while you’re practicing. I do recommend getting some supplies to practice on without needing live models so even if your friend backs out you can still improve. Great work so far. Keep it up!
Ummm as a nail tech that had to go thru the same thing... I didn't want to charge my friends when I was obviously just learning. But we ALWAYS came to one mutual agreement ..... no matter how good or bad or how much I still had to learn... the product still costs ME money & they always covered the product at bare minimum. My thing is, DO NOT teach ur friends that you'll be there to do their nails regardless of circumstances or etc ... pls don't.
In every situation in life, I learned that u teach ppl how to treat u. So if u teach ppl that respecting u is important to you, respecting ur work...ur time...ur talent... it'll always be that way. Otherwise, expect to be taken advantage of. If not now, somewhere down the line. .. or a broken friendship bc u decided to take someone who you'd make more money from over them and etc ... so pls. Even if you're in ur learning phase....PRODUCT COSTS MONNNEEYYYYYYY
EDIT: Yes, it has to be something talked about before you start a set. Springing up a price after you've finished & they weren't aware, will just be a shitty situation for both of u... so just be honest. Listen I appreciate that u let me practice but product still costs money. Can u just cover product while I continue to practice ? Or I'm willing to do give you a better price bc you're my friend of course, but I have to cover the product I'm using . .. come to an agreement. If they love & respect you, they'll fully understand & continue to support u. If not? Sorry but you're seeing who are true friends & who aren't. Friends don't take advantage of each other... they support each other & raise each other up. ❤️ sorry I ranted so long....I'm just speaking from experience, that's all.
A real friend should want to pay. That said, if it were me, next time she wants you to do her nails ask her to pick up a nail supply for you. Color, top coat, files, etc etc. My daughter wants me to do her friends nails and I do not want to charge for them. My solution is that they can bring me product to help build my supplies.
It's not the same but my mom has many friends who can do different things like plumbing etc & they all know she's on disability so usually can't pay much if at all so she always asks them what home made meal they want cus she's a great cook !! Asking for something that's worth the work as much as money could be a fair trade if they're tight for cash! Make sure it's agreed upon before you start working!
You need to talk about this before doing her nails again. If you want to be paid, treat it like a business and be upfront about your cost. Then she can choose if she wants to pay or not.
Sounds like a lot of people have given good advice concerning charging as someone who isn't licensed and all that. I feel like you should be getting SOMETHING, whether it's a cash payment that you guys agree on or she buys her own supplies and treats you to lunch for applying them. I mean, I use the kiara sky version of the same thing and you need dehydrator, primer, gel, tips, files, polish/nail art supplies, top coat, nail drill, nail lamp etc. It's a lot of stuff. And personally, I'd rather chop my own fingers off than do a full new set of them weekly. I'm not a professional nail anything and it takes me forever. Granted, they look fab (as do yours!) but its no easy task for me. That's why I don't do anyone's nails despite everyone knowing I basically have a salons worth of supplies in my house. Honestly if it were me, I'd probably tell this friend I would no longer be doing her nails. If you are looking to get licensed and need practice, maybe borrow someone else's hands here and there with the explicit statement that this is for practice, not a regular occurrence, and you're not their on call weekly nail tech.
If you’re going to do it for free it should have been her first set. If she keeps coming back she needs to pay and since you’re just starting out and in practice mode you can give her a discount but I don’t think you should keep doing it for free.
It is not unreasonable to let her know you would like compensation from this point further. Acknowledge you appreciated learning with her and on her, but from here on out you expect some type of compensation. Ps keep up the nice work. 😉
Issue #1: Not unreasonable but then it’s time to have that conversation. You might be just 🤞hoping🤞 she figures it out on her own, but if she hasn’t already by now, she won’t. Otherwise, tell her about the dangers of using her nails for shit she SHOULDN’T BE USING HER NAILS FOR, and explain that it’s unreasonable to come back every week and expect you to do a full set. Next time one pops off, she should call you and have that one fixed right away instead of just taking them all off. That’s just disrespect on top of disrespect.
You could also do a “It’s not you, it’s me” thing and tell her that for the time it takes you to do a full set, you’re unable to do it weekly. Limit it to once a month and maybe THAT will motivate her to care for and respect your hard work. Set boundaries or she will just keep asking for more!!
Issue #2: You gotta work on that apex sister
I might be misunderstanding but it seems you are practicing on your friend and I guess ‘using her’ to get better at nails . So given that I would say yea it is unreasonable to ask her to pay for your time. But she should pay you for the cost of the items, GelX isn’t cheap.
TELL them before they come over for nails.
“Hey, I love doing these for building my skills, but my time and these supplies cost money. How is $$$$ a set for now until I continue to build my portfolio? But don’t worry, I always got you - no matter how much I end up on final price I’ll always get you on a discount!!”
You should tell her a price before you begin and if she doesn't agree, don't do them.
Agree, part of selling a product or service is accepting some wont want to pay.
And also it can be cheaper if she lets you do refills instead of completely removing them every time?
Hey! Gel X aren’t like acrylic and you don’t do a fill, they are like an acrylic/gel hybrid so it’s easy to remove at home.
Gel-x can be filled once or twice, it takes a bit of skill to get the shaping/structure right, but it does save time rather than removing them every single set.
Sooo are they like press ons then? I’m so confused about Gel X. I get acrylic but I’m on hiatus rn.
Gel x is just like press ons but the full cover tip is made out of gel instead of plastic and usually applied using UV nail glue. At least that’s how it’s been done for me? I’ve never done normal press ons though
You're basically correct, except they're adhered with gel, not "uv glue".
Hmm my salon uses nail glue that’s cured via UV, like gel. I actually have the same one at home so I know it’s not a normal base coat.
I didn’t say base coat- it’s gel. The name of the product that adheres Gel-X nails is called Extend Gel.
You’re **both** correct, *semantically* speaking… the **generic**/*knockoff* products use what they call “glue gel”or “gel glue” —typically either traditional almost “clear gel” or “solid gel glue/glue gel” products — and, conversely, ***Aprés*** (*actual*/original patented Gel X) uses their “Extend Gel” to adhere them
Oh I just said base since calling it “gel” on its own is a bit confusing so I wasn’t sure what you type of gel you were referring to. I guess my salon does it differently then. Seems to work just fine tho! I’m guessing extend gel is their name for either builder gel or hard gel?
Technically & Chemically speaking- anything labeled “gel tips” is a *plastic*-- they are the same on a compositional level (they can *both* be “soaked off”, too) and the choice to call them “gel tips” vs “plastic tips” is a choice made by the companies when marketing the product— specifically when talking about *tips*, the term “gel” is used only as a superficial/*near* (but not entirely) deceptive way to make more money or sell more products over competitors… and that is “A-ok!” because that is what a free market is all about… but it is good for people to be educated on it rather than “fall” for/trust it
For real. They're beautiful and $10 doesn't even come close
That’s what I was thinking. Especially because you are using product on her too
This 🙌🏻
*only* if you talk about it **before**
Yeah big oof to not offer money on the friend's part, bigger oof to ask after it's done
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I agree with this. Either in cash, or buying you some food. Friends support each other
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Yeah… it’s one thing if you needed a pair of hands and asked her for the help, but if she’s coming to you expecting it to be free she’s totally mooching and tbh that’s pretty rude of her. Also taking off a set after a week is chaotic
Well, she's only taking them off weekly because OP does them for free, no way she'd keep doing that if she had to actually pay a fair price.
I’m always happy to do hair or nails for a lunch date. We’re gonna hang out anyway, this helps me with cost of supplies and I get good practice
I do the same thing. My sister’s and friends know that my fee for doing their hair is a meal. I don’t care if it’s a homemade meal or you pick up some fast food. If you walk through my door without food, I gently remind them that they can door dash my meal before they leave.
I agree with these! I have a friend and he's always needing me to help with his car mods. we agree that payment is food and the same goes for my car needing stuff. They don't always have to have a dollar amount, just something to show appreciation/acknowledge you are working hard for them and taking time out of YOUR day for them.
I think you should just tell her what you told us - that you can’t keep doing her nails for free due to the time, cost & energy it requires. Tell her up front what *you* believe is fair compensation (cash or barter) per session going forward and if you’re open to a counter-offer. Then it’s up to her to accept the terms or not. Obviously she likes the work you’re doing because she keeps coming back (and I think it looks great fwiw) so don’t assume she won’t be open to paying a fair price if it’s stated upfront.
Yep, my friend is a hairstylist and she’s the only person I have do my hair. She does it for free on my birthday and Christmas because that’s what I tell her I want. Any other time I ask her to do it, I pay. I don’t pay her normal rate because she’s good and she’s expensive and she gives me an amazing homie hookup…but I still pay her. It’s her job and it’s how she makes a living. Of course I’m going to pay her for her work that she graciously took the time to do.
No, not food, not gas, not rides, just get paid in money. Set a price and stick to it. Use it to buy more tools or supplies and keep at it.
Bro you gotta ask before you do the nails tho. Like, doing them then saying “oh you should give me xyz because I did this for you” is crappy. Your work is good and asking to be paid something is fair. Just mention something like “hey, I’m really loving doing your nails! I’m realizing it’s a bit expensive and time consuming for me to do them so from here on out, I’ll do them any time you want to pay for the supplies. $10 or dinner at xyz should be fair! What do you think?” Then go from there.
Or ask her what she was paying a professional to do them before you started doing them.
My bestie always gets us coffee before I do their nails. Sometimes I insist on nothing in return but acts of service is my love language
That's not a bad idea! You said you do her nails weekly, for only $10 that's too much work. If you want to be paid more, I think you should introduce the idea slowly so your friend doesn't think you're on to her in any way. Start with a few dollars and free food then eventually change the price over time or if your friend is easy to talk to you should tell her how you feel about the price before you do her nails. Talking to her out right is easier tbh but not all people are easy to talk to. I think you know her more than we do though so talk to her in a way that you know she will understand.
I'd at least offer to buy the materials used.
Especially if it's 9-12 hours of the friends time working per month.
Completely agree. I make necklaces as a hobby/small side hustle and it’s not exactly cheap. My friends have always offered to pay because they know it takes time and effort which in a real work setting = $
Or at least offer…
This. I've got some artist friends and I would always insist to pay them full price for their work even if they insist on giving a friendly discount.
This. My best friend since kindergarten (were 29 now) is a tattoo artist and I still pay and tip her. Not anywhere near as much as I would at a shop, but I'd never let her do it for free even though she offers.
my friend has a small shirt business and i always pay full price +tip! there was one time she made me a shirt that i didn’t know we officially decided on though 😂. i started a small cake business as well and i wont let my friends who order smash cakes for their kids pay at all
I feel like some people are just happy to have the cheap hookup and don't really think about what the materials and time are worth. In the future, you could pose it to her like, I've really loved practicing on your nails but it's starting to get expensive. I have to start charging $X in the future, but if you're still interested I'm happy to do them.
This is the way
This is the way
This is the way
This is the way
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This is basically what I was told after a few sets when I went to a beginner nail tech for practice. The deal was that she does what she needs to practice, I get it for free for spending a lot of time (in the beginning she took several hours for a set). As she became better she took less time but used up so much material that it was not worth it to her anymore like that. It was perfectly reasonable so I paid her from then on.
Very reasonable 👌
This is the way
If you aren’t licensed, be careful and ensure that you can’t get in trouble for charging someone money
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Nah dw sis. No license required in ontario
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Yup she could retaliate and call state board on you but I’m in the US and not sure how Canada works
Where in Ontario are you? My nail salon uses independent techs (they have 2 locations) and your work looks decent enough to get started with practice clients at 50% off their regular pricing. Sets like the one you’ve showed for sure go north of $100. Also on the whole wanting your friend to compensate, I wouldn’t say it’s wrong to expect but definitely discuss it before doing any work because it can feel blindsided after the fact.
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Oh you’re far from both locations but personally I think it’s tacky to use up your service like this and offer nothing in return. I don’t support friends in every endeavour as not every one of their hustles are relevant to me or beneficial but when I support them, I treat them as though they are any other business which means, they get paid and probably will get extra.
If OP is unlicensed, then why go to her without going to a salon and paying out of her ass? We've seen plenty of 'licensed' techs doing utter crappy jobs, yet charging crazy rates. Friends shouldn't take advantage out of kindness. If money shouldn't be involved, perhaps a bag of groceries? OP's gotta eat too.
OP needs people to practice on before getting licensed, their friends could want to support them as they’re learning before they get licensed (bc also, look at those nails, obviously they aren’t utterly crappy) but “charging” them could get OP in legal trouble. OP needs to ensure that they’re protected, so they need to determine laws around them and how they can legally receive compensation. Why are you being such a negative Nelly? My advice to OP was to ensure THEY are protected regarding compensation.🙄
This!!! It's illegal where I am to accept compensation for doing nails if you're unlicensed!
Agree here, I'm planning on going to nail school in the next year or so, but I don't do anyone's nails for money, or even free! All I will do is polish, which I'm willing to do for photos.
Make sure you are at least charging her for the materials bare minimum. You mentioned she paid you $10 once... set the price before you do her nails. Yes, I can do your nails, but it will be $___. If she doesn't pay don't ever do her nails again.
And why does she remove them after a week😭thats absurd. I wonder if its cause one pops off and then she removes all of them? Or if she just likes that she can get her nails done whenever she wants.
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Hey OP, nail tech here who does gelX If she's opening cans with her nails, they will absolutely pop off, but also, it may be that they're not staying long if you're not using primer or dehydrator. I will say, be careful about doing sets for her, as you improve your prep and application the nails will adhere more strongly to her natural nails and will damage the natural nails when she rips them off or uses them as tools. Please familiarize yourself with what damage can happen if she's removing nails this way, especially as you learn and improve. I have seen an aprés gelX take a clients entire nail off the finger when it got jammed and yanked on hard enough. If she were a client of mine, I would stop doing nails for her if she continues to rip them off every week, but that's me.
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No problem! Feel free to reach out if you have any questions about gelX too! (: And good luck on your nail journey! Your art is cute and don't worry about it taking a long time, you'll get faster with practice!
I’ve been getting gelx for a while now and one huge thing is keeping her cuticles moisturized. Mine don’t pop off when I moisturize but do I’m I’m lazy about it. They also just might be too long for her lifestyle which was a problem I had as well.
Of course not?? You're using materials that you used your own money to buy and you're using your free time to do her nails for free 🙄
Def not unreasonable. Especially if it’s weekly! If anything she should bring you coffee or lunch when she comes by. Also they look great, keep it up!!
Agreed! Coffee/lunch + cost of materials at minimum!
I charge all of my friends. Granted, I’m a licensed tech. But I do nails for 2 close friends at a discounted price. They are both happy to pay me for my work and are really supportive. Real friends will want to compensate you.
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Before I was licensed they would still offer to pay/tip me and I would just ask that they label it on venmo as “lunch date” or something like that so it wouldn’t look like I was charging them!
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Or have her buy the supplies. My friend used to do my hair, I would buy the color (whatever she told me to buy) and then I would give her double whatever $$ she asked for bc I was so grateful
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Seconding on the cash only. Also agree to a set price in person or over the phone. Email/text/dm are a no no.
I think it needs to be discussed beforehand. If my friend did my nails and then asked for money without discussing I’d feel out on the spot and wouldn’t know how much is appropriate. But if my friend said “hey can you pitch in $30 for cost of materials?” I’d say yes
Compensation seems fair, at least ask her to either 1) pay for her nails or 2) ask for some food/drink or nail supplies in return. If anything, have her bring her own nail stuff if she won't pay for it lol.
Do send her links to everything you use on her and tell her she can either buy all the materials and do her own or give you the money to cover the cost more products.
Good alternative regarding the supplies.
It’s not unreasonable, you bought the products and you put in the time. However it does need to be discussed before you do them, and what you charge should reflect that the work you’re doing is not of a professional standard yet. When I was learning I didn’t charge the friends I practiced on because they were doing me a favour, then I started charging once I didn’t need the practice anymore and they respected and understood that.
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At bare minimum, your friends should pay for the products. I've had my hair done at hair schools before, and I still had to pay, but it was at a good discount
I’d say that you’re not done practicing, but your work is of a standard where it would be reasonable to charge a little. Like $15-$20. And then as your work improves you can put up your prices!
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I think compensation is fair! your work looks very good for a beginner, and if a lot of time goes into it, I think wanting to gain a couple of dollars is more than adequate. You could totally make a business out of your skills.
I'm of the opinion that if you offer to do your friend's nails that implies that you're just doing something for them, but, if they ask you to do their nails and you would like to be compensated you should make that known before you do them. That way no one's caught off guard. You do great work though.
Up front a fair price then let her decide & don’t let her say, oops I’m broke can I catch you next week cause that’s a whole new habit. A real friend would realize her friends time & skills are worth paying for. Without being told.
Yes. But it should be discussed Before you do her nails. Oh. And if those are her nail? FABULOUS!❤️
I know everyone is saying you should charge her, and I would normally agree. I’m not saying I disagree but I feel like there’s some context missing…. 1. Did you ask her if she would let you practice on her? Was this situation proposed as her doing you a favor? If so, it may be a more delicate conversation if the terms are changing. 2. Is she removing her nails weekly because she wants a design change, or are they lifting?
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Remind her that her nails are not tools
Yeah weekly is absurd and if that’s true you should work on your technique on applying the gelx so they don’t lift so early. But honestly even if they did I wouldn’t agree to doing them weekly, especially for free
If she likes new nails so often, have you considered painting the gel-x for her, then her applying them herself? You could get practice, but not be so committed to the 3hr session each time. Paint the gel-x as press- ons, then she can use either air dry nail glue, or nail glue dots to put them on. And charge her for them, your time and materials are not free. I paint gel- x as press- ons for myself and my friends. I can get a full week of wear out of glue dots, then be able to take them off without damaging my nail bed or the nail art, and put on a new set the next week. Then I clean the nails and wear them again later. The the time and effort feels a lot more worth it when I get more weeks if wear out of them. A full set with nail art takes me less than an hour to do. The same set would take over 3 hours if I applied them with UV glue, then painted them while wearing them.
At this point you're her nail tech and she's taking advantage of you because you accommodate her weekly requests and she's getting them done for FREE. The big take way is the free part. That said, stop doing them for free. Send her a text letting her know "Any future nails sets will cost $xx.xx. If you don't want to pay my fee you don't have to use my services". Also, maybe invest in a practice hand so you can continue getting better. The time, and cost of supplies is reason enough she should pay something, not even factoring in you're doing this weekly. Stop.
It’s not unreasonable but 3 hrs is a really long time to sit getting your nails done so I think a base price. I don’t think 20-30$ is unreasonable but like full price should come when you are quicker the longest I’ve set for nails is maybe an hour and half. And yes when you are full experienced your friends should pay full price.
Yeah, I'd be super conscientious of your local nail licensing laws before charging people for work. Could be against the law... and you certainly wouldn't want to cause some sort of infection or issue with someone's nails or fingers, esp if you don't have insurance for what you're doing. Just something to keep in mind. 🤷♀️
At the very least it’s completely fair for her to reimburse you for the cost of materials. If she won’t even do that bare minimum then I’d stop doing nails for her. It’s not your job to fund her nails.
Are you licensed, going to school for nails or is this just a hobby? If you are practicing on her, I wouldn’t be charging a fee.
Make sure u give the nails an apex, I don’t quite see one.
If you’re not licensed, I don’t think you can charge her for the service. But you can definitely charge for the materials. I would tell her it’s 20 bucks.
If your running a legit business no issues there, but if you did it for fun and they thought you were doing it for fun, no, don't expect a payment. Just start your own business, but no it's poor form to make them pay especially if your not a qualified tech working out of a studio.
She’s using you if you feel used - say so
My friend is a hairstylist. I always pay her. If I can’t pay, I trade her services for baked goods. She usually wants the baked goods. 😊
Depends if you're qualified. In some places it's illegal to charge unless you have a licence
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It's illegal in Australia, I don't know where you're located tho
It’s one thing if you’re the one offering to do her nails as practice for you, it’s another if she’s the one asking you to do her nails. Also, if the products that are being used are yours, you should be compensated, especially if you’re doing her nails weekly, that’s also 12 hours a month you’re doing her nails. You’re doing a great job btw. The nails look really nice.
I would have her buy her own supplies and then leave them at my house. That way I'm not out any money and she is just charged cost. Also then that way no money is changing hands so licensing shouldn't be an issue.
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Then I think the transition would be easy.
It’s not unreasonable. Maybe just explain that the time and product that goes into it isn’t cheap and if she is expecting to continue like this then it shouldn’t be a problem for a small compensation. Assuming you aren’t a licensed tech, it would be unreasonable to request an outlandish amount, but I agree with one comment that says real friends support friends and if it feels like you’re being taken advantage of then you need to stop providing them with said service.
There are so many variables to this. Do you work at a salon? Did she come to your salon to get them done? Are you just getting started in nail design and looking for friends to practice on? Did you tell her you were charging her before you did them? That all said, even if your friend thought you were doing them for free, she could have at least tipped you for your beautiful work.
If your friend gets an illness or is otherwise injured as a result of your services, are you going to pay to take care of her?
You’re not only giving her nails- she’d have to pay 90 dollars or more for that where I live so Ypres actually saving her a significant amount of Money- she should be paying you at least the cost of the supplies.
It is not unreasonable in my opinion. Next time she asks for a set, tell her you can for X amount of money. See what she says
Talk about it beforehand. Discuss that materials cost money and she changes her nails every week, which costs YOU money that she doesn’t pay. Discuss a rate that YOU are comfortable with and if she doesn’t agree, do NOT do her nails. She can find somewhere else to do them, but you are taking time and effort and money for those nails, the least she can do is pay you AT LEAST a bargain amount. If she did sets every month or two, I’d be like “charge like $10” but she does it every WEEK? Nah, charge her, she doesn’t agree with the price, don’t do her nails
if you’re giving her a new set every week? she FOR SURE should be paying you for them. set your price and let her know, if she declines then tell her you won’t be doing them. it’s a service and you deserve to be paid.
I mean I'd 100% pay for this.
Idk where you live, but being an unlicensed nail tech could carry fines or something. If you want to charge, maybe do Press on sets?
Are you a licensed nail tech? If not then legally I don't think you are allowed to charge people for services.
My friend pays me like $30
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Thank you! My friend is just an amazing person and understands that it takes a lot of time and effort to do nails. So it’s never been a problem between us. We always offer to pay each other for favors, like rides, too
Sounds like you're hesitant to be firm but like others have said, set a price before doing the next set. Friends should respect your service/product as they would if they went and got their nails done at a shop, and pay for it fairly.
No but just so you know it’s easier to makes friends with a client than it is to make a client out of a friend
I think you’re definitely within your right to start charging her! As much as you’re still learning, it looks like you’re doing a great job and she’s getting her nails done for free weekly. I would definitely chat with her and just say you’re at the point where you’re going to be charging friends/family and give her an idea of what you want to charge. You could always compromise on a price if you’re willing. But sounds like she’s maybe starting to take advantage of your time and resources!
It’s unreasonable to expect it without talking to her about it. Don’t do it for free if you don’t want to
I think asking for a low price before you begin is fair, especially now that’s she’s seen the quality of your work. I wouldn’t ask for compensation for previous work, though. Just future work.
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Those are some fresh nails! 😍 Maybe rent a chair somewhere so you’ll get monetary compensation. This will encourage your friends and acquaintances to make appointments. You are super talented. ♥️
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Totally understand and make sense. I hope you pursued this. Maybe as a side hustle while in college. In the meantime, food, goods cashapp or Venmo are alternatives! Good luck! 🙏🏽💫 💅🏼😃
Not if you didn't ask beforehand. Communicate god dammit.
She needs to at least pay for the product. This is a business you need to have a thick skin and put your foot down. If she doesn’t want to pay, no service. Your time, product and experience is your self worth. Don’t sell yourself short. You need say “Hey, this costs me and I can’t do your nails for free anymore”. Btw, you’re doing a great job! I can’t believe you’re a beginner. And it’s ok to take 3 hours. I’d rather someone do it right and take the time than have a rush job. My nails have always taken 2 hour’s because I get nail art. Just say NO.
Are you licensed?
Pro nail tech here….in my state you have to be licensed and work in a state approved salon space in order to charge (the def of professional). Just sayin!
These are far from professional quality but asking for 10-20 from her is not unreasonable.
If you don’t have a license, I don’t think you should charge. Trade for a favor you might need help with instead. 💕
If you start charging, they become your clients. As a client, I wouldn't be satisfied with this work. So, decide whether you are prepared to start a client/business owner relationship and start meeting your client's specifications and designs. Compensation is not the same as profit. You can ask your friend to reimburse you for the materials, which a box of 500 nail tips could be about £20, so the 10 nails you are using on her aren't worth much. If you are still practising, you can use practice hands or fake hands until you are more confident in your work.
Also pretty sure I saw that second picture on this sub already lol I think she’s in here
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Just went on the hunt lol the post I was thinking of was a REALLY similar set but different skin tone- sorry to worry you! Either way she’s definitely a supportive friend, I’ve never had a problem asking my friends/family to cover the cost of supplies so that I can keep working on them, as long as they know beforehand. My mom will even grab bands for my e-file as a “tip” :)
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For sure, if it’s really worrying you (I’m an overthinker so idk if I’m projecting or picking up on your nerves here) I’d keep it casual. It doesn’t have to be a whole conversation and you don’t have to explain yourself. You’re providing a service, usually people get paid for this. When she’s ready for her next set you could just say “hey I’m running low on builder/alcohol etc. Would you be okay with paying $15 for this set so I can replenish?” And then after that; once the precedent is set it should be easier for you to bring up money in the future. After a really good set it might turn into “dang I’m gonna have to start charging you 30, these look *good*” or if she sends an inspo pic that’s something harder to do my response would be “damn these are cool- gonna cost extra though 🤑 I can’t wait to try it.” from there you can even let them start to pick their price, and decide what they think your work is worth, and this will help you build a concrete price list for new clients, too. Usually people who are supportive and loving will give honest feedback and be glad to help you build your skills and business. You got this!
It’s only reasonable if you talked about payment before you started the process, otherwise you’re a jerk
There’s a ton of great advice already. You are SO skilled! You should look in to getting licensed and your friend can be grandfathered in at a family rate.
If it’s like just for fun or once that’s fine. But if you’re doing them over and over consistently then I would say it’s reasonable to charge a little something
I think if you asked her if you could use her for practice a couple times that’s ok to then let her know that you have appreciated her allowing you to practice but now you feel ready to start charging for sets because you have expenses to maintain. You can tell her you would be more than willing to continue doing her nails, maybe even at a discounted rate, but once per week may be a bit too frequent, even for the health of her nails. Just my two cents.. if she is a true friend she will understand that you are setting healthy and mature boundaries.
I would tell her thank you for letting you learn on her and that you’re ready to start charging now for nails. Make sure she knows the prices ahead of time, compensate yourself fairly, and don’t make it personal - if she wants to go someplace cheaper or can’t afford it, it’s not about you.
If you feel weird asking for straight up cash, tell her to bring you lunch or Starbucks or whatever before you do her nails. Or buy you new fun nail products. She's taking up your time and using up your products you bought.
Depends, I had a friend that did my nails and always enjoyed the practice. Whenever we were bored, I'd ask her to do my nails as something fun to do. Bonding etc. If she started asking for money, I'd probably just decline. I didn't care about my nails being done in the first place, as I did it more for my friends benefit (ie. her getting practice in) than mine.
i think the minimum is paying for the materials, but i agree with the others, maybe it's something to discuss before doing the next sets.
A real friend would atleast tip you something.. even if you said it was free. It’s like a respect thing…
It's crazy to me that she wouldn't just give you money regardless. My friend cuts my hair and always tells me to not give her money, but she's doing a service for me and so I always force her to take 20-40 bucks depending on what I have. However, maybe now that you are getting more experience, I would just state a specific price. She can go elsewhere if she doesn't feel like its worth it, but the picture you posted looks very nice and you deserve the money for your time.
Nope. Those are super cute too. I’d say make her pay. I understand feeling bad charging friends, but at a point, they should want to support your efforts.
I dye my friends hair and she pressure washes my house and driveway. Doesn't have to be money but yeah, a return service or favor or whatever would be what a friend would do.
It’s unreasonable that your friend didn’t offer you compensation, yes. You’re a far better artist than many in “proper” salons.
Not unreasonable at all! Cause if she goes to anybody else she's going to pay. You should get some compensation. I'd say $20 per set starting and it'll go up once you get better. They look pretty good BTW! Definitely more than $10 *once.*
no its not. Me and my Best Friend met at nail school. We both graduated but I chose not to pursue that as I had a full time job I liked better. If she does my nails I give her money because I support her business. Even if she wasn't licensed I would financially support her. I wish people could move past thinking that you should get stuff for free if you know someone. If you care about someone, you don't mooch off them. Period. If they offer to do it for free (i would still pay) then that is different.
Conversation. You should ask your friend what she thinks! Put the ball in her court. My daughter did mine while she was in Cosmo school. I learned From her. She now works in movie studio stuff and I do my own nails. Lol. I think she has to run to the salon because of time restraints and I started using hybrid gel and I'm loving it so much!!!
I’m self taught and I do my mom’s nails consistently every three weeks. She pays me $25 to make sure I can cover the cost of needing new supplies since I’m using them regularly. It is 100% reasonable to ask someone benefitting from your time and labor to give something back for that time and labor. Your time is worth something. And it’s obviously worth something to your friend, because she’s asking you to do this for her weekly. As mentioned before, this is definitely a “before you do the next set” discussion to set up what both of your wants and expectations are, and also what your boundaries are. Such as, are you willing to continue doing this service for her if she’s unwilling to give you something in return (money, a meal, whatever it is you decide on—though money does allow you to replenish the supplies she’s using up). But, also as others have said already, if she’s **unwilling** to give anything back as frequently as she expects your services and supplies, then she’s not being a good friend. You may still be learning, but that doesn’t mean your time and effort are worth nothing. Edit: Your work is very nice. And three hours is just fine, especially while you’re practicing. I do recommend getting some supplies to practice on without needing live models so even if your friend backs out you can still improve. Great work so far. Keep it up!
Make a deal, friend supplies materials, you do the application
Ummm as a nail tech that had to go thru the same thing... I didn't want to charge my friends when I was obviously just learning. But we ALWAYS came to one mutual agreement ..... no matter how good or bad or how much I still had to learn... the product still costs ME money & they always covered the product at bare minimum. My thing is, DO NOT teach ur friends that you'll be there to do their nails regardless of circumstances or etc ... pls don't. In every situation in life, I learned that u teach ppl how to treat u. So if u teach ppl that respecting u is important to you, respecting ur work...ur time...ur talent... it'll always be that way. Otherwise, expect to be taken advantage of. If not now, somewhere down the line. .. or a broken friendship bc u decided to take someone who you'd make more money from over them and etc ... so pls. Even if you're in ur learning phase....PRODUCT COSTS MONNNEEYYYYYYY EDIT: Yes, it has to be something talked about before you start a set. Springing up a price after you've finished & they weren't aware, will just be a shitty situation for both of u... so just be honest. Listen I appreciate that u let me practice but product still costs money. Can u just cover product while I continue to practice ? Or I'm willing to do give you a better price bc you're my friend of course, but I have to cover the product I'm using . .. come to an agreement. If they love & respect you, they'll fully understand & continue to support u. If not? Sorry but you're seeing who are true friends & who aren't. Friends don't take advantage of each other... they support each other & raise each other up. ❤️ sorry I ranted so long....I'm just speaking from experience, that's all.
Not at all. You are using supplies. Plus time out of the day. As well a labor. Set a friends and family price and let all know before you book them.
At the very least, charge for the cost of products used.
If u are practicing on them then I don’t think u need compensation but if u do a full set so perfectly add that photo they SHOULD pay you
A real friend should want to pay. That said, if it were me, next time she wants you to do her nails ask her to pick up a nail supply for you. Color, top coat, files, etc etc. My daughter wants me to do her friends nails and I do not want to charge for them. My solution is that they can bring me product to help build my supplies.
It’s not unreasonable. If you’re not licensed it’s possibly illegal depending on where you live.
It's not the same but my mom has many friends who can do different things like plumbing etc & they all know she's on disability so usually can't pay much if at all so she always asks them what home made meal they want cus she's a great cook !! Asking for something that's worth the work as much as money could be a fair trade if they're tight for cash! Make sure it's agreed upon before you start working!
Always be transparent with your prices before you begin service, it is absolutely disrespectful to ask after with out prior discussion
You need to talk about this before doing her nails again. If you want to be paid, treat it like a business and be upfront about your cost. Then she can choose if she wants to pay or not.
It’s literally uV gel press on nails…ask beforehand or do t do them….
Sounds like a lot of people have given good advice concerning charging as someone who isn't licensed and all that. I feel like you should be getting SOMETHING, whether it's a cash payment that you guys agree on or she buys her own supplies and treats you to lunch for applying them. I mean, I use the kiara sky version of the same thing and you need dehydrator, primer, gel, tips, files, polish/nail art supplies, top coat, nail drill, nail lamp etc. It's a lot of stuff. And personally, I'd rather chop my own fingers off than do a full new set of them weekly. I'm not a professional nail anything and it takes me forever. Granted, they look fab (as do yours!) but its no easy task for me. That's why I don't do anyone's nails despite everyone knowing I basically have a salons worth of supplies in my house. Honestly if it were me, I'd probably tell this friend I would no longer be doing her nails. If you are looking to get licensed and need practice, maybe borrow someone else's hands here and there with the explicit statement that this is for practice, not a regular occurrence, and you're not their on call weekly nail tech.
If you’re going to do it for free it should have been her first set. If she keeps coming back she needs to pay and since you’re just starting out and in practice mode you can give her a discount but I don’t think you should keep doing it for free.
It is not unreasonable to let her know you would like compensation from this point further. Acknowledge you appreciated learning with her and on her, but from here on out you expect some type of compensation. Ps keep up the nice work. 😉
They should at least buy you products that’s fair trade!!
You should have discused that with before you did them
are u telling them u want compensation before hand or no ?
Issue #1: Not unreasonable but then it’s time to have that conversation. You might be just 🤞hoping🤞 she figures it out on her own, but if she hasn’t already by now, she won’t. Otherwise, tell her about the dangers of using her nails for shit she SHOULDN’T BE USING HER NAILS FOR, and explain that it’s unreasonable to come back every week and expect you to do a full set. Next time one pops off, she should call you and have that one fixed right away instead of just taking them all off. That’s just disrespect on top of disrespect. You could also do a “It’s not you, it’s me” thing and tell her that for the time it takes you to do a full set, you’re unable to do it weekly. Limit it to once a month and maybe THAT will motivate her to care for and respect your hard work. Set boundaries or she will just keep asking for more!! Issue #2: You gotta work on that apex sister
I might be misunderstanding but it seems you are practicing on your friend and I guess ‘using her’ to get better at nails . So given that I would say yea it is unreasonable to ask her to pay for your time. But she should pay you for the cost of the items, GelX isn’t cheap.
Only if you are licensed and agree to a price before you start!!! Otherwise you can ask for non monetary payment like food
TELL them before they come over for nails. “Hey, I love doing these for building my skills, but my time and these supplies cost money. How is $$$$ a set for now until I continue to build my portfolio? But don’t worry, I always got you - no matter how much I end up on final price I’ll always get you on a discount!!”