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The personal care and aesthetic services field, also known as cosmetology, is always growing. Practitioners in this field are always in demand and include hair stylists, massage therapists, aestheticians, make-up artists and manicurists/pedicurist. Manicurists/pedicurists work either at full service salons and spas or at dedicated nail salons. These jobs can be full time or part time.
A manicurist/pedicurist is also called a nail technician, also called a nail tech. A nail tech specializes in caring for clients’ hands and nails. This care involves enhancing the appearance of the hands and nails as well as educating clients on correct nail and hand care. In Texas, nail technicians are licensed and must complete a certified training course.
Services performed by a nail tech:
– Removes previously applied nail polish, using liquid remover and swabs.
– Cleans, shapes, and polishes customers’ fingernails and toenails.
– Shapes and smoothes ends of nails, using scissors, files, and emery boards.
– Cleans customers’ nails in soapy water, using swabs, files, and orange sticks.
– Softens nail cuticles with water and oil, pushes back cuticles, for a pleasing look.
– Whitens underside of nails with white paste or pencil.
– Applies cream to the client’s hands and performs a hand massage.
– Colors the nails by applying polish in the form of base coat, color coat and top coat.
A nail tech’s clients can have natural nails or artificial nails applied by the tech. Artificial nails can be made of a variety of materials, but liquid acrylic is the most popular. Once applied, acrylic nails are durable and easy to care for but require maintenance about every two weeks. This maintenance, called a fill, is performed by the nail tech. The tech literally fills in the small gap created at the base of the nail caused by nail growth and then applies fresh polish to the nails.
Median annual earnings for cosmetologists, including tips and commission, were $19,800. The middle 50 percent earned between $15,480 and $26,600. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $12,920, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $35,990. In Texas, cosmetologists earn about $16,700 per year. In this field, tipping is customary, so the salary figures don’t tell the whole story. Tips usually comprise 10 – 20% of the price of the service provided.
The job outlook for nail techs and cosmetology workers is positive. This field is projected to grow about as fast as the average for all other occupations through the year 2012. Growth in the number of nail salons and full-service salons will also continue, in turn creating numerous job openings for nail techs and other cosmetology workers.
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