Acrylic Overlay Course Syllabus.
Essential Nails is the only distance learning provider that require students to submit finished nails for assessment and certification. Thus ensuring that a holder of a EN certificate has proved competency in producing nails to a high standard.

The course is split onto three parts; Foundation, Essential Techniques and Working the Whole Hand.


Part 1, Foundation;

You watch the video, read sections of the manuals, answer the question papers and where appropriate, practice on the Nail Trainer.


Introduction.

By the end of this section you will be able to;
Understand why clients want nail enhancements, and their advantages.
Identify the different nail systems and their advantages and disadvantages.
Understand the basics of being a Nail Technician.
Understand the advantages of learning from home and the route to getting qualified as a Nail Technician.


Getting ready to learn.

At the end of this section you will have learnt all about the following subjects;
The contents of the kit of tools and products, what they are and what they do, specifically;
Acrylic Liquid. Acrylic powder. Cotton pads. Cuticle massage oil. Nail Adhesive. Nail Polishes. Top coat. Extension Tips. Nail sanitizer. Primer. Kitchen towels. Extender nozzles. Buffers. Kolinsky Sable brush. Cuticle pusher. Manicure brush. Files. Nail clippers. Dappen dish.


The Nail Trainer, time management and practice regime.

The outcome of this section will be that you'll understand how the Nail Trainer works and how its vital to learn and practice in a logical and consistent manner.

Salon Skills.

At the end of this section you will understand;
How you create a professional attitude, personal appearance and surroundings.
Why your appearance is important.
What qualities make a professional nail technician.
About good personal hygiene.
How prepare for and greet the client.
About good manners, courtesy and communication.
About how to deal correctly with colleagues.
About ethics in the work place.
About retail sales.


Chemicals - hazards and safety procedures.

In this chapter you will learn all about the chemicals used in the Nail Salon.
At the conclusion you will understand fully;
About the safe use of nails tools, specifically the file, buffers, sensitisation, electric files, UV lamps, tip removers, primers, acetone, gel prep, wipe off, acrylic liquids, accelerators, tip glues, acrylic powders.
About the safe storage, use and disposal of nail products and chemicals.
The risks of exposure to chemicals, both for you and your client.
The health hazards of dust and vapour through ingestion, inhalation, and absorption.
The basic chemical reactions that occur in the different nail systems; acrylic, gels and fibreglass.


Health and safety procedures.

At the end of this section the learner will know about;
Hygiene.
Disease and bacteria.
Infection, why it happens and how to avoid it.
The differences between Sanitation, Disinfection and Sterilisation.
How to handle nail tools to eliminate cross contamination.


The parts of a nail.

Following completion of this section the learner will understand;
The names for different parts of the nail, how the nail grows and the different nail shapes.
About common nail diseases, how to recognise them and what to do about them.
About common nail diseases, those that can be dealt with by a Nail Technician and those that cannot.


Pre-service rules.

At the conclusion of this section the learner will understand how to work through the pre-service check list before offering a service to the client.



Part 2 - Essential Techniques

In Part 2, you work through the practical aspects of learning nails. Working on the Nail Trainer practice had you are lead through a number of learning and practice lessons to build your hand-eye co-ordination, improve and speed up your technique and gain confidence.

Basic techniques - filing. In this section the learner will learn how to hold the file correctly, to minimise repetitive stress disorder and maximise filing accuracy and efficiency.
The correct techniques are demonstrated and a practice regime suggested.
At the conclusion of this section, the student will be able to file accurately, shaping a nail with perfect symmetry and even pressure using pre-determined file grips and finger positions.


The Acrylic overlay - 6 steps to perfect Acrylics.
The learner works on the Nail Trainer creating the extensions on the nails and saving them on special 'progress cards' at each step of the nail build.


Step 1 and 2. After working through this section the learner will have learnt about and had practical experience of;
Selecting the correct tools and products for the task.
Removing any old polish.
Preparing the natural nail to take the product.
The speed required to complete the task in a salon.
Preparing at least 10 nails, which are saved for assessment.


Step 3. Tipping. After working through this section the learner will have learnt about and had practical experience of; How to select the correct tools and products for the task.
Choosing the correct sized tip.
Shaping the free edge.
Sizeing the width of tip
Cleaning the tip's well.
Applying glue to tip.
Judging the correct amount of glue.
Placing the tip on the nail - the correct angle.
How to minimise air pockets.
Gluing times.
Cutting the tip.
Streamlining the left edge of the tip.
Streamlining the right edge of the tip.
Shaping the free edge.
Thinning the free edge of the tip.
Blending the seam left, centre and right seam.
After watching and practicing these techniques slowly the student is shown the techniques at salon speed, and having followed the suggested practice regime will have tipped, blended and saved for assessment at least 8 nails.


Step 4 applying the Acrylic. After working through this section the learner will have learnt about and had practical experience of; How to select the correct tools and products for the task.
Cleaning and priming.
The correct way of holding your brush.
Cleaning and Wetting the brush.
Forming the Acrylic ball.
The different nail zones.
Applying the Overlay zone 1 - the free edge.
Applying the Overlay zone 2 - nail crown.
Applying the Overlay zone 3 - cuticle
Blend the entire surface.
Cleaning and care of your brush.
Acrylic setting times.
How to check the Acrylic has set.
After watching and practicing these techniques slowly the student is shown the techniques at salon speed, and having followed the suggested practice regime will have applied acrylic to, and saved for assessment, at least 6 nails.


Step 5. Shaping & finishing to a perfect glass like surface. After working through this section the learner will have understood and had practical experience of;
How to select the correct tools and products for the task.
How to recognise the correct shape required.
Streamlining the left and right edges of the nail.
Smoothing the top, middle / left and middle / right.
Buffing and applying cuticle oil.
How to ask for payment.
After application sanitation.
After watching and practicing these techniques slowly the student is shown the techniques at salon speed, and having followed the suggested practice regime will have shaped, and saved for assessment, at least 4 nails.


Step 6, polishing. To enhance and protect. After working through this section the learner will have understood and had practical experience of;
Ridge fillers and hardeners.
Nail polishes and applying the polish.
How to mix the polish.
Techniques for a shaky hand.
Top coats, and interlocking to avoid smudging.
Colour combinations and matching complexions.
After watching and practicing these techniques slowly the student is shown the polishing techniques at salon speed, and having followed the suggested practice regime will have applied polish to, and saved for assessment, at least 2 nails.


Part 3. Working the WHOLE HAND. Improving technique and speed. In this section the student starts practicing on 5 different nail shapes fitted to thumb and fingers. At the end of the section the student will have prepped, tipped, blended, applied Acrylic, shaped and polished at least 6 sets of nails, with a recommended practice regime of completing another 54.


Conclusion. How to submit your question papers and completed nails.
Your test results, ENP certification and route to further skills.

New Acrylic Extensions Course is now online and available direct from Essential Nails