The Dear Clients Movement – Empowering Beauty Professionals

The beauty and health industry, as very lucrative industries, are subject to an abundance of misinformation spread by people who aren’t professionals and don’t take jobs in these industries seriously. Some of this misinformation is a result of the fact that some beauty topics are hard to talk about due to their sensitive nature, especially in the areas in which beauty and health converge. This is why the beauty industry is surrounded by myths, exaggerations, and distorted facts.
As a former nail tech, time and time again, I’ve witnessed clients being unable to speak about or ask advice on delicate matters, such as fingernail and toenail diseases and various conditions. Part of this is driven by the social stigma perpetuated inadvertently by nail techs who often aren’t sufficiently trained to approach all beauty matters not only as beauty professionals but also with great social skills and experience. It’s tricky working in our line of business, as salons thrive off of their clients, so it’s natural that most of us find it hard to tell our clients that some looks just cannot be achieved; or, that their manicures don’t last long because they weren’t appropriately taken care of.
I’ve always thought there should be more systematic and collective effort on the part of the members of the beauty industry to tackle issues like this. This is why I was so happy when I recently found out about the movement called “Dear Clients”.
“Dear Clients” is a movement of beauty professionals that have taken it upon themselves to help improve transparency regarding important topics in the beauty industry and bring transparency to their clients. While there is a large number of beauty professionals who are members of the movement now, it was all initiated by the cooperation between Gloss Genius and the talented nail technician, Jade Tang. Their goal was to help raise awareness on issues in the beauty industry, which would result in making information more available to all users, making for more informed decisions.
For those of you who don’t know, Jade Tang is the co-owner of Black File Nails. She’s dubbed as the Boss Nail Slayer. This comes as no surprise, with her being one of the most influential Nail Artists with a following over 125K on Instagram, and an even stronger commitment by clients to the services she provides in her nail salon Black File Nails in Fountain Valley, CA. Check out these amazing nails they do at the Black File Nails salon!

Black File Nails Nail Work
Jade Tang’s submission to the Dear Clients movement really hit the spot, with words of sheer professional experience in the nail business which I hope will resonate with all of you too.
Here is her submission in full:
Dear clients,
My name is Jade Tang @jadetangtheartist, Co-Owner & Master Nail Artist at Black File Nails @blackfilenails. At my salon, I believe our clients deserve top-notch customer care, quality products, and exceptional services. I personally love and appreciate feedback from you, whether it’s a compliment or a complaint. Aside from that, I always give my clients advice and reminders after each nail service on proper care of your nails at home.
I know everyone lives different and busy lifestyles; therefore, you may frequently forget my advice on how to maintain your nails properly. I hope this letter will serve as a simple guide to help remind you. Perhaps, print it out and hang it on the fridge or bathroom door where you can see and read it every day.
Since most of my clients get acrylic nail enhancement, I will be focusing mainly on that. However, the same guidelines can be applied across the board for other nail services as well. Often times, I hear, “acrylics ruin my nails,” the truth is, “acrylics do not ruin your nails; poorly trained nail techs and using your nails as tools, do.”
First of all, I cannot guarantee the durability of your set of nail enhancements. Based on each of our different lifestyles, that is beyond my control. For example, using your acrylic nails to open a can of soda or to tear away the sealed tape on a box over time will cause the acrylic parts to lift away from your natural nails. Learn to improvise your daily tasks, whether you have short or long extensions; this will prolong your set of nails.
Secondly, another advice I strongly recommend is for maintenance refill every 2-3 weeks to extend the longevity of the enhancement. The longer the period in between regular maintenance, the quicker the acrylic enhancement will break down. A removal and new set are also recommended after every 3 months (if regular 2-3 weeks maintenance in between each refill is done).
If you notice any nail begin to lift, schedule a repair appointment with your professional nail tech as soon as possible. Do not try to bite the acrylic nail off yourself, glue, or bandage that nail. Why? Biting the acrylic off means you’re pulling layers off your natural nailbeds, making the nail become weaker and sensitive. Bleeding may occur creating a great opportunity for an infection or worse. Glue or bandaging the lifted nail will trap moisture in between the acrylic and natural nail, causing “greenie” to grow rapidly.
Lastly, wear gloves when you do any kind of housework involving water and chemicals because they will dry out your cuticle area, damage your nails, acrylic enhancement and cause lifting issues. Create a good habit of using cuticle oil and hand creams as often as possible to keep the moisture for both your hands and cuticle area.
At the end of the day, nail enhancements are still an exterior beauty cosmetic to add length, beauty and temporary durability to your natural nails. Extensions are still connected to your skin/flesh that should be handled with gentle care. Nail enhancements are not cemented or welded onto your nails, which cannot withstand extreme pressure. Even materials such as concrete will crack over time with pressure. I hope with these few important tips, you will be more cautious to take better care of your nails to keep them lasting longer and stay healthy for you to enjoy.
Sincerely yours,
Jade Tang
As you can see from this wonderful message, the best way to make the best of your manicure after an appointment at the beauty salon is to make sure you are taking care of it properly. Clients – feel free to ask these questions and keep in mind that your nail tech might be hesitant to share advice with you in fear of offending you! Nail techs – in the information era where it is so easy to tap into the benefits of social media, feel free to spread your messages and increase transparency with your followers!
Congratulations to Jade Tang and the brilliant minds behind the Dear Clients movement for doing an amazing job at empowering beauty professionals to speak out and feel comfortable doing the more neglected, but equally important, part of their job – teaching and educating their clients on beauty related topics!
Dear Clients, consider me sold!
Kara x