Nail techs have encounter it all ― and they have hard opinions about hygiene at nail salons .

Nail technicians see their clients ’ nail and carapace up close all the time , and the things they ’ve learned about preserve sizeable nail can be discover .

HuffPost get through out to nail technicians and nail artists about what they wouldneverdo to their own nail after their many long time of experience in their industry . They share their own personal “ won’ts ” around hygienical , healthful standard and whether theywoulddo sure nail trends on their own nail .

hands facing the camera to show off newly-done nails

1. Bite nails

“ One big affair I would never do to my own nail is biting them ! I call back it ’s secure to say why not ― it ’s unsanitary . It gives me the chills thinking about doing it . ”“There are many mass out there who do not wash their hands the right way and especially underneath their nails . … It ’s satisfying to clean out [ the debris around and underneath their nails ] , but seeing that makes me wonder if people who burn their nail really love what they ’re invest in their mouth . The majority of my clients say they have done it out of anxiousness , and I do not judge these people , but I ca n’t do it myself . ” ―Christina Tran , Los Angeles - base nail artist

2. Get a pedicure at a salon where you don’t know if the jets have been disinfected

“ insanitary whirlpool jets are usually to blame when clients get infections from pedicures . Unless I know for certain that the jets are being disinfected aftereach clientusing Department of State board[-approved ] procedures , there ’s no way I ’m arrange my feet in there ! ”

“ Sometimes [ nail ] techs trick clients by using dirty jets with a new credit card lining . It looks sanitary , but when they plough on the whirlpool , infective germs , nail clippings , peel cells , even sock lint can be circulating in your foot bathtub . ”

“ [ To find out if it ’s been disinfect ]   you just have to ask or be able-bodied to keep them doing it if you just happen to walk in . They ’re supposed to … disinfect it for 10 minutes between clients . So like if somebody is [ have ] back - to - back [ clients ] in a pedicure death chair , you should not be sit in right after them . They should be like , ‘ arrest on wait , I need a couple minutes , ’ and strip it right on in front of you . ’ ” — Lynette Chanel , a Columbus , Ohio - base nail technician

nails in a neutral color with two statement nails in glitter

3. Get hard gels

“ The one affair I would not do to my nails are punishing gel . … It ’s a perfect dedication . Personally , as a nail creative person who works with various brands for societal media content purposes , my nails need to be spare from preexist nail enhancement principally . ”

“ Hard gelatin are not as easy to remove as piano gels . cushy gel you may soak off [ whereas ] hard gel require to be drilled down and grow out on their own . ”

“ I wish having the flexibility of removing my enhancements effortlessly . ”―Gina Edwards , New YorkCity - ground nail artist

nails in a neutral color and two accent nails with a jewel design

4. Get dip powder nails at a salon

“ It ’s not sanitary and it turns into a jar of germs spry . … the true is , there ’s no chemicals in the powder to kill the bacteria from person to person dipping into the same deal . So have ’s say the beauty parlour cut your skin or you have [ an ] unresolved cut , now [ you ’re ] taking God - know - what kind of bacterium in that fresh open cut . ”

“ It ’s most likely good to stay by from dip and just ask for an acrylic sheathing on your natural nails because in all realism it ’s the same thing just go for in dissimilar ways . Dip habituate a type of glue to make it stick to your nail , and acrylic fiber applied usually use monomer so there ’s a strong enough chemical to kill all the bacteria that could be living in the powder . ” ―Christina Blea , possessor of Dabulous Nailz & Thangz in Berkeley , California

5. Pick at hangnails

“ My biggest thing that I would n’t do to my nails is pick or pull out my hangnail . beak or pulling the hangnails can get further matter like open wound / sore , possible infection , or fungus . keep my peel hydrated keeps the skin intact . ―Christa Cole , a Pasadena , California - based nail technician

6. Peel off gels or extensions

“ In my seven year as a nail tech , there are many thing I ’ve learned to steer clear of . The one affair I will never do to my nails is peel my gel off ! Peeling product off takes layers of your nail with it . If you do this repeatedly , it will significantly damp your raw nail and potentially cause lasting terms . Always soak your gel off or have a professional remove it for you . ―Britanny Zendejas , Portland , Oregon - based nail artist

“ I would never peel off my gelatin or extensions ! the great unwashed often recall that acrylic fiber or gels damage their nail , but they do n’t . pare and ripping off your gels remove layers of your rude nail which will lead them slight and brickly . ” — Vanessa Cantin , owner of Strange Love nail studio in Oakland , California

7. Allow salons to reuse nail tools on your nails

“ Find a place that uses fresh nail files and buffer every time , or take your own clean tools with you when you ’re decease to get your nail done to assure that you are not cross - contaminating your items with anybody else ’s . ”

“ you may tell jolly fast if a nail file is novel . If there [ are ] livid marks on it or if it appear kinda outfox up , you’re able to kindly require them to utilise a fresh one ― and honestly if they get appall , then you probably do n’t require them doing your nails . ”

“ [ If you invest in your own tools ] , take them with you and cleanse them once you get home . you may save them in a niggling plastic handbag or get a little pencil box and store them well . It ’s a elementary way of life to see that you ’re catch at least a clean service and hold your nails healthy . ”―Blea

Some response were lightly edited for clarity and length .

This stake originally seem on HuffPost .