The best shape for your nails mainly depends on the natural shape and length of your nails. Not sure what your type is? Let us give you a hand and point you in the right direction.
There are many choices you can choose from, but here are the most common and a few of our favorites:
Round
Round-shaped nails are great for anyone who has shorter nails with a wide nail bed. This will help elongate your fingers and give them a more slender appearance.
Square
Square-shaped nails are blunt and can be done at any length. This shape works best for long hands and long fingers to add width.
Almond
If your fingers or nail beds are wide, almond-shaped nails will add length. The slim, pointed tip will add some flair while still keeping a more natural look. This shape does require longer nails to properly shape the nails.
Oval
Oval-shaped nails are perfect for the shorties. If you have a bit more length on your nails, the oval shape will help short hands or short fingers look slightly longer. This shape looks good on anyone.
Squoval
It’s exactly what it sounds like. It’s a square with rounded edges. This is the most neutral shape as it can be used on any hand, any shape, any length. It follows the natural shape of your nail and gives it softer edges.
Stiletto
This shape is the drama. Stiletto-shaped nails require a good amount of length and have a sharp pointed tip. This is best for gel-x nails since the tip could easily chip.
If you still aren’t sure where you fall on the spectrum (all our hands are unique!), you can ask your nail tech at your next appointment which shape they think would be best!
]]>Our best tips for making your gel manis last longer so you have more time to enjoy them:
1. Use cuticle oil religiously.
We cannot stress this enough! Cuticle oil keeps your nails healthy and hydrated. It protects your nails and helps protect your polish. It also promotes nail growth!
2. Stay moisturized.
Using lotion or hand cream is a great way to keep your hands from drying out. This is especially important during cold seasons when we’re washing our hands and using hand sanitizer frequently throughout our day. Moisturizing with a cream along with cuticle oil will help prevent hangnails, cracking, and tearing.
3. Resist the itch to pick.
We know how tempting it is when your gel is finally lifting to just pick the whole thing off. If you want your gel to last longer, don’t pick at your nails. Removing gel this way also damages your nails and causes them to thin.
4. Slip on some gloves.
If you’re using chemicals or hot water, protect your gorgeous nails with a pair of gloves. Chemicals can break down the gel and hot water can cause lifting.
5. Avoid using your nails as tools.
It may take some getting used to, but try to avoid doing certain things that may scratch or chip your gel. This may mean being extra careful when opening things and other activities.
6. Ask your tech about builder or strengthening gel.
If your nails are already damaged or weak, gel may not hold as well. Applying a builder or strengthening gel to your nail will help it to become stronger and healthier, which will allow the gel to hold better. You can check out The Repair Mani if you think your nails need some extra TLC. Otherwise, builder base is an add on to any service!
7. Take advantage of our 7 day fix policy.
If your gel mani chips within 7 days of your original appointment, call us and we’ll schedule a free fix for you.
We hope these help you enjoy your mani as long as possible!
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Booked your nail appointment? Yay! Here are some tips on how to make the most of your time with us:
We’re looking forward to having you! If you have any questions, we’re always here to answer them.
]]>Neutrals to match the mood without stealing the show:
Nails that bring the Holly & Jolly:
The center of attention:
We love all the different designs we’ve been seeing! Hopefully this gave you some ideas for your holiday mani. See something you like or want to do a mix of some of the designs? Show this to your tech! Whatever your style is and whatever holiday you celebrate, we hope you have fun!
Happy Holidays,
Spruce
]]>Our mission in offering good clean fun at Spruce means we are committed to finding the safest products and practices to use in our services. One of the most frequent questions we are asked is whether or not we offer acrylics, SNS or other dipping powders, and extensions. And we totally get the appeal - who doesn’t want long, unbreakable nails?
While we do offer Apres Gel-X Extensions, we do not provide acrylics, dipping powder, or any removal services for them. We have chosen to be a 5-Free salon, which means all of the products we use are free of formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, camphor, toluene, and DBP. These are known toxins that can cause cancer, hormonal imbalances, headaches, and allergic reactions - and they can be absorbed into your body through your nail and the skin surrounding it. Unfortunately these ingredients are in dipping powders, acrylic tips, and the polymers used to attach them.
We do not offer removal services for acrylics or dipping powders because the dust caused from filing or drilling those materials can be breathed in by our staff and clients. We also do not drill on nails in our shop because drilling with such direct pressure can cause damage to nails and nail beds. That damage (usually visible as an indentation) can grow out, or it can create a permanent growth issue for the nail.
We understand that many clients want to have long, strong nails. We want to help clients reach their goals by offering services and products that help to make natural nails healthier. Gel-X offers extensions made out of the same ingredients in our gel polishes (which are 5-Free or more) and are removed using an extended soak-off process - no drills on the nail at all! So while your natural nails are covered by the extension, they are not damaged in the application or removal process.
We believe that every client deserves a safe option for achieving the look and feel that they want for their nails. So while we aren’t providing acrylics or dipping powder, we hope that the Gel-X extensions from Apres help to fill that request!
]]>So what’s the difference between the three?
Sugaring is made from natural ingredients - honey, sugar, and lemon. It is not hot - it’s warmed up using body temperature. The sugar is rolled into a ball, spread across the skin, and flicked off. The same ball can be reused on one client for an entire service, so there’s less waste than with other removal options.
The sugar only attaches to the hair and to dead/loose skin cells, so some clients experience less pain than with other hair removal options. Sugaring pulls hair from the roots, so it can still lead to permanence - meaning the hair that is repeatedly sugared will eventually not grow back.
Hard wax is spread across the area to be waxed and then pulled back off after it hardens on the hair follicles. It cools on the skin, but it doesn’t adhere to it - some clients say this means the waxing is less painful, but the experience is different for everyone. This type of wax can be applied to the same area more than once if necessary. Hard wax is great for coarse hairs and smaller areas.
Soft wax is a little thicker than hard wax, is spread across the area and then is pulled off using a cloth strip. Soft wax can grab small and soft hairs. It’s great for larger areas because it has a longer setting time than hard wax, so different areas can be worked on at once. Soft wax does adhere to the top/dead layer of skin, so it’s not recommended to go over an area more than once - but it so thoroughly grabs hairs that it’s rarely needed!
How can you prepare for your waxing appointment?
Make sure your hair is long enough to wax! Facial hair can be very short and sparse, but for body waxes, it’s important to make sure the hair is long enough to be grabbed by the wax. If you can take the pads of your fingers (not your nails) and pull on the hair, it’s long enough.
It’s very important to have moisturized skin before you get your wax. If the skin is dry and flaky, the wax will pick up the dead skin but only break off the hairs instead of pulling at the root. You want to exfoliate two days prior to waxing to get your best results - definitely don’t exfoliate the day of your appointment! Hair removal itself exfoliates on a surface level. The wax/sugar grabs onto dead skin cells. Exfoliating prior to a hair removal service gets rid of dead skin and your wax will then adhere to live skin, making it a less enjoyable service!
Our estheticians also recommend stopping any retinoids, alpha hydroxy acids, and beta hydroxy acids about 4-5 days before your service - these products can make the skin very sensitive, cause lifting during waxing, and can even lead to scarring.
What’s the best aftercare for waxing services?
Aftercare at home is imperative for getting amazing results. Exfoliation and moisturizing are your best friends. You can resume exfoliating two days after you wax. Our estheticians love exfoliating bath gloves. You can buy several and trade them out like washcloths so they stay clean. After exfoliation, moisturize with a non-comedogenic oil - a gel product like aloe vera may be soothing, but non-fractionated coconut oil or shea butter may cause breakouts and ingrown hairs.
Clients may find tight clothing irritating, so we recommend loose clothes on waxing day. And we know it’s tempting, but put down the tweezers between appointments. The goal of hair removal is to get all of our follicles on the same page! If we tweeze in between the hairs with be on different stages of growth when you return for your next service
As always, if you have any questions, you are always welcome to reach out to our team! We can’t wait to see you soon!
]]>Face coverings create a warm, moist environment around your face. This in and of itself isn’t a bad thing - we know how great steam can be for your skin - but when combined with the friction from the mask and the bacterial growth that can occur on the cloth, skin gets irritated.
The irritation can cause your skin to over- or under-produce oils, and the combination of oils, sweat, and moisture from breathing and talking mix together and clog your pores, which can lead to pimples or cystic acne.
The Maskne Facial:
You can treat maskne at home by cleansing your face every day and using a serum like Native Nectar’s “Clear & Glow,” which contains salicylic acid to clear breakouts, chamomile to reduce inflammation, and tea tree oil to heal and protect the skin. But sometimes you need a quick, professional fix, and that’s why we’ve added the Maskne Facial to our services.
This service is designed by our estheticians to get you quick results. They will complete a consultation and evaluation with you, determining your skin’s sensitivity, any problem areas, and answer any questions you might have about products or methods. You’ll then have a deep cleanse and tone, followed by exfoliation and extractions - these steps help to clear out any occlusions.
Then our estheticians will move on to some healing steps, beginning with a high frequency treatment. This uses a tool to create oxygen molecules to stimulate the skin - you may feel a slight sensation similar to static electricity! This stimulation increases blood circulation and encourages cell renewal, leading to clearer, softer skin. Your esthetician will choose a serum based off of your skin evaluation, and apply some SPF for protection before you head out.
Preventing Maskne at Home:
The best way to prevent maskne at home is to wear a fresh mask every day, or even to change masks throughout the day if yours seems to be getting too moist too fast.
Make sure your mask fits right. You want it to cover your nose, mouth, and chin, and rest against your cheeks. But it shouldn’t be so tight that it causes redness from rubbing on the skin.
If you’re able to, taking a break from a mask for a few minutes every few hours can help your skin “breathe” - that is, you give the steam created by your breath a chance to evaporate, thus stalling any growth or clogging. Make sure you wash your hands before taking off your mask to keep it clean!
Use a gentle laundry detergent. While your regular laundry detergent may not be an irritant for your body, facial skin is generally more sensitive and susceptible to allergens.
If you have any questions about the products and services we offer to help treat Maskne, feel free to call the shop or message us on Instagram!
]]>Our mission at Spruce is to provide GOOD. CLEAN. FUN. for our clients and staff. This post is part three of a series on our mission.
FUN is something we look forward to at the shop every day - and you’re a big part of it!
]]>FUN is something we look forward to at the shop every day - and you’re a big part of it!
A R T : It’s the tiny things.
We know there’s a lot of heaviness going on in the world right now. We also know that we have a chance to spruce up our clients in a way that gives them something small to smile about whenever they look at their hands -- and with all the extra hand washing we’ve been doing lately, that’s a lot!
We love getting to create art on tiny canvases, and while we always have inspo in our back pockets, we get a kick out of seeing the ideas you have when you walk into the shop. Whether it’s creating florals to match a dress, or doing tiny Disney villain portraits, or putting masks on smiley faces -- our clients give us a chance to have some fun with our nail art brushes, and we hope you have fun showing off your nail art for the next few weeks!
C O L L A B S : It’s the partnerships.
While we can’t have our usual semi-annual markets during Covid, we are still finding ways to partner with other small businesses in the neighborhood! We loved teaming up with Wolfpack, High Five, and The Native One for Mother’s Day boxes, and we offer Flora Lee Naturals on our shelves and as a special gua sha kit online.
We are so excited for the days when we can pop up at Idle Wild or Continuum again. We are pumped to host our next market in the shop and share our favorite local vendors with you. We have so much fun dreaming up ideas with our fellow creators about ways to offer special experiences for our clients. And we have even more fun seeing pics and hearing stories of how you enjoy them!
C O M M U N I T Y : It’s you.
The most fun part of our day is always hearing about what you’ve been up to lately. We have been open for nearly five years, and in that time we have had the chance to celebrate your engagements, your promotions, your growing families, your new homes, and even just your typical Tuesday. It means so much that you choose to come to us to help you get ready for a big day, or get through a tough one.
You’ve helped us prepare for our big days too - our first market, our first mobile events, our first day at our new location, and our first day opening back up with sneeze guards after lock down. We love seeing your masks (so fashionable!), and how you’re making the most of this weird new normal. You’re keeping it fun for us, too!
]]>Our mission at Spruce is to provide GOOD. CLEAN. FUN. for our clients and staff. This post is Part Two of a series on our mission.
CLEAN is something we pride ourselves on. From our products to our practices, we work hard to maintain a safe, clean environment for clients and staff.
]]>CLEAN is something we pride ourselves on. From our products to our practices, we work hard to maintain a safe, clean environment for clients and staff.
Clean Products: 5 Free or More.
Our nail polishes cannot be described as “natural” or “organic.” Polishes contain chemicals, but not all chemicals are toxic, and our polishes are all 5 Free or more. “5 Free” is a term used to describe products that are free of five major toxins in the beauty industry: formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, DBP (dibutyl phthalate), camphor, and toluene. All polishes must meet this standard for us to open them in the shop, and several of our products are actually 7 to 10 Free.
These chemicals are considered toxic because they are carcinogenic, can cause permanent dermatitis (skin inflammation and irritation), nausea, dizziness, and/or headaches, can cause birth defects and hormonal health issues, and/or can cause yellow nail syndrome. While some of these chemicals may only be toxic in heavy doses (such as camphor, which is also present in many remedies for the common cold) and thus may not irritate clients who are only occasionally exposed to them, it’s important to us that we make the safest choices for both our clients and our staff.
Clean Products: Cruelty-Free.
We love offering safe products in our shop, and we believe that science has allowed our industry to progress to the point where testing on animals is unnecessary and cruel. All of the products we use and offer are cruelty-free, which means they have never been tested on animals. In addition, our products that do not contain honey are vegan.
Clean Practices: LED Lights Over UV Lights
Gel polish cures under a light instead of air-drying. The light stimulates photoreceptors in the polish that causes bonds to form and harden, resulting in a smooth, strong polish that can last weeks without chipping. Some salons use UV lights to cure the polish because the UV lights are less expensive and are very effective at curing polish. UV light is the same light from the sun that can cause skin and eye damage, and some salons actually offer fingerless gloves in an effort to protect the skin from the UV light, as we know now that it can have damaging effects. We’ve chosen to use LED lights instead, because they are just as effective (and faster!) at curing gel, without the added risk of damaging skin.
Clean Practices: Our Sanitation and Sterilization Process.
We try to be as transparent as possible about our cleaning process. Spruce Nail Shop disinfects and sterilizes anything that is reused, and we achieve that using strong and safe disinfectants for our materials, plus the use of an autoclave for our sterilizing our metal implements. Our autoclave is medical-grade and is the same machine that can be found in a dentist’s office.
All of our staff are Barbicide certified and we are dedicated to maintaining the healthiest environment for everyone in our Spruce community.
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Our mission at Spruce is provide GOOD. CLEAN. FUN. for our clients and staff.
Let's explore what we mean by that!
GOOD means many things here at Spruce. First and foremost-- we want to be good at what we do. We also want to provide good products, and work with good partners. What exactly does that look like for us?
]]>Let's explore what we mean by that!
GOOD means many things here at Spruce. First and foremost-- we want to be good at what we do. We also want to provide good products, and work with good partners. What exactly does that look like for us?
Good At What We Do: Intense Training for Apprentices
When a licensed nail artist or esthetician is hired at Spruce, they undergo a training period called an apprenticeship. This means that they do a few days of shadowing and training with our veteran staff to learn the flow of the shop and the Spruce method of providing services. After the training period, they do their first service on a manager and learn from feedback, and then we open their books to clients for appointments at a discount, so that they can work on timing. We ask the clients to fill out an evaluation form, and this valuable feedback helps us direct our coaching and practice time to ensure that our techs are meeting our high standards.
Good At What We Do: Incentivized Professional Development
All licensed technicians and estheticians have to participate in continuing education in order to maintain and renew licensure in Ohio. At Spruce, we further incentivize development, especially with nail art. Techs must pass training courses with our nail art manager in order to advance in our program and have nail art added to their books. You can trust that our techs are staying up-to-date on the latest nail art techniques, shaping methods, and information about recognizing and preventing nail and skin health issues.
Good Products: High Quality, Low Risk
We only use products that we love, and products that we have researched thoroughly. We’ve chosen our nail polishes because they meet our standards for “clean” and also because we genuinely love the pigment and staying power.
We know that where our products come from matters, as does the testing method. All of our products are cruelty-free, which means they are not tested on animals. We partner with other small, female-founded businesses to fill our retail shelf with nail and skin products we believe in.
Good Attitude:
All are welcome at Spruce. We have a diverse clientele, and we love the community we’ve built with our regulars and as well as the opportunity to meet new clients, including the ones who make Spruce a stop in their travel plans. We’re honored that you’ve chosen us to be a part of your self-care and preparation for special celebrations!
]]>Welcome to our blog - The Nail Files!
Since we have been closed due to Covid-19, we've been looking for ways to maintain our connection with our community. Our staff and clients have special relationships, and trust us when we say we miss you all. We can't wait to open our doors again (see you June 1st!) and find out what you've been up to, what shows you've devoured, what meals you've created. We want to celebrate with you again -- all while having good clean fun in our shop!
A lot of you have asked how you can support us during our closure. We're so grateful that you continue to support small businesses like ours, and we want you to know there are several ways to support businesses you love, no matter your budget. Here are several ways to show your support:
1. Purchase a gift card. You can pre-pay for your next appointment by purchasing a gift card. It will be emailed to you, and filling out the forms with identifiable information helps us find it in-shop!
2. Purchase products from our online store. We've added all of our inventory, including our skincare items! These products will help you maintain or develop a skincare (and nailcare!) routine at home. Check our Instagram for tutorials on how to use some of our favorite items!
3. Write a review. Whether you are leaving a review on our products on our site, or reviewing our shop and services on Google, Yelp, or Facebook, your reviews help us drive traffic to our shop (both brick-and-mortar and online) and that makes a huge difference for us! We also just love being able to share your feedback with our staff, as it helps us know what we're doing right and what we could do even better!
4. Share us on Instagram/Tag us in your posts. Right now we're sharing ways to take care of ourselves at home with the hashtag #SpruceUpAtHome. We've loved seeing how you're using our products, and can't wait to share with you the new things we've been learning too!
Future files will be coming soon, and we'll be sharing our mission and position within the beauty/wellness industry, offering tips for preparing for your next appointment, raving about the art/brands/local businesses we love, and giving you an insider peek into the behind-the-scenes at Spruce. See you soon!
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