She has also posted free tutorial videos on Instagram, demonstrating a range of techniques, including basics like face washing, with her 7-year-old daughter as the model. Sales of her at-home products, like face masks, are up, she said. Some nail salons are offering free instructional videos as well. Olive & June, the chain of upscale nail salons in Los Angeles, just introduced what it’s calling Mani Bootcamp, a three-week series of daily tutorials on Instagram Live.
Last week the salon posted daily videos on that platform too, with chatty advice from the founder, Sarah Gibson Tuttle, that were guiltily addictive to watch.
Paintbox, which has two Manhattan salons, has been using Instagram to share instructions on how to remove a gel manicure, a clunky process that requires patience, tin foil and dexterity. Vanity Projects has also posted pointers on Instagram. And Tenoverten is posting content along those lines too, including an upcoming video with tips on giving oneself a pedicure, another daunting task for many salon devotees.
The need to remove long-lasting nail treatments is more than just aesthetic. Wearers of some types of nail extensions can sometimes expose themselves to a health risk.
“If they see a cracking or something on the sides of the nail, if the nail’s deteriorating, you could get water trapped in there and get a fungus,” said Rita Pinto, the owner of Vanity Projects, which closed its salons in Manhattan and Miami last week. The easiest way to tackle the problem is to simply cut off the extensions and wait things out until salons reopen.
Hair removal is another task that people are braving at home. Flamingo, a depilatory brand that is sold online and at Target, has seen a rise in sales of its face-waxing kits. Parissa, which specializes in natural wax, sold nearly twice as many brow-waxing kits last week as the week before. Its website includes detailed videos, also posted on YouTube, to guide waxers through the process.
