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Your Nail Portfolio and Hygiene Protocol

The capstone project for Nail Technician: Manicures, Gel, Acrylic, Builder Gel and Nail Art, Done Safely — a free Trades course. Pass it and you earn a certificate anyone can verify.

Start the course free Download the project workbook

The project unlocks once you complete the lessons. The workbook is free to download now so you can see exactly what is expected.

What you will submit

One document (Google Doc with view access, or an uploaded Word or PDF file, or a shared photo folder plus a document) with a headed section for each of the five parts. Photos must be your own work, taken with permission.

What to do, step by step

  1. Do the work on a practice hand, on yourself, or on willing friends or family who agree to be photographed. Get permission before you take or share any photo and do not use any client's real name in the file. If a client has any of the contraindications in the course, do not do the service; record the refusal instead.
  2. Part 1. Four services with photos: (a) a classic manicure or pedicure with regular polish, (b) a gel polish set, (c) one enhancement set (acrylic, builder gel, polygel or a press-on set you made and applied), and (d) one nail art set with at least two techniques. For each: a before photo, a photo of the prepped nails, at least two finished photos, the products used, the time it took, and what you would do differently.
  3. Part 2. Your hygiene protocol: a written one-page protocol for your station covering hand washing, what is single-use, how and for how long reusable tools are cleaned and disinfected, dust and ventilation, lamp and e-file safety, and exactly what you do if there is blood.
  4. Part 3. Consultation and refusal records: two filled consultation cards (fictional or with names removed) and one written example of how you would refuse and refer a client with a suspected infection, in the words you would actually say.
  5. Part 4. Your price menu: at least ten services with time, price, deposit and the art or length surcharges, and a note on how you set prices for your area and home service.
  6. Part 5. Product safety note: how you check the products you buy (registration, seals, vendor, smell and cost signals of harmful monomer), and your rule on skin contact and curing times.

Files to work with

Project workbook (fill in, then submit)The whole brief, an evidence checklist, the grading rubric as a self-check and the link-sharing steps in one file. Opens in Word, Google Docs or WPS.Word · 6 KB

How it is graded

CriterionWeight
Four services are complete, tidy at the cuticle and free edge, with no skin flooding, evidenced by before, prep and after photos36%
The hygiene protocol is complete and correct, including single-use items, disinfection and the blood exposure steps22%
Consultation records are complete and the refusal example is kind, clear and refers the client on14%
The price menu is complete and realistic with a pricing rationale14%
The product safety note shows understanding of sensitisation, MMA warning signs and curing rules14%

You need 65% overall to pass. A human examiner also reviews this safety-critical project before any certificate is issued. A failed submission comes back with feedback and can be revised and resubmitted.

Before you submit: make your link public

If your work lives in Google Drive or Google Docs, open Share → General access and change “Restricted” to “Anyone with the link” (Viewer). Then paste the link into a private browser window: if it opens without sign-in, you are ready. A private link cannot be graded — it is the single most common reason a good project fails.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to finish Nail Technician: Manicures, Gel, Acrylic, Builder Gel and Nail Art, Done Safely before submitting the project?

Yes. The submission screen opens once every lesson in Nail Technician: Manicures, Gel, Acrylic, Builder Gel and Nail Art, Done Safely is marked complete. The lessons are where the methods, the Nigerian context and the worked examples the project depends on are taught.

How is the project graded?

An examiner scores each rubric criterion from 0 to 100 and weights them as shown on this page; you need 65% overall to pass. Because this is a safety-critical trade, a human examiner also reviews every submission before a certificate is issued.

Can I resubmit if I fail?

Yes. A failed project comes back with feedback; revise the weak parts and resubmit. A passed project is final — the certificate is issued and cannot be re-rolled.

What do I actually submit?

A write-up of what you did (under 5,000 characters) plus a public link to your work — a Google Drive folder, Google Doc, spreadsheet, GitHub repository or video. The link must open without sign-in; a private link cannot be graded. The free project workbook on this page walks you through all 6 steps.

Is the certificate real?

Yes. Passing this project issues a certificate with a unique verification code. Anyone — an employer, a client, a school — can open the verification page and see that the certificate is genuine and which project earned it.

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Ready to earn this certificate?

Nail Technician: Manicures, Gel, Acrylic, Builder Gel and Nail Art, Done Safely is free and self-paced. Finish the lessons, complete this project, and the certificate is yours to share.

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