Product Spotlight: SalonAIR® Capture Accessories

Promoting health and safety in beauty salons is one of the best things a nail tech can do for their business and their customers. That’s why we designed not only the award-winning SalonAIR® extraction system, but also a selection of accessories that help you get the most from your chosen SalonAIR® unit.

But what do the different SalonAIR® capture accessories do – and more importantly, which is best for your own salon’s safety?

In this post, we’ll answer that question. Before that, however, we’ll examine why it’s so important that you prioritise health and safety in a beauty salon environment.

What are the hazards in a beauty salon?

A beauty salon environment presents many potential health hazards. For instance, nail techs use a wide array of glues and polishes filled with harsh chemicals that can cause skin irritation and allergic reactions. Meanwhile the environment itself can include slippery floors, sharp tools used for cutting and filing, and even the potential for power sockets to become overloaded, or nail techs to trip over power cords.

One less obvious danger to health and safety in beauty salons comes from things you can’t see. The invisible particulates given off by beauty processes like nail filing can be incredibly harmful when they get into your staff or customers’ breathing zones. That’s where our SalonAIR® and SalonAIR® capture accessories come in.

Three accessories, one main purpose

Our SalonAIR® units are designed to help with salon health and safety by removing respirable dusts and potentially harmful fumes, before they can enter anybody’s lungs. Without at-source extraction, these fumes and dusts can build up and contribute to all kinds of health conditions, from COPD and occupational asthma to organ problems and even workplace-caused cancer.

The good news is that you can further protect against these conditions by promoting salon safety with a choice of three SalonAIR® capture accessories:

Bamboo Arm

SalonAIR® built-In FileOTRAY® and bamboo arm attachment

Pictured on our SalonAIR® product pages, the bamboo arm is made from multiple bamboo segments which move, allowing you to position its capture nozzle for optimum effectiveness. It comes as standard with the SalonAIR® unit, but you can opt to upgrade if you wish to.

“The bamboo arm is a segmented arm designed to be positioned in the best possible place for how you work,” says VODEX Marketing Office Manager Natasia-Louise James.

“We recommend the bamboo arm if you use an efile, because they generate lots and lots of dust in different directions. The flexibility of the bamboo arm lets you move the extraction nozzle for optimum dust capture.

“Customers don’t have to have the arm, but if you do have it, we recommend the nozzle being within 10cm of your working hands, whether you use an efile or a manual one. The further away it is, the less effective extraction will be.

“The bamboo arm can come in white or black, with a matching black nozzle,” says Natasia. That way you can match it to darker salon settings.” (The SalonAIR® system itself is always white).

“However, if customers elect not to have the bamboo arm, they can opt for either of our downdraft options instead. Starting with…”

FileOWAY® pod

Midnight Black, Dove Grey and Pretty Pink SalonAIR® units alongside the standard Snow White model

“Downdraft basically means the extraction of harmful fumes and dusts is done underneath the nail tech’s working hand,” Natasia explains. “It’s a little more out of the way, and some customers find that a little easier to work with.

“The first of these options we offer is the FileOWAY®, a mobile pod that nail techs can position usually in the middle of their nail desk underneath their working hands. The benefit of this option is they’re free to move it around if they so wish, making for a more dynamic way to work with nails safely.”

FileOTRAY® built-in capture grill

A nail tech filing over the FileOTRAY® built-in capture grill

“The other option is our built-in FileOTRAY® capture grill, which can be installed on almost any desk surface. The exceptions are glass or marble, for which the FileOWAY® may be a better option.

“The benefit of the FileOTRAY® is that you can get a full built-in extraction solution without having to pay for a separate all-in-one extraction desk,” says Natasia. “There’s no minimum or maximum depth we recommend, though the smaller the gap between the top plate and the bottom catch tray, the better it is for airflow. Anything over a three-inch gap can reduce this slightly, and lower the unit’s efficiency.

“We’ve had a few customers that have used IKEA tables, which are largely made from corrugated cardboard rather than hardwood. If you do, you just need to make sure the gap you produce is completely airtight – possibly by filling the edges with some wood, silicone silicone sealant or duct tape.

“Creating the opening for your FileOTRAY® is very straightforward. We can even send out the installation instructions in advance, so you can see how easy it is if you’re thinking of purchasing a FileOTRAY® yourself. However, we do recommend that you don’t cut anything out of your desk prior to receiving the product.”

Which SalonAIR® capture accessory is right for your space?

“Which of the SalonAIR® capture accessories you choose will be down to personal preference and your budget,” says Natasia.

“A lot of nail tech desks are very busy,” she continues. “They have a wrist rest. They have a UV curing light for gel polishes. That’s why I think a lot of people like the FileOTRAY®. It just protrudes 3mm off the surface of the desk, which helps to keep everything tidy.

“For others, the ability to move around the FileOWAY® might make that a better option, as well as the fact it comes in different colours – Midnight Black, Dove Grek, Pretty Pink and the standard Snow White – to suit your space.”

And of course, as I said earlier, for efiles we do recommend the bamboo arm. It really does come down to whichever you prefer.”

Which SalonAIR® system should you buy?

“We know some customers even like to use the bamboo arm with another capture accessory,” says Natasia. “This gives them coverage from both above and below. For those customers, the SalonAIR® 1002 will be ideal. It comes with two extraction ports, allowing you to fit both, for instance, a bamboo arm and FileOTRAY®.

“In smaller salon spaces, you can even use it to have two capture accessories on two different nail desks. However, if you do that, the concentration of extraction will be split. With two bamboo arms, the split will be 50/50 – so each desk will only get half-strength extraction. However, the FileOTRAY® uses more than the bamboo arm, so using one of those and a bamboo arm, the split there will be nearer 70/30.

“If you do opt for the SalonAIR® 1002 and only want to use one capture accessory sometimes, we also sell rubber blanking caps to cover the first extraction port,” adds Natasia. Alternatively, the SalonAIR® 1001 has just the one port. They’re both great options, it just depends which you favour more; versatility, or affordability.”

Need helping choosing SalonAIR® capture accessories?

It’s important to make the right choice for health and safety in a salon. That’s why we offer a number of different options to help with salon safety, and why our team are on-hand to answer any questions you may have.

If you’re still not sure which model of SalonAIR® or which SalonAIR® capture accessories are right for you, get in touch with us. You can use our contact form, email sales@vodex.co.uk, or call us on +44 (0)1489 899 070 8.30am-5pm Monday-Friday.