Penny’s Journey From Salon Conversion to HONA Educator

This month, we’re shining the HONA Nail Tech Spotlight on Penny, owner of Generations and a nail technician with more than 20 years of experience in the industry.

Penny’s story with HONA began at a point when she was seriously questioning her future as a nail technician. After experiencing a severe reaction to the gel system her salon was using, alongside concerns around the nail health of some of her clients, Penny knew something needed to change.

What followed wasn’t simply switching a few products. Penny worked closely with Lowri and the HONA Education team to complete a Full Salon Conversion, moving her entire team across to the HONA system with hands-on, in-person training and continued support as they adapted to a completely new way of working.

There were nerves, challenges and plenty of learning along the way, but the experience ultimately transformed far more than the products sitting on Penny’s shelves. Her team became more considered in their prep and application, they learnt to take a more prescriptive approach to product selection, and Penny rediscovered her confidence in an industry she had once considered leaving.

And her story has since come full circle.

Today, Penny is a HONA Educator herself, using her own experience of salon conversion to help other nail professionals develop their skills and confidence.

In this month’s Spotlight, Penny shares the full story: why she decided to convert her salon to HONA, what the conversion process was really like, the challenges her team experienced after switching and what she’d say to another salon considering making the change.

Q&A With Penny 

From growing up in her mum’s salon to running Generations herself, Penny has spent more than 20 years building a career in the nail industry. Her journey with HONA began when challenges with her previous system led her to make the huge decision to convert her entire salon. Today, that journey has come full circle, with Penny now supporting other nail techs as a HONA Educator. We sat down with her to talk honestly about why she made the switch, what a Full Salon Conversion was really like, the challenges along the way and the advice she’d give to other salon owners considering doing the same.

Q: Tell us a little about you, your salon and the business you’ve built.

A: My name is Penny, and I’ve been a nail technician for over 20 years. My journey began as a teenager when my mum was a nail technician, and I would help in her salon after school and at weekends.

After working alongside my mum for many years, I bought the business from her around four years ago. It was important to me to honour what we had built together and keep that family connection at the heart of the salon, which is why I chose the name Generations.

We now have a wonderful team, including three sets of mums and daughters one of them being me and my daughter, Paige which makes the name even more meaningful.

I’ve since moved into education and discovered that teaching is where my true passion lies. I absolutely love sharing my experience, supporting other nail technicians and helping them develop their skills and confidence.

Q: What made you start thinking about changing the nail system you were using, and what ultimately made you choose HONA?

A: Although I’ve been in the nail industry for over 20 years, our salon had always been predominantly acrylic-based. When I took over the salon four years ago, we introduced a well-known white-bottle gel brand so that the whole team could work with the same system.

Unfortunately, I very quickly developed a severe allergy, and another member of our team also began experiencing reactions. For the first time in my career, I was also seeing some clients’ nail health deteriorate. Seeing lifting underneath the product and having to remove a client’s nails completely leaving them with extremely short nails was heartbreaking. It affected their confidence and made me seriously question the products we were using.

Eventually, the pain in my hands became so severe that I genuinely considered giving up my career and the business I had worked so hard to build.

That was when I discovered HONA. At the time, I didn’t realise that my daughter had already contacted you because she was so concerned about the condition of my hands. We spoke on the phone for well over an hour, discussing my reactions, the salon and everything we had been experiencing. You immediately made me feel comfortable, listened to my concerns and earned my trust.

That conversation made me want to work with HONA, and I’ve been completely committed to the brand ever since. My hands have improved incredibly since making the switch. Because of the damage they suffered, I know I will always have some sensitivity, but we haven’t experienced any allergic reactions to HONA products within the salon.

Q: Converting an entire salon to a new system can feel like a big decision. Did you have any worries or reservations beforehand?

A: I only had a few reservations because, after speaking to you, I felt completely at ease and confident about the change. More than anything, I was excited to move to a new brand and try something different.

My biggest worry was whether changing products would actually help, as the pain in my hands had become excruciating. There was also the financial concern of converting the entire salon and investing in a completely new product range.

You were absolutely amazing throughout the process and even included lots of lovely extras to help us get started. In the end, I decided to dive in headfirst and purchase the full range. My hands had become so bad that gradually introducing the products wasn’t an option I needed to make a complete change for the health and safety of myself, my team and our clients.

It was a big decision, but I have absolutely no regrets! 

Q: You worked closely with Lowri and the HONA Education team and completed an in-person Full Salon Conversion. What was that process actually like for you and your team?

A: We were so excited to welcome Lowri and Charlotte to the salon, although we were also a little nervous about what you might think of our salon, our team and our work. I’ll admit, I felt slightly starstruck when Charlotte arrived and incredibly honoured that you had both come to support us through the conversion.

The whole process went incredibly smoothly. Your passion for HONA was obvious, and we could see how much you both genuinely believed in and trusted the products you were teaching us to use.

By the end of the conversion, the entire team felt excited and confident about moving over to HONA. It gave us the reassurance we needed and felt like a fresh start not only for us as nail technicians, but for our salon and our clients too. 

Q: Since making the switch, what difference has converting to HONA made to your salon, your team and the services you offer your clients?

A: Switching to HONA was nerve-racking at first because we weren’t sure how our clients would respond, and we had to change the way we applied our products.

However, that change encouraged us to become much more thorough with our preparation and cleaner and more precise with our application. It made us revisit and perfect skills that, if we’re completely honest, had started to slip while using our previous system.

We did experience some retention problems in the beginning, and there were moments when I wondered whether I had made the right decision. However, we trusted the process, continued practising and worked closely with the HONA Education team. As our skills improved, so did our retention and results.

Most importantly, my hands improved very quickly. I could wash the dishes without being in pain, and I no longer needed to cover my fingers in multiple bandages while treating clients. That improvement reinforced just how badly my previous products had been affecting me.

A couple of our clients didn’t get along with the new system straight away, so the first few appointments involved some trial and error. We tried different options, including TrueFoundation, TrueBuild and the Hard Gel products, until we found the right product for each client.

We did lose a couple of clients during the transition, but we gained even more. Ultimately, our clients’ nail health improved significantly. Clients who had previously experienced reactions to the white-bottle brand have now returned to the salon and can enjoy having their nails done again using HONA products without experiencing the same problems.

Overall, the switch has made our team more skilled, precise and confident. It has also allowed us to offer our clients a system that we genuinely trust and feel proud to use. 

Q: Your journey has now come full circle, as you've gone from completing a HONA Salon Conversion to becoming a HONA Educator yourself. What does that mean to you, and has your own conversion experience influenced the way you now support other nail techs?

A: Becoming a HONA Educator means so much to me because my journey with the brand began at a point when I was genuinely worried that I might have to leave the industry. I now work with products I truly believe in and trust for myself, my team and our clients.

I feel incredibly proud to represent a company whose ethics and values align so closely with my own. For me, education should be about teaching the correct skills, encouraging safe working practices and using professional products that place the wellbeing of both the client and the nail technician at the forefront.

HONA products require you to work properly and perfect your preparation and application to achieve the best results. That has made me a better nail technician, and it now influences the way I teach and support my own students.

Nail and beauty education is now so accessible online, but learners don’t always receive the practical guidance and continued support they need. I originally completed a full nail diploma at college, alongside Level 2 and Level 3 beauty qualifications, where I had time to develop my knowledge and skills thoroughly. Although the courses I now offer are shorter, I feel completely confident delivering them because the support doesn’t end when the course finishes.

My own conversion experience has taught me to be honest with other nail technicians about the fact that changing systems can take time, patience and practice. I understand their worries because I’ve experienced them myself.

Most importantly, I know that I and the technicians I train have the continued support of you and the entire HONA team. If there is ever a question or problem, we know we are in safe hands.

Q: For another salon owner who's considering converting to HONA but is nervous about making the change, what would you say to them?

A: I would say trust your instincts and go for it. Making such a big change is naturally nerve-racking, and converting an entire salon is a significant investment, but I genuinely believe you won’t be disappointed by either the products or the team behind HONA.

The products are gorgeous to work with, but more importantly, I feel confident that I am putting my clients’ nail health first. You can see how much care, knowledge and passion go into developing the products behind the scenes, which makes me incredibly proud to use them in my salon.

Another huge selling point for me is the customer support. If you experience even the smallest problem or simply need some advice, the support HONA provides is impeccable it honestly is the best I have ever experienced.

Yes, changing systems can feel daunting and expensive, but you are investing in beautiful products, an incredible brand and a team that genuinely cares. You don’t just convert to HONA you become part of one big family.

Penny’s Journey Comes Full Circle

From converting her entire salon to becoming a HONA Educator, Penny’s journey shows where the right support, education and a willingness to embrace change can lead.

A huge thank you to Penny for sharing her story so openly. We’re incredibly proud to have her as part of the HONA family.