ARE ADHD AND NAILS A CAREER MATCH?

It’s key for people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to do work they are passionate about and why not nails?

It stands for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and ADHD has three types: hyperactive, inattentive and combined. Girls tend to be in the last two camps, while boys are more likely to present with external hyperactivity which gets them noticed by teachers and parents. This means girls often slip under the radar at school and received negative feedback rather than help.

“Inattentive ADHD is still hyperactivity, but it is more of a mental hyperactivity than a physical one,” explained therapist and ADHD coach Ellen Hartley. “Girls with the inattentive type tend to be creative daydreamers with heightened emotions and problems with concentration, while often still being high achievers.”

Girls are far more likely to mask their symptoms due to socialisation and sexism. They are expected to be quieter and better behaved than boys.

“Due to being well-spoken, timid and female, I flew under the radar for diagnosis,” said nail tech Kate Wheelan from Ireland.

“I got diagnosed (with ADHD) when attempting to complete school for the second time and did not want to drop out again. I wanted answers.”

People with ADHD are often very clever but struggle with executive function, making things like organisation, concentration, task switching, and time management a real challenge.

Executive function is controlled by the frontal lobe of the brain and requires dopamine to work, which is something that ADHD brains produce a lot less of than neurotypical ones.

This means that people with ADHD are more likely to be impulsive and lack self-control, which can get them in all sorts of trouble explained Hartley. “However, this need to seek out dopamine, the drive to take risks and the difficulty to be under the authority of others, make ADHD people incredible entrepreneurs, leaders and out-of-the-box thinkers.”

The path to finding nails

“It’s often university or college where those with undiagnosed ADHD really start to struggle after years of masking and even overachieving,” explained Hartley. This is a time when we move away from the family home and our everyday routines and are expected to fend for and be responsible for ourselves. Juggling studying, everyday tasks, social life and often a job, quickly becomes overwhelming for those with ADHD without the right support or understanding.

Some manage to stick to their studies despite having a string of ADHD burnouts. For many though, this is not the case, but for some, dropping out of university was the catalyst that caused them to find nails.

“My nail career began in 2012 after I dropped out of (university) because of what I now know was undiagnosed ADHD,” explained nail tech Rose Tucker who was diagnosed several years later at the age of 30.

It came after Tucker’s symptoms peaked when she was put into chemical menopause, which can heighten ADHD symptoms.

When she left university, she felt lost. Then her mum saw an ad for a nail apprenticeship in a local salon and encouraged her to apply. “The rest is history.” Tucker now owns a salon called Rose Tucker Southport where she lives in England.

ADHD nail tech struggles

Time management and perfectionism are common struggles for people with ADHD and this can, for example, make sticking to appointment times tough.

Organisation and memory can also be challenges, leading to a long list of lost items and missed appointments. To overcome this, Hartley explained that some (especially women) will overcompensate by masking their symptoms by being excessively early, compulsively taking notes or obsessively logging events.

People with ADHD can also suffer from overstimulation and sensory overload. This means that busy environments like nail salons, bustling with clients and buzzing drills can cause challenges.

Tucker said she is still learning her triggers but has adapted her salon and working hours accordingly.

“I think it’s really important to try and voice these to clients and colleagues so they understand if you need to adjust further,” she said.

“My clients know that I prefer to keep the salon doors and windows closed to soften external noises, or if I go quiet it’s because I’m having difficulty concentrating or am overstimulated. I’m yet to meet anyone who is not respectful of it.”

Anxiety meltdowns are common for those with ADHD and masking at work every day can lead to exhaustion and burnout.

“When I finish work, I have to go to my room, spend five minutes on my own and emotionally unload, as the job can be extremely emotionally draining and overwhelming,” said ADHD tech Charlotte Nicholson.

Hartley said this is a good coping strategy to “come down after a day of intense social activity. Executive function also helps manage emotional regulation, meaning that controlling emotions and impulses can be a lot harder for people with ADHD.

Another facet of this is rejection sensitivity dysphoria (RSD). “RSD can make any rejection, real or perceived, unbearable for people with ADHD,” said Hartley. “This can cause challenges at work and in relationships and cause people to become socially withdrawn.”

This could include difficulty in getting feedback from clients and taking it personally when a client does not return.

Thanks to poor impulse control and a tendency to drop hobbies as quickly as they are taken up, those with ADHD are often subject to “ADHD tax”. Poor organisation and bad memory can cause bills to be paid late, resulting in mounting fines and financial stress.

Keeping up with work-related social media can also be a drain. Hartley suggested blocking out time to focus on social media and reply to messages. “Social media can cause a lot of anxiety. Using apps to limit screen time can be helpful, as can scheduling tools for social media posts to ensure posts are going out even when you don’t feel like posting.”

ADHD nail tech superpowers

ADHD is full of contradictions, meaning an individual can be employee of the month and floundering in the next month. It also means that many ADHD struggles can also be “superpowers”.

This includes, for example, forgetting to text a client back, but remembering all the details of a conversation with that client when they come back four weeks later.

Perfection can also be seen as a superpower by clients and the drive that comes about when the ADHD nail tech is passionate about what she is doing.

The ability to hyperfocus and get “in the zone” is one of the upsides of ADHD for many. It means that despite often suffering from overstimulation, if the time is right and they are doing something they love, ADHD people can tune everything out for hours and concentrate with laser focus.

On the other hand, for some the inability to focus on one thing makes them great multitaskers. “I can focus better when I’m multitasking. I can do what I love and thrive. I can be a mom, wife and a boss at the same time under the same roof,” said South Africa-based tech Chanel Louw.

Meanwhile, mental hyperactivity and the need for stimulation and risk taking to stave off boredom can make ADHD people highly ambitious. This is despite motivation problems.

“My inability to be satisfied means I’m constantly pushing myself to do better,” said tech Danielle York. “If I’m not a little stressed, I’m empty, so I’m constantly learning new techniques. This year I started entering competitions. It’s a great way to challenge myself and ‘relax’.”

“People with ADHD are natural empaths,” said Hartley. “This means they are attuned to others’ needs and can make people feel comfortable and at ease.”

“Being ADHA teaches you to read people,” said Louw. “It’s a sense of knowing and understanding what people feel.” The bottom line is that while there are upsides to the contradictory elements of ADHD, it is these contradictions that can cause ADHD people to have struggles with their mental health, says Hartley. Ambitious, but lacking motivation, or being able to hyperfocus one day and not being able to focus at all the next.

“This is why it is important to learn to understand your ADHD and learn coping mechanisms and strategies to counteract these struggles,” said Hartley. “Medication can help overcome symptoms but cannot cure ADHD. Finding structure and routine is very hard for ADHD sufferers. Therapy and coaching can help with this. It can really help to manage symptoms like task switching and time management, which in turn can help ease anxiety.”

Most of all though, said Hartley, it’s imperative for those with ADHD to find a thing or multiple things they love to do, and that might as well be nails.

This is an adapted and shortened version of the article that appeared in the Glasgow Professional Beauty magazine in October 2023.