Nailcare This page intentionally left blank Nailcare Trade secrets of the professionals Leigh Toselli A & C Black First published in 2009 by A&C Black Publishers 36 Soho Square London W1D 3QY www.acblack.com ISBN: 978-1-408-12156-6 Copyright © Quintet Publishing Limited 2009 This book was conceived, designed and produced by Quintet Publishing Limited 6 Blundell Street London N7 9BH UK QTT.NABI Project Editor: Asha Savjani Designer: Anna Gatt Illustrator: Bernard Chau Additional Text: Sula Paolucci Editorial Assistant: Tanya Laughton Art Editor: Zoe White Art Director: Michael Charles Managing Editor: Donna Gregory Publisher: James Tavendale CIP Catalogue records for this book are available from the British Library and the U.S. Library of Congress. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the Publisher. This book is produced using paper that is made for wood grown in managed, sustainable forests. It is natural, renewable and recyclable. The logging and manufacturing processes conform to the environmental regulations of the coutntry of origin. Printed in China 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 CONTENTS Introduction 6 Chapter 1 The hand and foot in detail 16 Chapter 2 Equipment and tools 42 Chapter 3 Manicure and pedicure basics 68 Chapter 4 Tips, wraps, acrylics and gels 118 Chapter 5 Nail fashion 148 Chapter 6 Nail remedies 198 Gallery 216 Taking it further 244 Suppliers 246 Terminology 248 Index 251 INTRODUCTION As well as using our hands for all sorts of practical tasks, we also use them as a way of expressing ourselves and emphasising what we’re saying. They’re one of the first things people notice, which is why we need to make the most of them. Beautifully manicured and maintained nails are much-prized attributes that speak volumes about your health and grooming, not to mention your attention to detail. Neglected hands certainly create a poor impression: nail technician with so much more to ensure the bitten nails or torn cuticles indicate a lack of luxury of beautiful nails. confidence, while perfectly manicured hands Once you know how to take care of your nails, suggest somebody who pays attention to detail and it will be easy to maintain healthy nails. Beautiful, takes pride in their appearance. healthy nails require only a little regular TLC – it Everyone can have great looking hands with needn’t be as complicated as you might think. basic care, meticulous grooming and regular visits Nails are usually their healthiest in their natural to a professional manicurist. Here they will be state, requiring a bit of nail polish for protection buffed, trimmed, softened, painted and filed, and regular applications of hand cream as a massaged and lathered, sloughed, primped and moisturiser. Allow time for a home manicure every preened over. Never before has such a variety of 7 to 14 days with weekly time for touch-ups. artificial nail products been available to extend, Regular home manicures will protect your nails repair or even just strengthen the nail plate, nor has and help improve your image. Good grooming is there ever been such a selection of possibilities for essential for keeping and maintaining your hands adornment, from creative colouring, transfers and and feet in prime condition. stencils, to rhinestones and gems. Manicurists and pedicurists are now focused on a lot more than just the natural nail. These days they need to be fully versed nail technicians, conversant in advanced nail technologies and methods, creativity and artistry, business management and so much more. One of the fastest-growing segments in the beauty business, the nail industry is constantly evolving with new technologies, techniques and products continually being introduced, providing the introduction 7 Starting at the tips l Use nail polish remover as infrequently as possible – especially those containing acetone, l After your bath is the ideal time to gently push as they tend to dry nails out. Use a minimal your cuticles back with a towel, as the warm amount on the nail and avoid getting too much water will have softened them. onto the cuticle and skin. l The cuticle protects the nail root from bacteria. l Never peel or scrape off nail polish or use metal Instead of cutting the cuticle, push it back instruments on the nail surface to push back gently with an orangewood stick or rubber- the cuticles, unless you’re a professional and tipped cuticle-pusher. Strong cuticle growth can know what you’re doing. This can scrape off the be controlled with a cuticle softener or cuticle protective cells of the nail surface. Peeling off remover liquid. flaking nail enamel is also very damaging. l Don’t pull or tear hangnails. Cut the flap of skin at l Avoid using your nails as tools. Instead, keep the base with clippers or small scissors and leave a screwdriver handy; it’ll prolong the life of the cuticle as intact and untampered with as your manicure. possible. l Change footwear often and avoid wearing the l Keep fingernails and toenails at a sensible length. same pair of shoes every day. It is as important Never clip nails to shorten them. Use an emery to care for your feet as it is your hands. board to file nails down to size, but file only when l Keep your nails out of your mouth! Biting nails your nails are dry and free from cream. can damage the nail and the cuticle, leading to l Filing straight up against your nail can peel the the transfer of harmful organisms to the nail, tip; you should hold the emery board at a which can result in infection. 45-degree angle under the free edge of the nail l When faced with repetitive tasks, take time while filing. out to wriggle your hands and fingers, wrists l Brittle, peeling nails are caused by dryness. Try and arms, to maintain a normal range of to apply a moisturiser or cuticle cream every movement and to help prevent Occupational time you wash your hands. Overuse Syndrome. l Manicure your nails fully approximately every 7 to 14 days, reapplying nail polish as often as necessary. l Exfoliate them regularly to remove dead skin cells and apply hand cream every time you wash your hands – keep tubs of cream handy next to the sink. l Always wear rubber gloves when submerging your hands in water, working with hazardous chemicals, or doing messy work like gardening. Try applying your favorite moisturiser before putting on the gloves; the heat from the warm water will help your skin absorb the moisture and treat your hands. l A base coat is a good investment. Although it is formulated to help nail polish last longer, it also helps prevent coloured polish from staining your nails. 8 introduction A HISTORY OF NAIL CARE Manicured nails can be traced back some 4,000 years to southern Babylon, where noblemen used solid gold implements to manicure their nails. Manicure instruments have also been found in Aristocrats grew their nails up to almost Egypt’s royal tombs. Body decoration, including 10 inches long as a sign that they performed no henna as a stain for fingernails and toenails, has manual labor and to indicate their wealth and been practiced across the world for centuries. The privilege. Great care was taken to protect each nail; Egyptians used nail colour to signify social order – they were often encased in silver or gold sheaths they used reddish brown stains derived from the lined with soft padded silk. During the Chou Dynasty henna plant to colour their nails as well as the tips of 600 BCE , Chinese royalty often chose gold and of their fingers, with shades of red being the most silver and black and red to enhance their nails – desired. Queen Nefertiti, wife of King Akhenaton, colours that would differentiate them from ordinary coloured her fingernails and toenails ruby red; women. Lower-class women had to be content with Cleopatra favored deep rust red. Women of lower lighter shades and if non-royalty were seen sporting rank who coloured their nails were permitted only the ‘royal colours’, they could be executed. But pale hues. The Chinese used a combination of women weren’t the only ones being manicured. In Arabic gum, egg whites, gelatin and beeswax to both Rome and Egypt, commanders in the military create their coloured lacquer. They also used a painted their nails to match the colour they wore on mixture of pulped rose for colour, or orchid and their lips, before heading into battle. impatiens petals combined with alum, which, when The French manicure made its first appearance applied to nails overnight, left a pinkish, reddish in eighteenth-century Paris. Its signature white tips stain. The Incas could well have been the first to and natural pink base found favor in the French introduce nail art; their fingernails were decorated court and, years later, were revived in the 1920s with pictures of eagles. and 1930s. By the turn of the nineteenth century, a history of nail care 11 nails were being tinted with scented red oils, tinted liquid nail polish, made from natural resins powders and creams and polished or buffed with a coloured with dyes. Technology developed and the chamois cloth rather than being simply painted. 1920s saw nail polishes made from plasticized After World War I there was a surplus of leftover nitrocellulose, but this formula didn’t adhere well to nitrocellulose, which had been used for military the nail and wore off quite quickly.