What should include a basic manicure?
Nail Soak
Take about 10-15 and let the nails and finger tips soak in some soapy water. This gets rid of the oils on the nails and gets your cuticles ready to be trimmed and pushed back. To push the cuticles back – you are allowing for healthier nail growth. This also give your nail a longer look. The cuticle sometimes is dead skin so the soak will reveal the dead skin for trimming.
Care for the cuticles
This is normally the starting point of the procedures. The person will ask you to wash your hands and go sit across them. They will have a small bowl that contains oil, cream or lotion that they will apply to your fingers. The purpose of making the application will be to soften the hardened bits of your cuticles. This will be followed by a soak in cold water. The soak can last anywhere between five and ten minutes. This will soften the cuticles further and tame them. After the technician is satisfied about the state of your cuticles, they will proceed to the next step.
Trimming the nails
The next step in the process will be cutting the nails. The technician will ask you what length of nails you are comfortable with. They will also ask about the shape. The common shapes include square, square-oval, oval or stiletto shape. Then, they will proceed to file the nails into the desired shape. This might take three to ten minutes depending on how much work your nails need.
Massage
After the nail shape has been defined, the next step will be the massage. This is to help increase blood flow to the fingers, something that will bring back the color and beauty of your hands. Often, a little olive oil will be used in the massage and once that is complete, the polishing of the nails will start.