Basic Nail Tips

What should include a basic manicure?

by maureen · Published January 12, 2017 · Updated January 14, 2018

The first trip to the spa or beauty salon can be quite unnerving for the first timer. At times, it is not so much about the complexity of the processes involved but also the terms used in the process and the length of the time taken for the entire procedure. If you are new to the art of getting manicures, it is recommended that you stick to the basic procedure. As you learn more about the operations of the parlor, you can include more advanced options in your routine. Here, is what the basic manicure includes.

Nail Soak

Allow the hands to soak in soapy water for health happy nails. Also this provides strong nails and promotes nail growth.

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

Close up of hands. Beautician trimming cuticles of female client. Manicure and skincare. Woman in spa beauty salon.

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

filing the nails can be done to different shapes. Be sure the shape is the nail shape you desire : round or square

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

Woman having hand massage on isolated background

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.

Multi-colored jelly sweets in the hands with a bright nail polish

Application of nail polish

Before the actual polish is applied, a base coat will be applied to the nail. This is supposed to protect the nail from getting stained by the actual polish. Most of the good quality base coats will also have ingredients that help strengthen the nails and keep them in good shape. Then, after the base coat has dried up, the actual polish will be applied. This is normally done in two coatings. The second coat is supposed to create depth and definition to the polish. Once the polishing has been completed, you will be requested to place your hands under a nail dryer. This will dry out all the polish.

In case any smudges were made, they will be wiped off with nail color remover. If any of the nails gets messed up in the process, the technician will wipe it off and do it again from the start. Other procedures that you can learn with time include the French manicure, the reverse French manicure, the American manicure and many other options.