How to properly cut your nails

Clean, neatly cut nails not only make the hands look more attractive, but keeping nails trim is also good for overall health. Scraggly, overgrown finger or toenails can become ingrown, causing pain and possibly infection. In addition, unkempt nails are liable to snag on materials, causing tears and damage to clothing, blankets or other items. It is simple to cut nails properly, and the advantages make cutting your nails worth the little bit of effort it takes.

Step 1: Keep it Clean

• Always wash your hands and underneath your nails before you get started. This will not only help prevent infection, but it will soften nails slightly and make them easier to cut through. However, you should make sure your nails are completely dry before you begin to cut. If they are too soft, they will be prone to tearing. Wash the nail scissors or clippers you intend to use, as well. A germ-free nail trimming is of utmost importance.

Step 2: Cut

1. Choose a length
2. Cut straight across the nail, making sure your clippers or scissors do not cut through any skin
3. Use extra snips if necessary to even out the cut.

Step 3: File

• If you are cutting your fingernails, or sometimes even your toenails, you will want to finish with a nail file or an emery board to shape and smooth. Start at the center of the nail to avoid tearing, and file away towards the sides. If you are going for an oval shape, gently drag the file downwards to create a slope. If you are going for a neat, squared-off look, file straight across.

If you have rough skin around the nail bed trim the area with sterile clippers or small scissors and place Vaseline around them and put a sock over them. This will cause the heat to stay in and the moisture to soak into the skin. For best results: Do this at night and in the morning you will have WONDERFUL soft hands.

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What are the benefits of a manicure?

Manicure and pedicure services are not just for women! There are great benefits for men as well. Manicures and pedicures should be done regularly for good foot and nail health for both genders.

Manicures are a treatment for hands and fingernails. Manicure treatment can treat only hands or fingernails or both. You can do it yourself at home or a manicurist will do it for you at his or her salon or spa. The word manicure is derived from the Latin word manus, which means hands and cure, which means care.

Purpose and Benefits of Manicure

The main purpose of the manicure treatment is to improve the look and feel of your hands and fingernails. Another purpose is to clean, strengthen, shape, make attractive and sometimes even dress your nails. The other benefits associated with manicure include:

• It improves the health and texture of your hands and fingernails.
• It helps in preventing hang – nail formation.
• It may help in treating sore or broken skin if present around the nails.
• It helps in preventing nail damages like fragile tips, cuts or splits.
• Massage that often accompanies manicure helps in improving the health of the skin by increasing blood circulation.
• By improving the health of the skin, it discourages the wrinkling of the skin on hands.

Different Types of Manicures

There are many different types of manicures available. The steps carried out during any of the manicure types are same. That what distinguishes a type from another is the different shaping of the nails and application of different oils and creams.

French Manicure: This is the most popular type of manicure. It involves the application of clear or nail-colored nail polish on the body of the nail and pure white nail polish at the tips of nails. The nails are shaped round, oval or square as per desire.

Paraffin Manicure: In this type of manicure, either your hands are dipped into wax or warm wax is rubbed into your nails. This will make your hands soft.

Hot Stone Manicure: In this type of manicure, hand massage is given by using hot stone therapy.

Luxury Manicure: This type of manicure includes the use of paraffin wax and heated mittens for softening and warming the hands and hydrating the nails.

Spa Manicure: This type of manicure includes few additional steps than the normal manicure like a hydrating mask or an aromatic salt rub.

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