Manicuring
Sequence and technique
A professional manicure moves in a fixed order: set up sanitized implements and single-use supplies, wash hands, inspect the nails and skin, shape, soak and soften, care for the cuticle, massage, then apply product and clean up.
Shape with the file held at roughly a 45-degree angle, working from the corner toward the tip and filing in one direction. Sawing back and forth creates heat and splits the plate's layers. Never file a natural nail after soaking - wet keratin is soft and shreds.
Cuticle care
Apply cuticle softener, then push back gently with a rubber-tipped or metal pusher held flat. Only trim truly loose, dead hangnails with nippers. Cutting living tissue around the matrix invites paronychia and permanent ridge damage.
Massage and polish
Know the five basic massage movements - effleurage, petrissage, tapotement, friction, and vibration - and the contraindications (inflamed or broken skin, contagious conditions, recent injury). Polish is applied in thin coats: base, two color coats, top coat, sealing the free edge.
Traps and a rule of thumb
Distractors include filing back and forth, filing after soaking, cutting the eponychium, or massaging over an infection. Nail shapes (square, squoval, oval, round, almond, stiletto, coffin) are also fair game.
Rule of thumb: one direction, 45 degrees, dry nail - and if the skin is red, swollen, or broken, stop and refer.