Manicuring and Pedicuring Services
The service sequence
Consult and assess → wash hands (yours and the client's) → remove old product → shape → soak or soften → treat cuticle area → massage → polish or finish. Each step has a sanitation obligation attached, and exam questions often test the correct order rather than isolated facts.
Shaping natural nails
Use a 180- to 240-grit file on the natural nail plate and file in one direction, from the side toward the center, lifting slightly on the upstroke. Sawing back and forth creates heat and splits; filing deep into the sidewall corners thins the plate and invites separation. Shape names to know: square, squoval, oval, round, and pointed.
Cuticle work
The cuticle is the dead, nonliving tissue adhering to the nail plate; the eponychium is living skin at the base of the nail. Push back gently with a soft rubber or plastic pusher after softening, and use nippers only on a hangnail or clearly nonliving tissue. Cutting living tissue is outside a nail technician's scope in most states and is a classic trap answer.
Massage and pedicure
Know the classic movements - effleurage (gliding), petrissage (kneading), tapotement (tapping), friction, and vibration - and when to refuse them: over inflamed, swollen, bruised, or undiagnosed skin; over a diabetic client's lower legs without clearance. Pedicure basins need cleaning and disinfection before and after each client, with a disposable liner where required, and callus reduction should follow soaking, never on dry skin. Avoid credo blades and other cutting tools on callus.
Rule of thumb
File from side to center, one direction, on dry natural nails. If the skin is broken, red, or swollen, stop and refer.