To make a good impression, we're told to "put our best foot forward", but shouldn't we really put our best hand forward? When we meet someone, we shake hands. When we help someone, we lend a hand. When we give something to someone, we hand it over. Our hands are one of the most active and visible parts of our body. You don't have to have long nails or spend a lot of time and money on hand and nail care to have nice looking hands and nails. Just follow these easy tips and the steps to a great manicure to keep "putting your best hand forward". STEPS FOR A GREAT MANICURE: CLEAN Completely remove old nail color. Be sure also to remove any color residue that's left on your hands by the polish remover. If you wear artificial nails, always use an acetone-free remover. Wash your hands thoroughly, using a nail brush to remove any dirt under your nails. Nothing can ruin the look of a new manicure faster than dirt left under the nails. PREPARE Massage cuticle cream or oil into your cuticles to soften them. Use the flat end of an orange stick to gently push back your cuticles. Use a nail clipper or scissors to remove any hangnails, but do NOT cut cuticles just to trim them. This is a good way to get an infection, and simply pushing back softened cuticles will more safely achieve the result. SHAPE Shape your nails with an emery board. Metal files are harsh on your nails, so emery boards are a better choice. (When I use the verb "file" here, it refers to the act of shaping, not to the metal nailfile itself.) The two most common nail shapes are the spoon (fig. 1) and the square (fig. 2). The square-shaped nail is stronger and a good choice if you work with your hands a lot. Whichever shape you choose, file only the top and corners of the nail. Do NOT file along the sides of the nail since this will weaken it. File in only one direction on each nail. A back-and-forth motion will make your nail more susceptible to pealing and splitting. (This isn't a problem with acrylic nails.) Even if your nails don't need a complete shaping, use the emery board to remove rough or uneven spots during each manicure. Smooth any nails with rough surfaces. Use a buffing board or pad. Do NOT use a regular emery board to smooth the nail surface. It's too rough. Use a light touch and buff no more than about 20 strokes per nail. Lightly wash your hands and nails to remove any "nail dust" from shaping and any cuticle oil or cream residue. APPLY BASE COAT Although not everyone uses a base coat, if you have problems with your nail color chipping, a base coat will help create a longer-lasting manicure. It will also help prevent stained nails, which can happen especially with darker and brighter polish shades. Completely cover the nail with a thin coat of the base coat product. Allow the base coat to dry for about 5 minutes. NAIL COLOR Use the principles of Color Harmony to choose a flattering nail color. Keep in mind that pearlized shades and very light or white shades will emphasize lines or redness in the hands. Apply a thin coat of nail color, using as few strokes as possible. Allow the color to dry for about 5 minutes. Apply a second thin coat of nail color, using as few strokes as possible. Allow the second coat to dry for about 5 minutes. Applying two thin coats rather than one thick coat will make a faster-drying, smoother, harder, more professional looking manicure. TOP COAT A clear top coat will protect your nail color, help prevent chipping, and help create a longer-lasting manicure. Apply a thin coat of the top coat product to the surface of your nail AND over the tip of the nail to help "seal in" the color. FAST DRYING PROMOTER If your top coat does not include this feature, apply a product to help the surface of your manicure dry faster. These are available in both spray-on and brush-on formulas. These products can be applied right after applying the top coat. Remember that a fast drying promoter only works on the surface of your manicure to more quickly get past the "tacky" stage. It does not dry all the layers of the manicure. DRY Place your nails under a nail-drying lamp or fan until all layers of your manicure are set. If you don't have a lamp or fan, be sure to allow 45 minutes to an hour for your manicure to completely dry. MAINTENANCE Apply a layer of top coat every 3-4 days to help prevent chipping. Remember to go over the tip of the nail when applying top coat. Apply cuticle cream or oil regularly to keep your cuticles soft and prevent hangnails. How often you should do this will depend on the condition of your cuticles. If you have very dry cuticles, you'll need to apply the cream or oil more frequently. Use hand lotion or cream each time your hands have been in water. Massage it gently but thoroughly into your skin. A hand cream containing sunscreen will help protect your hands from "incidental" sun exposure. (See Fun In the Sun) TROUBLESHOOTING Bubbles in the manicure. Bubbles in the surface of your manicure are created by air bubbles in the nail color product. This happens when the nail color is shaken to mix it up, but the bubbles aren't given enough time to settle before the product is used. To prevent this, shake your nail color as long as possible before you actually do your manicure. Streaks in the manicure. Oil on the nail (either applied or natural) can create streaks in your manicure. After shaping, and before the last light washing, lightly go over only the nail itself with color remover or facial toner to remove any oil that might remain. White spots in the nails. White spots that move with the nail as it grows are often signs of damage to the matrix of the nail. The matrix is the part of the nail under the skin just behind the cuticle. It can be damaged by too much pressure or force ... when pushing back cuticles for example. Since the white spot moves with the nail as it grows, you can file or trim it off when the nail has grown out far enough. Until then, nail color will hide it. If you have a Best Hand Forward question you'd like to ask, just e-mail me here. Be sure to put "Best Hand Forward" in the subject line. BACK TO [It's a Colorful Life] VISIT LIPSTICK'S WEB GROUP!