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A few tips for healthy hands and nails Your hands with their little nails are constantly busy, whether it's doing house work or gesticulating to help an excited conversation along. Hand skin has virtually no reserves of fat and moisture of their own, and constant contact with cleaning supplies in combination with frequent hand washing aggravates the situation even more. It results in wrinkles, roughness and cracks. • Try to avoid harsh detergents and extreme temperatures. Be sure to wash with mild cleansers and warm water. • Be sure to apply hand cream after washing your hands. Soaps make nails and skin very dry, leading to brittle and peeling nails. • Be sure to treat your cuticles very gently. They protect the growth centre of the nail so you should never tear the skin or cut the cuticles. • To encourage nail growth, massage the base of your nails whenever you can. Make it a nightly ritual to rub a rich hand cream into your hands and nails; massaging around the cuticles to help nourish and stimulate growth. • Exercise your hands! Because of today's repetitive tasks, be sure to take time out to wiggle and stretch your fingers, wrists, hands and arms. This will help maintain normal range of movement. Foot Tips & Faqs • Women tend to have 4 times more problems with their feet then men! • Be sure to wash your feet daily in warm, soapy water. Be sure to dry them thoroughly inbetween the toes. • If you suffer from dry skin, apply moisturizing cream all over the foot, except inbetween the toes. Regular moisturizer also helps to avoid painful, cracked heels. • Be sure to trim your toenails regularly. Cut straight across, be sure to not cut too short or down at the corners; which can lead to ingrown nails. • Be sure to keep your feet warm and exercise them regularly to improve circulation. They say that the average person walks the equivalent of four times around the world in their lifetime. Be sure to always wear the right shoe for the job. Ill-fitting shoes can cause problems for your feet. • Keep in mind that toenails are more susceptible than fingernails to nail fungus since they tend to be in contact with the ground and they are in shoes often that provide a dark, moist place for bacteria to thrive. Keeping your feet clean and dry is the best way to prevent infection. • Your toenails grow 1.6mm to 3mm per month and protect the ends of your toes, the nerves lying underneath and the bones. • Visit a pedicurist every 2-6 weeks for Pedicures! And in between visits, give yourself a regular home pedicure for maintenance. Do Enhancements Ruin Your Natural Nail ? Today’s nail products are dramatically advanced and don’t require your nail tech to damage your natural nails during application or removal. Also, don’t pick, chew, or mistreat your enhancements, because that could lead to natural nail damage. Should Enhancements Be Taken Off to "Let Them Breath"? The truth is your nails DO NOT BREATHE! EVER!!!! The only breathing taking place in your body happens in the lungs. Your nails are made up of keratin...a fibrous protein. This is the same stuff that your hair is made of....and your hair doesn't breathe either. Once the nail grows from the matrix (the part of your finger that the nail grows out of) it is basically dead. It does not feel, has no blood supply, etc. Which is why you can trim your nails as well as hair without feeling pain. Because your nails do NOT breathe there is no logical reason for removing all your nail enhancements to give your nails a rest. The enhancement covers the dead portion of the nail so your nail will continue to grow out. At times, whatever material your enhancement is made of, may begin to age or breakdown after being exposed to various chemicals, etc. When this occurs the material covering the nail can become brittle, begin to discolor or even crack/flake off. Some people keep their nails too long and the constant banging on the nail can also cause problems with the enhancement. This is why it is important to regularly maintain your nails once enhancements have been applied. If a problem is caught early then your tech can re-balance the material rather then soak off the entire enhancement. How do I keep my new nails looking beautiful? You just got your nails done and you love them! You want to know how to keep them looking beautiful all the time? Well, having great nail enhancements comes with a trade-off. Below is a list of do's and dont's! - • Visit your Nail Professional (me!) regularly, every 2-3weeks to ensure your nails get rebalanced to a healthy, strong state. Take care to protect them against damage or breakage. • "Treat Your Nails Like Jewels, Not Like Tools!" When doing gardening or household work, try to wear gloves whenever possible. • Don't use your nails to open pop cans, use a tool. • Learn to adapt by doing things with the pads of your fingers rather than using your fingertips. • When lifting heavy objects, test your hold to be sure you won't break a nail. • DO NOT IGNORE A CONDITION THAT DEVELOPS AROUND YOUR NAILS! Allergies are RARE, but they can and do happen. Please call as soon as possible if you notice something out of the ordinary. • Avoid getting sunscreen on your nails and if you do be sure to remove it promptly. • Be sure to keep your hands and cuticles soft by applying a cuticle oil. Be sure to check to make sure whatever cuticle oil or lotion you are using DOES NOT contain Mineral Oil. Mineral Oil is known to cause lifting of enhancements. • If you decide after some time that you wish to remove your enhancements, DO NOT chew, cut, pick the nails off!! Call and reserve an appointment time to have them removed professionally to ensure that no damage to your natural nail is done. I have broken a nail, what should I do? It happens, all nails can and will occasionally break no matter how strong they are, but now what? You see the cracked and lifted edge and start to pick, you want the once beautiful but now unsightly thing off....but WAIT! I plead with you not to pick and pull at the rough edges, please gently file off any loose edges or if you prefer you can put a Band-Aid over it; either are exceptable quick fixes until you can get in, BUT if you choose the band-aid don't wear it for long durations! Wearing a band-aid too long can also trap moisture on the nail that has lifted. Be sure to remove it for several hours each day. If a nail has completely broken off, gently file the free edge with a fine-grit file to smooth. Please, if you break a nail; give me a call I will do my best to fit you in as soon as possible to have it repaired. *If a break is so severe that it results in an open wound, treat it as you would any cut and seek medical attention if necessary. Why not pick and pull? The artificial nail has bonded with your natural nail and as you lift the lose edges you will be pulling on the part that is still bonded and that can cause serious damage to your natural nail and possibly even cause your natural nail to separate from your finger causing serious pain and leaving you susceptible to infections. Still not convinced? If you cause more trauma to the probably already sore finger I won't be able to fix it until it heals! Why do my nails somtimes feel "hot" under the UV light? There are several reasons as to why your fingers may feel like they are "hot" "burning" "pinching" ect. all to do with the product itself, the way it is applied and how it is cured. First off I assure you they are NOT actually burning. The UV light triggers the molecules to bond to each other resulting in friction, as the gel cures it shrinks resulting in a hard durable product. It is the combination of the friction and shrinking that can cause discomfort. There are ways to help minimize/prevent any "burning "sensations and discomfort you may feel. A professional nail technician should be able to help guide you as to how to place your hands under the light and what to do if you feel heat. *Please make sure you mention if you feel any discomfort at anytime! Can the UV light cause damage to my hands? The U-V light emitted by UVA bulbs such as you refer to (9 watt osram types) delivers very narrow bandwidth very closely correlated with the photo-initiator used in the gels. This narrow bandwidth is NOT the one associated with tanning by and large, and it has been estimated that it would take over a year of continuous exposure to get any tanning effect at all from these bulbs. A client gets more exposure to this bandwidth of UVA light every day in a few minutes by a window or in her car! The FDA has deemed this light safe and it is used daily not only in our industry, but by the medical and dental industries as well. Myths & Other Questions Can you diagnose or treat infections? No, it is illegal for a nail tech to make a diagnossis. I can tell you if I think there maybe a problem, but I can not diagnose it or treat it. I will recomend you see you doctor for proper diagnossis and treatment and unfortunatly I must refuse to service you — at least until you bring me a doctor’s note. My nails have turned green and I have a fungus! What you are seeing is not a fungus, or mold. It is commonly known in the industry as a “greenie” and is the by-product of bacteria trapped between your nail enhancement and your natural nail. This is mostly caused by moisture getting trapped under the enhancement. This discolouration will do no harm to your nail, however you should remove the enhancement on the affected nail and have the nail tech buff out the discolouration. You may then have another enhancement applied. Cutting cuticles is good for nail health. True or False? FALSE! What you’re calling “cuticle” is actually the “eponychium” (cuticle is the dead skin that’s on the nail plate, whereas the eponychium is living skin). Cutting eponychium isn’t recommended, because too often the living skin that protects the matrix is cut and infections occur. Plus, over time cutting eponychium can lead to thickened scar-like tissue. Instead, soak your nails in warm water for 10 minutes and push back with something soft (like a towel) or just use a liquid cuticle remover to dissolve the dead skin on top of the nail. Are acetone-free nail polish removers really more gentle on nails than the acetone based ones? Acetone free nail polish removers are just as drying as those that use acetone. In essence, if a nail polish remover can cut through polish, it can work away at the nail, too. It is true that any solvent capable of removing nail enamel will also remove oils and moisture from the surface of the nail plate. But is this "drying"? That depends entirely on your definition of "drying". Removing surface oils and moisture on normal, healthy nails is not a problem. We do it every time we wash and dry our hands. Problems arise when this is done to an extreme. If I washed my hands dozens of times every day, after a while... I'm gonna have a problem. I over did it! The same can happen when we over do anything. If we remove and reapply our nail polish too often, that can cause the natural nail plate to become damaged and look "dried out". This will happen with any type of nail polish remover. Non acetone polish removers are NOT better or safer for the natural nail, as they are often promoted. Acetone is an extremely safe solvent. In fact, it is one of the safest solvents nail techs use. What is the difference between a French manicure and a American Manicure? French manicure is the most common with the bright white tips and soft pink nail bed. An American maincure is done the same way but often using a softer white or cream tip and a pale beige nail bed resulting in a more natural looking nail. What are paraffin wax treatments? Paraffin wax treatment is a spa service intended to moisturize and soften the skin. This is often applied to the hands and feet as components of manicures and pedicures. The wax used is not the same wax ingredient for candles or hair removal, paraffin wax is a variant that is more viscous and bonds to the skin. Paraffin wax is softer compared to the above mentioned. This wax contains paraffin oil. And since it is soft, it melts at a lower temperature. Thus, the skin can be submerged without the fear of burning or blistering. The process is actually quite simple. Clients dip their hands/feet into the melted wax. This should be done for a few times to coat the skin evenly. Then, the hands/feet are wrapped in a plastic allowing the wax to settle for about 15 minutes. Once the wax has hardened, it can be pulled off in one solid piece. Since paraffin is soft plus the inclusion of oil, it does not adhere to the skin. But rather, after it is peeled, the skin is left slick and soft. This treatment is highly recommended for those with seasonally dry skin. It also works for cracked heels and knuckles or any damage caused by shoes like minor callous. The use of paraffin began during the first world war as medical treatment for orthopedic injuries. It was said that the warm paraffin is an effective way of applying heat to reduce the swelling in muscles, decrease inflammation of joints and connective tissues, soothe the pain from arthritis and improve circulation. Why use a masque? Not only are masques excellent hydrators for the skin, filling it full of antioxidants' and vitamins, they effectively relax tired, achy feet/hands. There are different types of masques; some are warming others cooling but all pack your skin with nutrition causing softer smoother skin to to be realized, helping to prevent dry cracked skin on both your hands and feet. Why should I get an exfoliating scrub? 90% of the dust in your home is dead skin cells. And no, I didn't make a typo. So, now that you're a tad bit unsettled, let's talk about why it's good for your skin. We all want smooth soft skin. Your body is covered in a layer of dead skin cells. The lotion that you put on your skin has to work its way through layers of dead skin cells just to reach the top layer. No matter how much body lotion you put on the dead skin cells, they still remain dead skin cells. If you want healthy smooth skin, you must slough them off. No better way than with a exfoliator. Days of operation are Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. |
