What Happens During a Manicure and Pedicure
During a manicure or pedicure a technician perform several steps to clean the nails and make them look nice. Some of these steps may occur in a different order.
The technician will:
- Remove old nail polish.
- Cut and shape the nails.
- Remove any dead skin around them, such as hangnails.
- Soak the feet in warm water during a pedicure to soften the skin. Sometimes oil is added to the water to soften the skin. After the feet soak, the technician will rub the bottom of them with a pumice stone or special file that has a sandpaper-like surface. This will soften the calluses.
- Massage the feet and hands, rubbing them with moisturizing lotion.
- Apply nail polish, starting with a clear base coat, then two coats of color, if desired. Nail polish isn’t harmful, even for children. In fact, it can protect the nails and keep them moist.
If nail polish is used:
- Don’t use polish with nail hardeners because they make the nails less flexible and therefore more likely to break.
- Put on a base coat of clear nail polish when wearing dark nail polish. Dark nail polish can stain the nails if you wear it a lot, although it will fade eventually. Putting clear nail polish on first prevents the dark polish from staining the nails.
- Don’t use nail polish remover more than twice a month. Nail polish remover, especially those that include acetone, are really hard on the nails. It dries nails out. When you do use it, be sure to moisturize your nails afterward. Rub moisturizer with petrolatum or mineral oil into the nails to keep them moist and healthy.
Note: The technician may want to cut or push the cuticles during a manicure. This isn’t a good idea. The cuticle is the skin at the bottom of the nail that protects the root. Pushing the cuticle back exposes the delicate root, and can lead to an infection.
If your child wants to learn more about manicures or pedicures, he or she can visit: Manicures and Pedicures: Not Just For Adults.
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