At this point there are a couple of things you can do, or you can do them both. This is also the time where you could perform the treatments that I will talk about when we are finished with the Basic Manicure, the Facial for the Hands and/or the Paraffin Treatment. I will include these two treatments here because they are simpler, require much less preparation and mess, and go with a basic spa manicure easily. You can prepare a salt scrub by putting a couple of tablespoons of salt in a small dish. Cover the salt with your oil, and a drop of essential oil, if you wish. Massage this into your hands for several minutes. Don’t skimp on the time. A good deal of the difference between a plain old manicure and a spa manicure is the activation of your senses through touch and smell. This is the essence of a currently popular, VERY expensive treatment. The popular version smells delightful and exotic, that is the only difference (well, besides that ours cost a few pennies, theirs costs about $30 for an 8 oz jar. You can slip your hand into your warmed mitts or your heating pad if you wish here. I have mixed feelings about this service however. From what I know about chemistry (which is relatively limited), salt pulls moisture out of your cells, and that is not my idea of a great idea for more moisturized skin. Nevertheless, this treatment remains a very popular service; give it a try if you like, the salt IS an extremely good exfoliant. When you are finished, wash up one more time, using your scrub brush to get each and every salt granule off of your skin and out from your nails. My preferred treatment for almost everyone, including myself, is to rub your favorite, preferably wonderful scented, lotion all over your hands and wrists, really give yourself a good 5 full minute massage, wrap them up with a sheet of plastic wrap and slide them into the heated mitts/heating pad for about 10 minutes. There is no need to rinse your hands yet.
Archive for December 9th, 2005
Going back to the first hand, put it back into the warm water for about 2 minutes. Remove it, dry it off, and then spray the fingertips with a spray or two of your Blue Cross Cuticle Remover. This is the best product out there (if you didn’t get that earlier—I am not a representative for them at all, just a very satisfied customer). With your metal pusher, GENTLY push your cuticles back. Spray more Blue Cross as your cuticles dry out. Watch for the cuticle skin that is very tightly attached to your nail. This is what needs to be pushed back. If this is a first time manicure, you may have a thin tough layer of cuticle grown nearly all the way up your nail. Scrape off what you can scrape off, and push back what you cannot scrape off. If you are fighting with this step, put your fingertips back into the warm water for a few minutes, then spray some more Blue Cross on them. Do not obsess about this, more damage can be done here than anywhere else in the manicure process. This skin will become trained to stay back after a few manicures, and your work here will be greatly minimized. Whatever you do, do not push back cuticles so aggressively that you cut your skin. Save clipping with cuticle nippers for later. Repeat with the other hand.
