Learn all about nails with Christina Jones
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.
The Nail Tech Secrets that you see today was my first foray into writing about beauty online. The site originated in January 2005 as a good old handwritten html site, taken from the manuscripts of a book I was writing while staying at home taking care of my seriously ill husband. A few months later I put it on blog software, then in December 2005, my romance with WordPress began, and the result is the site you see now. I ebb and flow in my tending of NTS, but if you want to learn to do manicures and pedicures yourself, explore the categories and you will find lots of in depth information. And I hope you will subscribe to my email updates and get the latest and greatest nail news, tips and how to's from Nail Tech Secrets!
Nail Tech Secrets » Introduction: Paraffin Treatment
January 18th, 2006 at 9:15 am
[...] Once again, a paraffin treatment ideally should be done at Step 5 of the Spa Manicure, but it can be done as a stand alone treatment anytime. Better to do it alone than to not do it at all. Also this can be done at the end of the Facial for the Hands, instead of using the heating pad or mitts, to allow your moisturizers to completely penetrate. Your hands will be left a little oilier after the paraffin than they will be after using the mitts, so keep that in mind when planning your activities after your Spa Manicuring. [...]
Nail Tech Secrets » Facial for the Hands: Introduction
January 23rd, 2006 at 7:19 am
[...] Generally you will begin this process at Step 5 of the basic spa manicure, although you can always just do this by itself, anytime. [...]
Nail Tech Secrets » Spa Pedicure Step Six: The bottoms of your feet
February 8th, 2006 at 11:27 am
[...] When that foot is as soft as a baby’s bottom (or as close as you are going to get to that this time, get out your salt and oil scrub, and massage it into that foot, this time paying close attention to your ankles, the tops of your feet and toes, and in between your toes. Give yourself a good massage, and let it sit on your feet while you remove the next foot and repeat this step on it. [...]