Getting a good manicure can be hit and miss at the best of times, when so many beauty salons fail to hit the mark. Once I've found somewhere that does it well, I try to stick with the same outlet.
Here's a few tips that I've learned over the years to make sure you're getting the best possible service.
Probably the first thing to check, is to actually make sure technicians are using sterilized utensils. Very often it's obvious that equipment has just been washed under the tap then put back into a steri-pack and re-sealed, you can tell it's been used over and over again. Do you really want the germs and dirt from other peoples fingers put onto your own? Blurgh I think not. A practice that I see so many women doing now, is buying their own manicure sets and leaving them with their chosen salon, so that they have their own personal utensils - great idea :-)
One thing that drives me insane, is seeing nail technicians sawing away at peoples nails. This is so, so bad and can cause splits and actually weaken the actual nail. Filing should be done in one direction from the edge of your nail to the centre up one side, then up the other. This way you get a nice smooth edge without your nails also accidentally being filed down too much (has happened to me on numerous occasions).
Do you always have your cuticles cut? You might want to think twice about that. Although it makes the fingers look nice and neat, you're actually cutting off something that plays an extremely important part in the health and strength of your nails. The cuticle protects the new cells as they grow in the nail bed, it also acts as a barrier to germs, dirt and grime that could cause infections in the fingers. I've never allowed my cuticles to be cut EVER and I have super strong nails to show for it. Pushing the cuticles back and trimming the excess skin is all that's really required.
It's good to give your nails a break and have some polish free days or a week or two at a time every now and then, just to let your nails 'breathe'.
The above also applies to a good pedicure and you should always give your feet extra special attention, after all, they do work extremely hard and are very often completely neglected.
Once you've found a good salon and a good technician try to stick with them, or at least try to 'train' them to do your nails the way you like them done.
Happy pampering :-)
