Gel & Acrylic Nails Short Course

A manicure is a cosmetic beauty treatment for the fingernails and hands.

Services for manicures can be as basic as a file and polish or as complex as a full massage/ spa manicure, the manicure is usually carried out on a suitable table within the salon. 

With this service you should ask your client to choose a colour of nail polish and remove all rings, watches and bracelets before the treatment commences.

Manicuring the client’s nails and then using a polish will complete a basic manicure; however it involves filing and asking your client which shape they prefer. Act professionally and ask your client whether they prefer square or oval shaped nails and file them accordingly. You may include cuticle work in the basic file and polish, followed by base coat, the nail polish and a top coat to paint the nails and seal the colour in.

A more complex manicure is generally what we call a Massage/Spa Manicure.

 This service involves soaking your client’s hands in a bowl of warm water to soften the nails; cuticles and skin then file the nails and tidy up the cuticles or nail bed. Hands, wrists and lower arms should be exfoliated and massaged before the hands are dried off and finished with the polish, including a base, colour and top coat.

You may charge an additional fee if your client would like a French finish to the nails due to the extra time and skill this finish can take to perfect.

A paraffin wax treatment can be an additional service you might like to add to your manicure treatment. It involves dipping your client’s hands in a warm paraffin wax solution, then covering the hands in plastic bags, and then in gloves, this treatment allows the hands to become extremely soft when you remove the outer layers and peels off the solution which hardens slightly to form a layer of wax on the skin.

Give the client the option to pay before the manicure treatment to avoid smudging painted nails at the end of the treatment. Offer to find the clients car keys at the end of the treatment to prevent the client ruining your hard work!

A pedicure is a beauty service provided by a beautician as a cosmetic treatment, offered as a beauty service in most salons. It is a procedure to improve the appearance of the feet and toe nails. Pedicures can be offered for cosmetic, therapeutic and medical purposes.

Pedicures are not just limited to nails, as feet will require similar attention and will need to removal of dead skin cells known as calluses which are removed with a rough stone called a pumice stone. Calluses are usually found at the bottom of the feet and around the toes. Leg care below the knee can also play a role in a pedicure service, application of moisturising creams and a brief leg massage can be included.

After the dead skin cells are removed, the pedicure continues with the removing of old nail polish and grooming of the toenails. The nails should be trimmed, shaped cleaned and then completed with polish.

Pedicure services can take anywhere between ½ hour to I hour in service time, depending on how long feet need to be soaked and whether you will include a massage service.

Soaking feet with bath salts or oils into the tub will add to a relaxing and rejuvenating experience.