With everything that our hands go through daily, they can become worn out, but that’s nothing that a visit to your local beauty salon can’t help you with. These salons offer a wide range of services and treatments that can help cater to different areas of your body, including your hands. Find out everything you need to know about manicures before your first visit, including the benefits, the steps, and a few different styles you can choose from.
What is a Manicure?
A manicure is a beauty treatment that focuses primarily on your hands and fingernails, to enhance their health and appearance through several different methods. While most people typically associate manicures simply with the application of nail polish, other steps focus on pampering, treating, and moisturizing the skin of the hand so that you can leave the salon with soft and smooth hands and freshly polished nails.
What Are the Benefits of a Manicure?
- Healthier Nails: Having your nails professionally done can improve the health and appearance of your nails, as manicure treatments often entail deep cleaning and tidying up of your nails. Not only does this remove any dirt and bacteria that may have built up, but it also helps you avoid issues like ingrown nails. Aside from that, the nail polish also acts as an extra layer of protection against external factors and daily use.
- Improved Blood Circulation: Most manicure treatments include a hand massage that can help boost your blood circulation, which will help both the skin and nails of your hands stay healthier as more nutrients and oxygen are delivered to them.
- Softer Hands: You can look forward to leaving the salon with softer hands, as nail technicians will often dedicate a few minutes to pampering them. Apart from removing the dead skin cells on your hands with an exfoliating product, a heavy cream will also be worked into the skin, which will help you achieve smoother and better-looking hands.
- Stress Relief: There’s no denying that a manicure can feel amazing, which can do wonders for your mental health, aside from the health and look of your hands. Many people often book this treatment when they feel like they need to indulge in a little bit of self-care, and it might just be the thing to take your mind off of whatever’s been bugging you.
Different Types of Manicures
There are many different types of manicures that you can choose from based on what look you’re going for, but here are some basic styles that you can consider for your first session:
Classic Gel Manicure
A gel manicure is a popular option for many individuals, mainly because of its high shine, durability, and low maintenance, with this type of manicure lasting around two to three weeks with proper care. Unlike regular manicures where the nail polish is left to air dry, a gel manicure uses a UV lamp to cure and set the nail polish, which allows it to be more resilient against damage and chipping.
Express Gel Manicure
An express gel manicure is a much quicker and more convenient alternative to the classic gel manicure, making it a great option for clients who don’t have a lot of time to spare. However, it’s important to note that an express gel manicure may not last as long as a classic gel manicure, since only the basic steps will be taken.
French Manicure
A French manicure comes with a very distinct and recognizable look as it leaves your nail beds looking natural while highlighting the tips with white nail polish. For this manicure type, your nails will need to be shaped into a more square shape in order to really emphasize the final look.
Want to learn how to give yourself a French manicure? Read our article How to Do a French Manicure At Home in 6 Steps!
American Manicure
With an American manicure, your nail bed will be painted a subtle shade of either nude or pale pink, while the tips are painted with a slightly beige or off-white color. And in contrast to a French manicure, an American manicure will shape your nails to the natural slope of your fingertip.
Hot Stone Manicure
While a hot stone manicure still goes through all of the basic steps of a regular manicure, it has the added benefit of having a much more relaxing hand massage process as heated stones are incorporated to enhance your relaxation. The nail technician will place these hot stones on your hands and arms after moisturizing them, which can also improve circulation.
Paraffin Wax
This type of manicure uses warm paraffin wax to moisturize and soften your skin. The wax will be applied to your nails, hands, and wrists, delivering a much more pampering treatment.
Dip Powder Manicure
While other manicures rely on nail polish for their color, dip powder manicures take a different manicure by incorporating pigmented powder instead. As the name suggests, when you have a dip powder manicure, you dip your nails into the colored powder before sealing everything with a liquid sealant. By using powder instead of polish, dip powder manicures give your nails a unique-looking look and texture.
Dip manicures also come with a few benefits, which you can read more about in our article What is a Dip Powder Manicure? What You Need to Know!
Structured Gel Manicure
While any gel manicure offers strength and durability to your nails, structured gel manicures have an additional focus on the health of your natural nails. Aside from gel polish, structured gel manicures also use builder gel for an additional layer of support. This is great for compromised nails that aren’t as strong or flexible as they should be, all the while still retaining a relatively natural appearance.
To learn more about structured gel manicures, visit our article What is a Structured Gel Manicure!
Acrylic Manicure
Acrylic manicures are all about lengthening and elongating your nails with the help of a special paste. This paste is laid over your nails before it’s shaped and sculpted to your desired length and shape. When this paste dries, it adds some impressive length to your nail, while also offering a bit more protection against everyday damage.
Want to know what you can expect when you book an acrylic manicure? Take a look at our article Here's What You Need to Know About Acrylic Manicures!
Japanese Manicure
While Japanese manicures help your nails look amazing, they also make sure that they’re healthier. Japanese manicures incorporate different nail treatments and only use products that are free of any harsh chemicals that could weaken your nails. Because of this, this type of manicure is ideal for individuals who want to strengthen their weak and compromised nails.
Russian Manicure
If you’re looking for a manicure that pays a bit more attention to your cuticles, then a Russian manicure might just be what you’re looking for. While other manicures only push back and trim off your cuticles, Russian manicures completely remove the cuticle to achieve a much cleaner-looking finish.
Read more about Russian manicures by reading our What is a Russian Manicure? Article!
Gel Overlay Nails
When you get gel overlay nails, a gel product is applied over your nails to leave you with a perfect appearance. Gel overlay nails are great for those of you who want to make the most out of the durability offered by gel products, while still maintaining a more natural appearance for your nails, as gel overlay nails are often done with clear or nude colors.
Want to learn more about the different types of gel overlay nails? Read our article What are Gel Overlay Nails?!
Shellac Manicure
Shellac manicures give you the best of both worlds by using a hybrid gel formulation that merges the durability of gel polishes with the color and variety of regular nail polishes. Not only is this manicure longer-lasting than regular manicures, but it also gives your nails a much nicer and glossier finish.
What to Expect from a Manicure?
While the specific steps of a manicure will vary depending on the type of manicure you’re getting, there are a few fundamental steps that you can expect on your next visit to the salon:
Nail Preparation
To start, the nail technician will prepare your nails by removing any existing polish before cutting and filing them to your desired shape and length. If your nails are already short, then they’ll only be shaped with a nail file.
Cuticle Cutting
Your cuticles are the dry skin around your nails, and they’ll need to be tidied up. Your technician will first soften them up by soaking your hands in warm, soapy water. Alternatively, a cuticle-softening product may be used. When the cuticles have been sufficiently prepared, your nail technician will start pushing down and trimming the dead cuticles so that you’ll be left with a much cleaner result.
Hand Care
Many people don’t know that manicures focus on the entire hand rather than just the nails. Your technician will apply an exfoliating scrub to your hand to remove any dead skin cells before massaging in a rich lotion or cream. Not only will this leave your hands feeling softer and more moisturized, but you may also feel much more relaxed after this.
Nail Polish Application
To end your manicure session, your technician will lightly buff your nails before finally applying a nail polish of your choice, which is where the fun comes in as you’ll be able to choose the color, style, and design that you want.
How Long Does a Manicure Take?
- Classic Gel Manicure takes around 30 to 60 minutes. This is significantly longer compared to a regular manicure, mainly because applying and curing gel nail polish takes more time.
- Express Gel Manicure takes around 20 minutes to complete, which is significantly shorter than a classic gel manicure. This manicure includes only the basic and essential steps of a gel manicure to be more time-efficient.
- French Manicure takes anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the additional treatments included. A significant amount of time may be used for filing and shaping the nails, as this manicure type is most commonly applied to square or squoval nails.
- American Manicure takes 45 minutes to an hour. While this type doesn’t require as much filing as a French manicure, the technician will still spend a good portion of time refining the appearance and shape of your nails.
- Hot Stone Manicure requires 30 minutes to an hour to complete. This is because it includes a much longer hand massage, which aims to deliver a more relaxing experience, especially with the use of hot stones.
- Paraffin Wax Manicure takes about 30 minutes to an hour. Similarly to a hot stone manicure, the additional time is used for the application of the paraffin wax onto your hands, as well as the time needed for it to sit.
- Shellac Manicures will take around 45 minutes to an hour to complete, but the good news is that you won’t have to wait for the polish to dry. Shellac manicures are cured under special LED lamps to speed up the process.
- Dip Powder Manicures take around 45 minutes to an hour. The process may be faster than other manicure types since there’s no need to wait for several layers of polish to dry before proceeding.
- Structured Gel Manicures take around two to four hours, mostly because of all the sculpting and shaping that is required.
- Acrylic Manicures will take around 45 minutes to an hour, but this will heavily depend on what you’re getting. Naturally, longer nails will need more time to accomplish.
- Japanese Manicures focus more on the health and condition of your nails, which is why the treatment only takes around 30 minutes to complete.
- Russian Manicures involve a lot of meticulous detail and techniques, so expect it to last anywhere between 2 to 3 hours.
- Gel Overlay Nails will take around 30 minutes to an hour, but this will also depend on what you’re getting and what customizations you might want to avail of.
How Often Should You Get a Manicure?
You should get a manicure at least once a month. Not only will this help your hands and nails look as good as possible, but it’ll also ensure that they’re being thoroughly cleaned and looked after, which can help you avoid issues and concerns such as infections and ingrown nails.
How Much Does a Manicure Cost?
How much a manicure costs will depend on a few things, including the salon you go to and the type of manicure you’re getting. Alternatively, you can also choose to avail of Luce’s at-home manicure which starts at $47.
The Takeaway
Many people often assume that a manicure is done purely for vanity reasons, but this is completely untrue. While manicures do improve the appearance of your hands and nails, they also help them stay as healthy as possible through deep cleanings, massages, exfoliation, and moisturizing. They can also improve your mental health by acting as a form of stress release, as well as boosting your confidence and well-being.
