Manicure

The English word manicure comes from the French word manucure, meaning care of the hands, which in turn originates from the Latin words manus, for hand, and cura, for care.[5] Similarly, the English word pedicure comes from the Latin words pes (genitive case: pedis), for foot, and cura, for care.[6] Colloquially, the word for manicure is sometimes shortened to mani.

Hands or feet can be covered in melted paraffin wax for softening and moisturizing. Paraffin wax is used because it can be heated to temperatures of over 95 °F (35 °C) without burning or injuring the body. The intense heat allows for deeper absorption of emollients and essential oils. The wax is usually infused with various botanical ingredients such as aloe vera, azulene, chamomile, or tea tree oil, and fruit waxes such as apple, peach, and strawberry, are often used in salons. Paraffin wax treatments are often charged as an addition to the standard manicure or pedicure. They are often not covered in general training and are a rare treatment in most nail salons.

Professional services should not include dipping clients' hands or feet into a communal paraffin bath, as the wax can be a vector for disease. Paraffin should be applied in a way that avoids contamination, often by placing a portion of the wax into a bag or mitt, which is placed on the client's hand or foot and covered with a warm towel, cotton mitt, or booty to retain warmth. The paraffin is left for a few minutes until it has cooled.

Cast copper alloy Roman toiletry implement, with an oval spoon bowl at one end, and a pointed bifid terminal at the other end, used as a nail cleaner

A standard cuticle nipper used during manicure

Common manicure/pedicure tools include:

• Bowl of warm water or fingerbath
• Cuticle nipper (cuticle knife, cuticle clipper)
• Cuticle pusher
• Foot bath (pedicures)
• Manicure table
• Nail art brushes/tools
• Nail brush
• Nail buffer
• Nail clippers
• Nail file (usually an emery board)
• Nail scissors
• Orangewood stick
• Pumice stone / foot file (pedicures)
• Rubber thimble (used to help open polish)
• Toe separator (pedicures)

Common manicure/pedicure supplies include:

• Cotton balls/pads
• Cuticle remover
• Hand cream
• Hand towels
• Massage lotion
• Mild scrub
• Nail jewels (often self-adhesive)
• Nail polish
• Nail polish remover or nail polish remover wipes
  • Base coat polish & ridge filler polish
  • Color varnish
  • Top coat or sealant

For decoration (optional):

• Fimo/Nail art cane slices
• Flocking Powder
• Glitter
• Sanitizing spray/towels
• Small dried flowers

In Australia, the United States, and other countries, many nail salons offer personal nail tool kits for purchase to avoid some of the sanitation issues in the salon. The kits are often kept in the salon and given to the client to take home, or are thrown away after use. They are only used when that client comes in for a treatment.

Another option is to give the client the files and wooden cuticle sticks after the manicure. Since the 1970s, the overwhelming majority of professional salons use electric nail files that are faster and yield higher quality results, particularly with acrylic nail enhancements.

Fingernails in the shape of squovals (or square ovals)

There are several nail shapes: the basic shapes are almond, oval, pointed, round, square, square oval, square with rounded corners, and straight with a rounded tip.[11] The square oval shape is sometimes known as squoval, a term coined in 1984.[12] The squoval is considered a sturdy shape, useful for those who work with their hands.[13]

• Park Eun-kyung
• Deborah Lippmann
• Saccia Livingston