I fear for the humble manicure. In a world obsessed with decorating and embellishing their acrylic and gel extensions, I worry that the basic manicure is being left behind. Care and knowledge of the natural nail should be paramount to any tech offering nail services, but while everyone is racing off to learn the latest technique in embedding, 3D art and paint techniques, the little old manicure is left trailing behind. Now don’t get me wrong, I love all things nails and avidly watch my nail heroes creating talons that were the stuff of dreams 10 years ago. But what about in-depth knowledge of the natural nail, it’s structure, function and anatomy? Surely this should be the first building block in any nail career before diving into the latest fancypants technique? The only answer as far as I can see is a manicure course as a pre requisite to ANY other nail course. In an un-governed industry such as ours. I doubt this will ever happen, so it’s up to us as nail professionals to take responsibility for our own training, keep up to date with advances in our field and go back to basics to discover newfound knowledge and skills. Pass that knowledge on to your clients, treat their natural nails with care and respect, (whatever nail treatment they’re having) and they’ll hopefully keep coming back for years.
