Beautiful Hands (Part Two)

This is your first step in our series of my Neal's Yard Home Hand Care Manicure.

I am going to do this great treatment right along side you and for this I have spent the past week trashing my nails! We will see how we can take them from quite a dishevelled place to very healthy and pretty nails in a relativity short space of time. I clipped them with nail clippers 8 days ago so that the the shape was uneven and that a few of them could split and peel. I have also been on the Climbing Walls 4 times in 5 days, so they have been dumped in a load of chalk to dry them out as well as being a little torn on the hand holds. Many people have nails like mine; hard working and in need of some love, so lets get working on them together!

The photo shows you how you can set up your Neal's Yard Home Hand Care Manicure easily at home so you have all your products and equipment to hand if you choose to carry out the whole treatment. (Flowers are an added option!)

Today though we will be going through the first steps and for this you will need to have your

• Neal's Yard Geranium and Orange Hand Wash
• Neal's Yard Melissa Hand Cream
• Large bowl with warm water
• Towel
• Cotton Wool
• Nail Varnish Remover
• A salon quality nail file
• Orange Sticks.

Today we are going to take a look at how to file nails and shape them. 'Don't waste my time, I have been doing that for years!' I hear you cry! Well yes, I know that it may sound like a basic step, but so many people get it wrong! If you file your nails correctly the layers that create your nail plate won't end up splitting and it helps prevent splits and peels in the future.

You have 3 layers to your nail and they are created mainly in the nail matrix at the base of the nail. If they have ever split and peeled you will know this as you can see where the layers clearly. Take a look at my right thumb today for a good example!

You can choose to have long or short nails, rounded or squared nails, but what ever style you go for the way you file them is the same. For me, I need to keep mine short for work and I like them to be rounded, so I simply follow the shape of the nail and work round.

Now it is time to start relaxing and give your hands a treat!

Neal's Yard Home Hand Care Manicure

Beginning Steps:

1. Take time to take a look at your nails and work out if you how you would like them to look. Also check out for splits and peeling as you will probably want to make your nails short enough to get rid of them today.
2. Also check to see if you have any dry patches, sun damage, cuts or bruises on your hands so you can start to treat them at home appropriately.
3. Also have a good look at your cuticles and see what state they are in. Are they torn and painful or are they just in need of some TLC?
4. Use the nail varnish remover to take off old varnish, or simply wipe over the nail with it to take off today's oils and grime.
5. Place your hands in the bowl of warm water and wash them with your Orange and Geranium Hand Wash. Pat them dry on the towel.
6. Take your nail file and start to file from one side of the nail to the other and only file in ONE direction! This stops a build up of heat in the nail so that the layers don't come away from each other and peel.
7. Take your nail file and with the end of it simply go from one side to the other in down wards strokes. This is called 'Bevelling' and not only finishes the shape off but also helps bring all the layers together. Don't drag the nail file up as it will encourage the nail plate to come away from the nail bed.
8. Now take your orange stick and gently wipe it under the nail edge to get rid of any filing or dirt.
9. Check that you are happy with the shape of all your nails. Wash your hands again and apply your Melissa Hand Cream and apply your sun screen if you are going out in the sun.

Tomorrow we will be looking at how to treat your cuticles, look after dry skin with your Nourishing Melissa Hand Polish, as well as buffing your nails. Then we will be ready to treat them to some beautiful nourishment with your Wild Rose Beauty Balm.

I hope that you enjoy it and that it not only empowers you to look after your bodies at home in conjunction with your regular Body Treatment with your Therapist, but that it also gives you an oasis of time to yourself in this hectic world.

This blog really needs a video, so I am going to try and get one made up soon and get it up here. However I hope you can bare with me and put up with the photos for a bit!