Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-02
HOME MANICURINa.
Practical Details Of Cold Weather
Treatment.

Treatment.
Cold weather is playing such havoc with
finger nails that the number Of letters in
my daily mail is increased by correspond
ents who wish to know how they can keep
their finger tips looking well. and asking
the exact process of manicuring.
To all l would say that grease of some
sort is the preventive and cure all when
used long enough, and that only care I'M
renting will make nails look well at all
unless they are pretty by nature. For the
reward Of those who are willing to be
painstaking, however. be 1t recorded that
the worst nails may be made to looK very
well indeed.
The process Of manicuring is one that
every woman might do for herself with
success. remembering that 1t will grow
simpler with practice and that never must
she work with a heavy hand. All must be
done with the lightest possible touch and
usually with Quickness. One failure to
work lightly will result in a bruised nail
at least which means spots. and quite
probably a bleeding cuticle.
Everything should be at hand to work
with, and the essential articles are an or
ange wood stick, fine file, cuticle knife
sors, pot of cold cream, a small basin
of very soapy warm water, some polishing
powder and buffer, that is, a chamois
covered rubber.
Before beginning to tell of doing the work
l want to try to emphasize the care that
should be taken in using sharp instruments
The scissors and knife must never cut soft
or living flesh. II the cuticle below the
dead line is cut once it will thicken so
that cutting every time will be necessary,
and it Is for this reason that some experts
say never use scissors. Yet these are alb
solutely essential to remove the fine cuti-
Gle next to the nail that is dry and hard
when the fingers are dried.
I advise most positively that the cuticle
a.
fore using. otherwise an experienced per-
son is quite too apt in using 1t to remove
the upper layer of nail, which is the
enamel, and should not be injured any
knife must be used simply because 1t is
thinner at the tip than the wood is, and SO
will lift off bits Of skin adhering to the
nail surface. Wood will frequently loosen
and rub 1t off, but once in a while only the
knife can work.
These two injunctions in regard to the
knife and scissors should never be for
gotten.
The first part of manicuring is to file the
nails any shape one wishes always re-
Numbering that they should never be cut
down close at the sides to leave the
cuticle there with nothing to cling to.
Should this be done the fingers broaden at
the tips through lack Of flesh support.
Rounded tips are better form than pointed.
Having filed. dip the fingers Of the left
hand in a basin of water and let them soak
for five minutes. This is always done, and
is to soften the dead skin SO that the nail
will not be scratched in removing the
former. Wipe, dip the point of the orange
wood stick in water and with the wet tip
begin very gently to press back the cuticle
from the thumb down to try to make the
half moon show. This work must be light
ly done or the nail will be bruised.
When the Auticle is back as far as it will
go, and by degrees, with training, 1t will
go farther down, making better looking
nail there will probably be bits OF skin ad-
To he nail above the cntiCla Wet
the stick and again rub gently, always work.
ing the stick down toward the base of the
nail, never across. If absolute pressure Is
necessary to remove the bits the knife
must be called into play. Wet it, as the
stick was lthe object of all this wettng Is
that the nail shall constantly be kept
moist and sofD. and lightly and gently
scrape off the piece.
Wipe the nail dry, and with the curved
scissors trim and smooth the cuticle that
will be ragged after this first work. In
which may at this juncture be done with
out pain, because the skin being wet Is
more easily cut. Under no circumstances
should the cuticle ever be made to bleed.
dered the nail quite smooth and clear. and
it should be ready for polishing, but 1t Is
better to get all prepared at time
Therefore put some cold cream well into
the base of the finished nail, and repeat
the rubbing and scraping on each of the
others, never forgetting that all the work
must be toward the base of the nail, never
across.
Cold cream will take the place of red
salve IL one does not wish the expense OF
the latter, but II the coloring Is used put
it on in place Of the cream after the nail
Is cleared.
All the nails now cleaned and creased
the powder should be applied. Do this
either by putting some In the palm Of the
left hand and rubbing the nails across it,
or put 1t on each and rub with the polisher.
Burning should continue until the nails
shine.
At this stage. however, the cuticle will
be filled with superfuous grease and pow
der. Therefore the nails must be washed
again, this time using a nail brush and
scrubbing vigorously. Dry well and rub
to polish again. 1t Is better to have a fresh
buffer for this latter work. as no more
powder goes on the nail. II one has. not
an extra po1isher the powder may be re-
moved from the buffer by brushing 1t with
clothes brush. There should be no trace
of powder on the nails when they are In
ished.
Doing the right hand is an awkward bit
of work until one has become accustomed
to It, but 1t can be done. 1t IL impossible to
tell precisely how the stick, knife and
scissors are. held. as each person always
uses his or her fingers differently In work:
but manicuring Is not only work on the
finger tips, but with them as weli-that 10
to say, the instruments must be lightly
held and not grasped with the whole hand.
This would cause the work to be too heav-
lily done.
Too much grease cannot be used on the
nails II they are to look well kept. and II
should always be put on when going to
bed, smearing the cuticle well. II one is
doing housewosk the ,, nails may Dc sreased
busters or brushes. This will not only
save bur Improve the nails.