How To: Save Yourself from Woodworking Hands
Staying on top of hand maintenance is no different from taking your car in for an oil change. Our mitts are hands-down the “handiest” tools that we own, and they too require a solid servicing once in a while. More and more men are discovering the benefits of healthy hand routines. Nail salons are also reaping the rewards and cashing in on the dual-gender market.
Man-icuring is a grooming practice that can prevent all sorts of gnarly nail conditions and fungal infections. A Manicure is defined as a cosmetic treatment of the hands involving shaping, removing the cuticles, softening the skin, and often painting the nails. A common masculine misconception is that these grooming services are only for women. However, if you eliminate nail painting from the list of services, it sounds like something we can all can get behind, right?
There Is “MAN” in Manicures for a Reason
Let’s be real, whose hands get more dinged up and dirty? Who is often lugging around the heavy items all while covered in calluses and coated in oil stains? Usually ours! So why are we so quick to think that we should be excluded from cashing in on these hand healing services? Manicures don’t have to mean getting your nails done. It is also about health and hygiene.
Maybe it’s the posters of those blinged-out plastic claws posted on a nail salon’s storefront window. Perhaps it’s the wall of colorful and sparkly nail polishes. Maybe it’s the masked employees scalping and grinding away at someone’s cuticles like a dentist? Whatever it is deterring you from penciling in this essential service, it’s time to let it go and jump aboard the hand care train.
“Man Hands”
Nowadays, there are nail salons dedicated to servicing men’s hands specifically. Hammer & Nails Grooming Services is just one of many salons across the united states that have upped their grooming game. Their salon is strategically designed to help men feel welcome and relaxed while enjoying a healthy tune-up. It’s like a barbershop on steroids! This specific business owner has enhanced a nail salon’s regular appearance and designed a mid-century man cave spa. Sounds inviting to me!
The Manicure Experience
Prepare to be pampered with earthy smelling steamy towels, soft hand lotions, and even a climaxing massage. That’s right; there is a massage is included in your maintenance appointment. Here is what you can expect at your first nail appointment:
Step 1: Washing your Hands
It may seem obvious, but give your hands a good scrub before you head to your appointment. If that’s not possible, wash them in the bathroom sink when you arrive. No one wants to dive right into Cheeto covered fingertips.
Step 2: Clip, File, and Buff the Nails
Once you’re washed and seated, your nail technician will start with the basic grooming procedures. Clipping your nails down to an even length, removing dirt stuck under the nail bed, shaping the nails, and buffing out any rough feels. The nail buffing tool is something you may not be familiar with. It’s essentially a sanding block designed for smoothing out the surface of your fingernails.
Step 3: Push Back the Cuticles
Cuticles like to attach themselves to the nail and keep a grip on them as they grow out. The cuticles must be pushed back to allow room for healthy and faster nail growth. Your cuticles may require some trimming if they have been left untreated for too long. Our cuticles are just dead pieces of skin that have no feeling so snipping these off is painless.
Step 4: Exfoliate
Exfoliating is like a drive-through car wash for your hands. Scrubbing and exfoliating the skin helps to remove any ingrained dirt and dead skin from the surface.
Step 5: Moisturize and Massage
Your grooming technician will pull out a hot towel and place it around your hands. It relaxes and loosens the many muscles in your hands. Next, they rub a heavy-duty lotion on your hands and massage it in. Something like O’Keefes or Gloves In A Bottle will keep you moisturized and your skin protected.
A deep hand rub performed the right way helps to remove trapped toxins within the joints. It’s one of the most relaxing and refreshing services included in the appointment and a task that we can’t complete on ourselves at home. So just sit back and soak it in. Your hands should feel extra fresh and flexible at the end of your appointment.
DIY Essential Hand Care Routines
If you’re still not into hitting up the salon, there are several at-home maintenance remedies and treatments that won’t break your budget. Stock up on these products and follow along with these essential hand care tips:
Manicure Kit: Invest in a solid manicure kit. I purchased this excellent 16 in 1 stainless steel manicure kit on Amazon, and it has everything I need to clip, file, and shape for just $13.99! These kits contain nail clippers, files, and all other nail grooming essential tools.
Epsom Salts: Soak your hands in a mix of warm water and Epsom salts once a week. This easy routine will keep your hands clean, speed up healing times on any scrapes, and decrease any painful swelling. I recommend this Gentlemans Soak blend from Amazon. The blend of masculine aromas will have you relaxed in no time.
Tea Tree Oil: Dig into your wife’s essential oil kit, and you will probably find a bottle of this herbal mix. If you don’t get lucky there, you can purchase pure tea tree oil from Amazon. Tea tree oil is a healing agent that has been used for thousands of years. It fights off all sorts of fungus, rashes, and even heals hand burns. Dab this on your nails and skin and let it soak in. You will see the results in just a few days (if you stay on top of it).
Moisturizer: Avoid dry hands at all costs. Cracked skin is where most infections tend to sneak in. Stock up on a heavy-duty cream that will simultaneously protect and heal your hands – I’m talking about my favorite lotion on the market, Okeefe’s working hands. Do yourself a favor and pick up some of this hand lotion. It is by far the fastest working hand cream I have ever used and worth every cent. Amazon has a great deal on the O’keeffe’s variety pack to help with all of your essential skincare coverages for only $19.99!
Now that you have the essential tips and tools to perform hand maintenance at home, pencil in some time to make it happen. Staying on top of your routine is just as important as starting.
Jesse Tellier
