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As we near the end of the summer season, we’ll begin replacing the jandals and bare feet for shoes and boots.
It goes without saying that most of the trips to the beach, summer barbeques and swims in the pool are behind us, and this is why it is extremely important we are taking care of ourselves. It may be common knowledge that excess chlorine, salt and sun can have an effect on the hair and skin, but parts of our bodies that often go overlooked in the summer are our hands and feet.
Whentemperatures are peaking, your hands and feet are open to a lot more problemsthan usual. Feet and hands are prone to more skin damage, infection andaccumulation of dirt. Because in summertime it’s especially common to have barefeet, you really need to be making sure you are taking good care of them. Handsand feet are the most hardworking parts of the body and actually do need asignificant rest at the end of the day.
The extra stress put on your hands and feet can be lifted by either a manicure or pedicure service.
Many people may not know there are multiple benefits to getting a manicure and/or pedicure, as most only get these services to either have clean or polished nails. The benefits include: keeping your feet clean and healthy, keeping your skin moisturised and exfoliated, improving blood circulation, removing your calluses and preventing ingrown nails. You may also see many famous celebrities whose faces look way younger than their years, but their hands give away their true age. Age takes a big toll on your hands and feet, which is another reason to consider taking proper care of these areas.
Our head beauty stylist Pam always recommends choosing gel polish over regular nail polish.
This is because gel polish is nearly an instant dry, meaning you don’t really have to worry about it smudging off or chipping as you would normal nail polish. Gel polish also tends to last longer than regular nail polish, Pam says you can easily get away with it for three weeks. In our salon there are a lot of wonderful nail polish shades that you can choose for your nails for everyday wear or just for special occasions.
At V for Hair and Beauty, we offer two types of pedicures.
The first is an express pedicure, which lasts 20 minutes (extra 15 minutes for gel). This pedicure is what the name suggests- express. It includes a buff and polish and regular nail polish removal (gel removal extra). It is for the people who would prefer to just let a beauty therapist take care of their nails, and treat their feet separately at home.
The one hour full pedicure however, involves the whole treatment. Your feet will be soaked, scrubbed, filed, cuticles pushed back, nails shaped and painted and a feet massaged with hot towels and moisturiser. Pam recommends the one hour service over the express because as discussed before- it will cleanse and sort out your whole feet, not just your nails. She does a good job at it as well - one of Pam’s recent clients has said she scrubs and cleans heels better than a podiatrist.
Our two types of manicures offered in salon are similar to those pedicures, we provide express manicure and full manicure options. The express manicure takes 20minutes (extra 15 for gel) and it's ultimately just a buff, cut and polish, quick and easy. The full manicure includes soaking your hands, pushing back cuticles, cleaning under nails, hand massages, moisturiser and nail polish. It is the full treatment your hands need after facing a season of hot summer weather.
A common misconception about manicures and pedicures is that they are a feminine thing and only for women. This could not be more wrong, while we do see more women getting manicures and pedicures than men, there is still a significant amount of men getting them too. If anything, men are often in a higher need of these services than women as they are less likely to be taking as good care of their hands and feet at home. You don’t have to get your nails painted if you don’t want to, and this gives your therapist more time to focus on scrubbing your heels, cleaning your nails and massaging.
Pam says that manicures and pedicures are “definitely not a girly thing and are all about cleaning your feet and nails. Men deserve to have clean and beautiful nails as beauty is just as important for men as for women.”
Our special touch to manicure and pedicures that we recommend to all of our clients is paraffin.
Paraffin is a specific type of wax used to moisturise your hands or feet and is a common addition to a manicure or pedicure. It is a wax in which you put your hands or feet into until you have accumulated three to four layers. You then rest for 30 minutes and your beauty therapist will then take it off. Paraffin is great for moisturising and our Head Beautician Pam recommends Paraffin for arthritis pain relief as well. We also ensure that we don’t mix waxes and share waxes as it can spread infection.
At V for Hair and Beauty, we are very aware of any hygiene issues you may have with pedicures and manicures, especially regarding our tools and bowls used. Hygiene is a top priority for us. We use singular pedicure bowls instead of electrical machines, as we find this better because it is more accommodating to people's needs and is a lot easier to clean and disinfect. After use, our bowls, tools and stones used in the bowls are very well sanitised and cleaned. This ensures you have no hygiene issues to worry about at all.
