The Hands, Nails and Manicuring

Structure of the Hands and Nails

The hands make up part of the upper limbs. The hand starts from the wrist and ends with the fingernails. The first finger is called thumb.

The hand is made up of the palm, the fingers and the nails. The nails consist of the following:

• The nail plate.

• The nail crescent, which is the white crescent at the base of the nail plate.

• The cuticle which is the thin protective band of the skin around the nail.

• The nail bed is the base of the nail.

Please read on the eye, its parts and functions in home economics here.

Functions of the Hands

• The hands and fingers are used for holding, grasping, touching and manipulating objects.

• The hand can be used for communication through actions like sign language and waving at someone.

• The hands are used for for carrying out different tasks. For example, power task when lifting heavy objects, and in sports like handball, boxing, wrestling, football and basketball.

• The hands have sensory receptors on the skin. These are used to detect stimulus like touch, pressure, heat and cold from our environment.

• The hand can be used to carry out fine motor skills and precision tasks like writing, playing of musical instruments, sewing, dancing and so on.

Please read on exercise in home economics here.

Care of the Hands

• Wash the hands with mild soap after coming in from outside, or after using the toilet, and after eating.

• Apply a little hand lotion or cream to keep the hands soft.

• Use clothes when touching hot objects to prevent burns.

• Wear gloves when working with electricity.

• Keep the finger nails clean and well trimmed.

• Periodically soak hands and feet in warm, soapy water for 10-15 minutes to soften skin and cuticles. 

• Gently scrub away dead cells on the hand using a pumice stone; then rinse thoroughly. 

• Consult a professional when you observe issues with your hands.

You can read on the hair infections in home economics here.

Care of the Nails

• Trim the fingernails often as this keeps it clean, short, and appealing.

• Don't cut cuticles or nails too close to the skin to prevent injury or infection. Also do not file nails too close to the skin to avoid injury.

• The white crescent around the bottom of the nail should be kept clean and prominent.

• Do not use the teeth to trim the nails, rather, use a pair of scissors, a nail file, or razor blade to trim the nails.

• Wash off any discoloration and remove dirt under the nail.

• Do not use sharp object beneath the nail for cleaning it.

• Carefully remove dirt that accumulates under the nail using a soft fingernail brush.

• Rub hand lotion into nails and cuticles.

• File nails in one direction to prevent brittleness. 

• Eat food rich in vitamins and minerals to support nail health.

• During manual washing of clothes, do not soak nails in water containing detergents for a long period of time.

• Wear gloves when carrying out chores like cleaning.

• Minimize prolonged water exposure to prevent splitting.

• Consult a professional when you observe issues with your nails.

Please read on skin injuries in home economics here.

Manicuring

Manicuring is defined as the caring of the hands and fingernails.

Tools For Manicuring

• Nail Bugger: This is used for smoothing the nail surface before applying nail polish.

• Clipper and Scissors: This is used for clipping or cutting nails and removing dead cuticles.

• File: This is used for filing and shaping the nails.

• Orange Stick (or Cotton wool tipped broom stick): The orange stick is used for pusting back the cuticle.

• Hand Cream and Lotion: This is applied to soften the hands. It also soften and smoothen rough and dry skin.

• Nail polish Enamel (or vanishes of diferent colours and textures): These are used for painting or coating, and hardening nails, as base coats and top coats.

You can read interesting facts for students here.

Manicure Procedure

The following steps or procedures are to be followed during manicuring:

1. Wash the nails with soap and water using a soft finger brush.

2. Remove old nail varnish using a cotton ball saturated with nail varnish remover.

3. Rinse the nails quickly to remove any nail vanish remover.

4. Shape the nails either with an emery board or a metal file.

5. Soak the nails for three minutes in warm water with mild soap or cuticle softening agent.

6. Gently push back the cuticle away from the nail asing an orange stick or a cotton wool tipped broom stick. Never cut or tear the cuticle.

7. Wash the nails quickly and thoroughly.

8. Paint the nails with the nail varnish. The first application or painting is called the base coat. The next application is the top coat.

9. Wipe off any polish or varnish on the finger's cuticle using cotton wool bud soaked in polish remover.

10. Where natural look is preferred, steps eight and nine are skipped, and the nails are simply cleaned and dried to give them a smooth shine.

Please read the continuation of this topic on the feet and pedicure in home economics here.

Please read home economics week 7 topic for JSS1 here.

Please read on home economics scheme of work for jss1 here.