Today’s nail salons offer more options than plastic surgeons. Getting to grips with the different nail art designs and shapes can be tricky enough – never mind all the other words that the nail technicians might throw at you. Even some of the most experienced manicurists sometimes use the wrong terminology. To help, we’ve listed a few of the most commonly used and misused terms. We’ve de-coded all that confusing nail jargon, so you can feel confident when visiting a nail salon.
Terms
The Chinese are credited with the invention of nail polish around 3000 BCE. These original formulas were a combination of beeswax, gelatin, gum arabic, and egg whites with flower petals mixed in to create a red color. Polishes of the 20th century were largely enamel-based paints, as are the present-day polishes made from acrylic.
ACRYLIC
Known in the industry as Liquid and Powder is an older nail coat that has been around since the 1970s. It’s basically a liquid monomer that is mixed with powdered acrylate to form an acrylic nail enhancement. The liquid monomer has a strong smell and cures slowly when exposed to air. Once the mixture is applied, your nails are filed and shaped to emulate the look of natural nails. After your acrylic nails are shaped, each nail is painted with a base coat, nail polish color, and top coat. Nails are then set under a fan to dry.
GEL POLISH
It is basically a premixed, colored, liquid form of acrylic. It’s applied much like traditional nail polish before being cured under a UV or LED lamp. Gel polish is a soft gel, meaning that it can be soaked off, unlike HARD GEL.
HARD GEL
It has a thick honey-like consistency and is applied with a brush. Hard gels are used to sculpt nails in the same way as Liquid and Powder acrylic. They are more flexible than Liquid and Powder acrylic, feel lighter, and are a better match for natural nail flexibility. HARD GEL should not be confused with GEL POLISH, as Hard Gel cannot be soaked off, it has to be filed down.
NAIL POLISH
Also known as lacquer. Traditional nail polish is applied to the nail plate, using thin layers, and left to air dry between coats. Formulas have come a long way in recent years, so you shouldn’t have chipped polish on the second day. Depending on your lifestyle and activities, you could get around seven days of wear from a good quality nail polish.
POLYGEL
It’s a hybrid between acrylic and hard gel, is up to 25% lighter to wear than acrylic, and yet it is still as strong as acrylic. It’s a premixed product with a thick gel-paste consistency that doesn’t run or flood, and there’s no smelly liquid monomer smell that is associated with Liquid & Powder (acrylic) enhancements.
SHELLAC
Shellac is a brand of hybrid GEL POLISH. It is not true gel polish, and is not a specific nail service.
IBX TREATMENT
IBX Treatment is a hydroxypropyl methacrylate (HPMA) solution that is safe for use on natural nails when it is applied correctly and fully polymerized in a LED or UV lamp during the client’s appointment. Unlike paint-on nail strengtheners that sit on top of the nail, IBX penetrates into the nail plate to create a protective shield inside the nail.
LIQUID JULIETS
Twenty years ago when people did liquid Juliets, they would take paper and glue it on the nail with clear nail polish and wrap the paper underneath the nail and put a liquid fiber on top. Today a polish with a milky consistency and fibers in it is used. You put two or three coats of liquid Juliet over the whole nail. Then you use regular polish. It’s supposed to keep your nails stronger so your polish will last longer.
MANICURE
Manicuring is the practice of cutting, trimming, polishing, bleaching, or cleansing the nails, or massaging, cleansing, treating or beautifying the hands or feet of a salon client.
ACRYLIC NAILS
Made of a combination of liquid and powder that’s laid over your natural nail with a brush. Once the mixture is applied, your nails are filed and shaped to emulate the look of natural nails. After your acrylic nails are shaped, each nail is painted with a base coat, nail polish color, and top coat. Nails are then set under a fan to dry. Acrylic nails tend to look less natural than gel nails and are also challenging to remove without damaging your nail bed. The removal process of acrylic nails consists of soaking in acetone for 20 minutes. To keep your acrylic set intact, you’ll have to refill your nails every few weeks. And once you remove acrylic nails, you’ll have to wait for the damaged nails to grow out to get your nails back in shape.
GEL NAILS
Made by a three-step process, which consists of brushing a base coat, nail polish, and top coat over your natural nails. With each coat, the nail is placed under a UV light for somewhere between 30 seconds and two minutes to cure. Once cured, the layer of gel polish hardens and won’t smudge like regular nail polish. Gel nails sport a glossy and freshly manicured look.
If you want to extend the length of your natural nails, gel nails also come in handy. Gel extensions, we’re looking at you! This popular technique consists of an extended tip, typically made of acrylic, that’s attached to the ends of your nails. Next, your nails undergo the normal process of applying a gel nail polish system and being placed under a UV lamp to set.
E-FILE or RUSSIAN MANICURE
Unlike traditional nail salons where your hands are soaked in a bowl of warm water to soften dead skin cells followed by push-back tools to clip cuticles, E-file manicures clean up your cuticle by using electric nail bits. Though the process of an E-file Manicure sounds similar to that of a gel manicure, there’s a core difference—the E-file (Russian) Manicure’s technique specifically caters to the individual client’s needs, hence why your base coat is selected based on the length and strength of your nail. Unlike other manicure techniques where length, shape, and design are prioritized, E-file (Russian) manicures focus strictly on the health of your nails. No acrylics or toxic gel polishes are allowed. Read more
OVERLAY
An overlay is done with gel polish, hard gel, PolyGel or acrylic, and is applied over your natural nail without adding any length.
BASE COAT
A base coat is a clear polish that is applied before the nail polish or gel color. Base coats help keep regular nail polish and gel manicures lasting longer, and they also help prevent the yellowing of the fingernails. A base coat also provides a smooth nail base for the adhesion of nail polish or gel. Apply two layers of base coat to thin nails to make them thicker.
Base coats contain plasticizers that make them flexible and cellulose to make them adhere better. These plasticizers allow the nail polish you apply to the nail to bend instead of break, allowing the manicure to last longer. It also promotes healthy nails by creating a barrier between the natural nail and the chemicals contained in nail polish and gel. Some base coats contain vitamins, proteins, and calcium for nourishing the nails, which is a bonus.
FRENCH MANICURE
Actually a very American thing. It makes use of two colors: a sheer nude or light pink color as a base, and a distinguishing thin white polish stripe at the tip. Depending on the length of the nails, the width of the band of the white polish varies. The term was first coined in late 1978 by Jeff Pink, founder of nail polish and treatment brand Orly. However, the technique is believed to originate back in the 1930s when Max Factor, the father of modern cosmetics, claimed he invented the look for the fashionistas of Paris (thus the French connection). Classic Hollywood stars were also sporting that look during the 30s.
FULL SET or COMPLETE SET
Basically, you are creating a new set of nails. Typically, this would involve all ten fingernails being applied with extensions, with color and/or designs as well. This differentiates it from a repair (you could need extensions or repairs to one or more nails) or nail art (where the charge is often per single nail as a feature).
FILL
You’re filling in the growth (near the cuticle) with the acrylic or linen or whatever product you’re using so it looks like a fresh nail. Depending on the product, a fill is generally needed every one to three weeks.
NAIL ART
When I first got into the business, we used to drill a hole in the acrylic and put a diamond in, like an earring. You can also hand-paint things, put decals on, rhinestones, glitter, anything you can think of.
NAIL EXTENSIONS or ENHANCEMENTS
Nail extensions are sculpted out of Hard gel, Polygel, or Acrylic, and add length and strength to your natural nails. Nail enhancements include overlays with Gel polish and Hard gel, Polygel, or Acrylic. This can be done by gluing on preformed plastic nails and painting acrylic or gel over the whole nail.
SCULPTURED ENHANCEMENT
When a nail enhancement is sculptured (or sculpted), your nail technician will use a foil-like sticker called a form to build a longer, stronger nail out of Hard gel, Polygel, or Acrylic. Sculpting a nail in this way is stronger than using nail tips, as the enhancement is all one piece, and there is no weak spot, like where the tip is glued onto the nail. If the tip adhesive comes loose, it could compromise the strength of the enhancement.
If you break one of your natural nails, a sculptured enhancement on that finger is a great way to still have all your nails one length and shape. A single sculptured enhancement is referred to as a nail repair.
TIPS
Tips are plastic nail enhancements that are glued onto your natural nail. They are an alternative to using FORMS, and become a base for hard gel, Polygel or acrylic extensions to be built upon.
FORMS
Foil-like stickers that nail technicians use instead of plastic glue-on tips. A nail extension or enhancement is then built or sculpted in one piece over the form before it is removed. Extensions that are built over forms are stronger than extensions done over a glue-on tip.
BUFFING
It makes the nails look shiny but goes away naturally after about five days. The process involves a three-sided file with an ultra-fine grit. You’re creating different textures. The last side of the file, which is dull, creates a high gloss. More men have their nails buffed than polished.
SILK or LINEN WRAP
The fabric (cut into small pieces) is affixed to the nails in order to strengthen them and help keep the polish on.
PARAFFIN TREATMENT
You put lotion or mineral oil on your hands (or feet), then dip them into a liquefied wax that’s very warm but not hot. The wax molds to your hand, then you put your hands in a mitt to help the lotion or mineral oil penetrate.
EPONYCHIUM
The eponychium is often what most people call their cuticle, yet it is not the true cuticle. It’s actually a part of the proximal nail fold, and its purpose is to form a seal between your nail plate and the proximal nail fold to prevent bacteria and dirt from entering your body. If the eponychium’s seal is broken, lifted, cut, or removed completely, this can expose you to bacteria, which could in turn lead to an infection. Never let anyone “cut your cuticles”, and don’t be tempted to pick this skin off either. If it’s dry, rather treat the dryness with a cuticle oil or nourishing hand cream.
CUTICLE
The eponychium sheds thin, colorless layers of skin cells as the nail grows out, and it’s these loose thin cells that stick to the nail plate that are the true cuticle (not the eponychium). During a manicure, your nail technician will remove this layer of transparent skin cells, to improve the adhesion of your polish or enhancement to your nail.
NAIL PLATE
The nail plate is the part of your nail that you can see, feel, touch, and often apply nail polish to. It is made up of the same keratin cells as your hair.
PROXIMAL NAIL FOLD
The proximal nail fold is the end of the fleshy part of your finger at the base of your nail. This fold of soft tissue protects the delicate new cells of the emerging nail plate, as your nail grows out.
LATERAL NAIL FOLDS
The lateral nail folds are the ends of the fleshy side parts of your finger that surround the sides of each nail. They are extensions of the PROXIMAL NAIL FOLD, and they protect the sides of your nail from trauma and bacterial infection.
NAIL BED
The nail bed is the layer of skin beneath the nail plate. It’s this layer that nourishes the nail plate and provides it with everything it needs (oxygen, blood supply, nutrients, etc).
GERMINAL MATRIX
The matrix is also known as the matrix bed or the nail root. This is where the nail is formed, and where the NAIL PLATE grows out from. Damage caused by trauma to the matrix is permanent and irreversible, and will often result in the nail plate growing out with white spots (from bumping the matrix), or deep grooves (from permanent matrix damage).
FREE EDGE
Also known as the DISTAL EDGE. It’s the part of your nail plate that grows out above the tip of your finger. It is “free” and not still attached to the nail bed.
HYPONYCHIUM
This is the thickened layer of the epidermis (skin) that lies right at the tip of your finger, snuggled up against the underside of your nail plate. The FREE EDGE starts where the hyponychium ends.
LUNULA
The lunula is the half moon that appears at the base of the nail. Not all nails have a visible lunula; they are often hidden underneath the EPONYCHIUM. Lunula’s are usually most noticeable on the thumbs and big toes.
EPIDERMIS
The epidermis is the outermost layer of your skin. It’s the part that you can see and feel on your fingers.
Natural nail shapes are usually round, oval, square, or squoval. Nail Extensions can be shaped into more exotic shapes like almonds, stilettos, ballerina or coffins, edges, etc.
SQUARE
Popular nail shape in which the tip of the nail is flat.
ROUND/OVAL
An equally popular nail shape in which the nail is more the shape of your finger: not pointy, but more of a rounded, tapered look.
SQUARE ROUND
A combination of square and oval in which the tips of the nails are square but the corners are rounded just a little so they’re not sharp.
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