History or origin of nail care?

[travelingdiva]

Hello everyone,

I am a new member and not a nail tech, but a spa owner who wants to know the ins and outs of all aspects of the spa industry as a whole.

I have done a little digging, but cannot seem to find answers....

What exactly is the history or origin behind the manicure and pedicure?

We hear all the time about massage, bath houses and cosmetics, but not so much regarding nails. Any information would be greatly appreciated!

Best,

The Traveling Diva

 

[ADiva1]

Am not too sure on manicure and pedicure specifically. However I read that that long ago, Egyptian women grew their nails long to signifiy that they had a servant and did not have to do any house chores!

 

[ValencianNails]

I must have too much time on my hands lol..... I searched for "history of manicure" on google.co.uk and found these....

http://beauty.ivillage.com/hn/nails/article/0,11365,214982,00.html?arrivalSA=1&cobrandRef=0&arrival_freqCap=1&pba=adid=13272851

http://www.naildr.com/History.html

.....but I couldn't see anything about pedicure, I wasn't looking for long though. Personally I'd try all of the main search engines and look through them, it will take a while but you should find something eventually. Using different search words might help too.

 

[angel fingers]

the chinese mandarins also used to grow their nails long to signify wealth. the chinese also had a tradition of binding feet for the same reason, so this may be an area of research that could yield results.it would be fascinating to know more, so let us know what you find out.

 

[Bryony]

Am not too sure on manicure and pedicure specifically. However I read that that long ago, Egyptian women grew their nails long to signifiy that they had a servant and did not have to do any house chores!

And I'm sure I've read somewhere that painting nails gold was a sign of royalty - if only it was that simple! LOL!