Nail Care for Massage Therapists
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- čas přidán 27. 05. 2018
- My new book is out! It's called Massage Is Weird: massagesloth.com/book/
How to keep your nails short, how to deal with hangnails, and the secret to scratch-free massages! Click here to buy a glass nail file (and support this channel): www.amazon.com/shop/massagesloth
A quick FAQ:
How often should I clip my nails? I actually only clip my nails when I have an extended break (4+ days). While I'm working I'll file my nails every other day instead.
How short should my nails be? I keep mine short enough that I can press my fingers into skin at a 90 degree angle without leaving nail marks. If you'd like to make sure your nails are short enough, just ask your clients!
Should I clip my cuticles? They're protective epithelium, and clipping them or pushing them back can sometimes allow infection. I don't bother.
What do I do about pain following nailcare? If the area around your nail is sore after filing or clipping, the nail may be too short, or you might be causing too much abrasion to your skin. Apply some New Skin or other ointment, and don't clip/file so much next time.
What if I bleed after clipping a hangnail? Apply some antibacterial ointment, a bandaid, and a finger cot or glove. Consider it a fresh cut for the purposes of massage.
Let me know if you have any other questions in the comments!
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I like to use a shea butter salt or sugar scrub on my hands after I touch them up. Exfoliates the skin and soaks in that moisture to make hands extra soft.
Please, do keep in mind that when filling nails in an angle you are, in a way, retraining your nail growth towards that direction. So if you suffer from your nails growing downwards into your skin, the last thing you want to do is file them at a downward angle. Although nail care is a very important part of a good massage session, a therapist must also look after themselves. I am a nail technician as well as a massage therapist. It's best to buff your nails after you file them and you want to make sure that you file your corners at a semi circular shape. This will take care of the scratching as well as delaying the growth of the nail back to a squared shape. Do keep your cuticles moistured with oil and every so often use parafin wax on your hands.
I’m struggling so hard with this. I do massage on call, and turned down hundreds of $$$ of massage this weekend bc of my nails, hangnails, fingertips etc. As a male LMT I feel so unprepared for this, it’s comical until it’s not. I’m going to try some of the tips, That space you are talking about between the side of the nail where it meets the skin wreaks havoc. It’s such a minute detail, but highly frustrating!!! I can’t thank you enough for this video, and all your others. This and the video that includes not shaming your clients for their less than perfect alignments and posture is very important work that no one talks about in our profession.
Just started MT school. Thank you for this vid.
Love the videos and tips. Those soft foam sanders do a fantastic job in these areas as well. I've never liked my hands until now- seeing them massage and put people at ease changes everything.
I love this and am so glad this is finally a video!
I was just wondering about this. This is a big help, thanks for the tips!
I cover my cuticles in cuticle oil as well and find I get fewer hangnails that way
I just started massage therapy school and this is one thing that has already come up for me. I've had the nasty habit of biting my nails since I was literally a baby (mom used to have to keep socks on my hands). I definitely need to find a way to break that habit before I start my practice.
I'd recommend trying MAVALA STOP, nail biting was always an issue for me too, until I tried this product. After applying it to my nails, I quickly learned to keep my fingers faaaaaar away from my mouth.
Thanks for posting!😍
This is so relevant right now. I had a manicure after everything opened and she absolutely destroyed my cuticles. So I'm sticking to doing my own manicures for now.
Awesome
Watched it!
could you do a video on sore abs after a core workout?
Do you recommend any hand soap and/or lotion to prevent hang nails? I wash my hands way more than normal and no matter how much lotion (goldbond) I use, my skin stays too dry. I bought your recommended nail file so be on the lookout for that ten cents! haha
Heather McClure have you ever tried cuticle oil? When I use it I maybe have one or two hang nails every couple of weeks where as if I don’t I always have one on one finger :/ I personally like the Burt’s Bees one because its thicker and can really soak into the sick, but it can be hard to find plus the tube it comes in can be a pain for quick application. Sally Hanson also has one in a liquidis form and it’s very fast to apply. There’s other brands of course that you could try
Heather McClure if your hands are dry all the time you may have some wax buildup on your skin from the lotions you use. A dermatologist told me this. Just use a gentle body scrub on your hands to sloth off dead skin and wax buildup follow by a nice almond oil. This should help your moisturizers actually work. I don't know what kind of lotion you use but I know the one I use at work says all natural yet when you look at the ingredients it's something different and lots of parabens. Hope this helps😊
My strategy is to use a soap with the fewest ingredients possible (I like Dr. Bronner's peppermint soap, which is at most supermarkets in the natural skin product section) and follow it up with a couple of drops of jojoba oil. Hangnails can be persistent devils, and it can help to keep skin irritation to a minimum. Oh, and if you're using hot water to wash, you may want to move to warm or cool. There doesn't seem to be a difference as far as disinfection is concerned: time.com/4800412/wash-hands-cold-water/
dr bronners is vegan/natural products, I have like 4 different bottles of dr bronners the stuff is gold
Hi am just starting my massage career and I feel as if I’m am getting carpal tunnel . Any tips on staying efficient as possible as a LMT with carpel tunnel ?
Hi Kechawna! I've got a video on wrist pain from massage here: czcams.com/video/_maOxcNEJkc/video.html Give those tips a try, and feel free to ask this very question in our forum (search Facebook for the "Massage Sloth Clubhouse"). As always, if your pain persists or worsens, do see a doctor for evaluation and referral.
Do you do consults for massage?
I'm happy to answer any questions on here or through email :)
Watched it
I miss having long nails lol
Opening a can of coke used to be so easy ;__;
Massage Sloth lol the struggle
Kind of wish the entire human population would do this... less prone to bacteria and neater!
Its been to long since the last time I've watched