A Day in the Life of a Manicurist
A manicurist is someone who specializes in the health and beauty of clients' nails. This type of cosmetology professional is typically trained for both hands and feet, knowledgeable in many aspects of skin and nail health, and has completed a specialized training course in this field before practicing on the general public. Just like any other esthetician, certification is required to work in a licensed salon or as an individual entrepreneur.
One positive aspect of becoming a manicurist is the quick education. Typically a manicurist course can run from 3-6 months, depending on the type of manicures that you wish to specialize in. Whether you want to stick with simple manicures including French manicures or branch out to specialized nail treatments such as gel or acrylic nails, your course can be complete in a short period of time so that you can get into the field of your choice early. For some salons, an apprenticeship is required before full-time employment is offered in order to complete the education process. This can vary in time from a few months up to a year before a manicurist can work alone in a spa or salon.
The hours of a manicurist can vary depending on where you are seeking employment. For some beauty salons or spas, there will be a manicurist available for treatments each day of the week while others will only run five consecutive days. Choosing your hours or days of work may not be the decision of the manicurist but of the salon in which they wish to work, depending on the demand for having an esthetician on hand for the clients. Others may want to begin their own business working out of their home and will be able to set their own hours depending on their client's schedules. Weekend and evening work for a manicurist is popular since many working men and women will seek out manicures in their spare time which will require a manicurist to work outside of a regular work week schedule.
Health is of the utmost importance when working as a manicurist. Since you are dealing with many different people and using the same tools and products on many different individuals, proper sanitation procedures must be followed to avoid contamination of the tools and products used in giving manicures. These guidelines will vary from place to place, but overall a basic sanitation procedure is recognized at any spa or salon and is taught through all of the education facilities.
Typically during the day of a manicurist, you will be soaking hands, cleaning, adding moisture, and preparing the nails for polishing. The nails will need to be cleaned and shaped and cuticles may need to be pushed back and even trimmed up in some cases. Using the right products to add moisture to the hands and cuticles and shaping the nails and preparing them for polish are important aspects of a manicure and should not be rushed through. Manicures are a relaxation procedure for many clients and should not be finished too quickly, as this can damage the work that you have done.
Polishing and adding designs to the nails can be the best part of a manicurist's job. While some clients will only require color, others may want to add stickers, designs, or art to their nails. These additions can be as individual as the client themselves and can be a fun part of the job. Airbrushing techniques can be used as well as painting with smaller brushes with numerous colors. These are ways to add style and flair to nails. Stencils can be used for those who want intricate designs, while other manicurists are able to paint nail designs free hand.
