Manicure refers to the care of hands and fingernails.

The term comes from the French and is derived from the terms “manu” for hand and “cura” for care.

The nails consist of “Keratin” and provide protection for the fingertips. The nails consist of up 150 layers of keratinized skin cells and can reach a thickness of up 0,75 mm.

The fingernails grow about 1 mm per week.

The first manicures are supposed to have begun 5000 years ago.

In 3200 b.C. a manicure set of mashed gold was found in the ruins of Babylon, in the Chaldean tombs. For the pharaohs and the nobles, a color scheme was used for the hierarchical selection.

Also the slaves was allowed to paint their nails, only on very short fingernails and only with pale and subtle colors.

In the ancient China paint polish was made of wax, eggs, gelatin and gum arabic.

Cleopatra painted her fingernails with Henna. 

In the 16th century it was even possible to be accused like a witchcraft  for  painted fingernails and burned on the pyre.

1914 is registered the first patent for an fingernail protection of Anna Kindred from North Dakota.

Manicure became particularly popular in France in 1920/1930. All this time, as today, it was and it is fashionable to paint the nail tips white and leave the rest of the fingernails in natural rose, which is known as “French Manicure”.

In 1925 a transparent, rose colored nail polish came onto the market. It was only applied to the middle of the nail, the nail tip and the nail moon remained unpainted.

Around 1930, various actresses, like Rita Heyworth, Jean Harlow, ......... take care of his reputation.

In 1932 the first covering nail varnish was developed by the brothers Lachmann. 

Around 1970, the first nail studios were opened and in the early 1980’s the light curing technology was developed.

The care of hands can limit the risk of infections in the nail area. By chew  nails or wrong cutting, various diseases such as nail fungus can occur. Therefore professional care is very important.