Nails and Their Care, Now and Then
By Jessie Sporer
It's been said that the beginnings of a beautiful look start with your hands and feet. Long throughout our history women have been getting manicures and pedicures to enhance the look of their nails. A complete nail beauty routine will leave the nails cleaned, groomed, decorated and/or polished nails. Above just the decoration factor, how the nails are done can sometimes indicative of a persons station in life as we will see a bit later in this report.
The terms manicure and pedicure both stem from Latin words, menus, which means to brush and cure, which means to care. Similarly, ped means foot and cure means care.
Manicures are not new to modern society. They actually have been around for five thousand or more years. Pedicures beginnings are still up for debate, but some say there is evidence that indicates that this art was around in ancient Egyptians times. One of the first manicures ever found was in an excavation in ancient Babylon, which dated back to around 3,200 BC. It was set in pure gold. In ancient times the manicure was considered an art form. The historical information tell us that women would find ways to be able to practice this art by using henna to dye the nails. They also used different kinds of formulations of incense and oils to rub on the skin to add softness, shine, and pleasant scents to their well groomed hands.
The ancient Egyptians used different shades of paint on the nails to identify their status in their community. Slaves were only permitted to use pale hues while nobles would sport vibrant colors.
In ancient China nail paint was made from egg whites and waxed gelatin’s. The most popular colors were silver and gold. A bit later in time b...
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...r hands and fingers also play a role in how quickly your nails will grow. People with long fingers grow nails faster than people with short fingers. The nail on the middle finger grows faster than the rest of the fingers. The thumbnail grows the slowest. To keep nails strong you may apply a nail strengthener about every three days.
It generally takes around a hundred days to grow just one centimeter of nail on your finger tips and about four to six months to completely renew the whole fingernail. You'll have to wait at least 12 to 18 months to grow your toenails as they are twice as thick as finger nails.
Contrary to some popular old myths, nails do not continue to grow after death they just appear longer because the skin retracts as it loses moisture. The biggest finger nails ever reported belong to an Indian guy. They were reported to be 48 inches in length
: Finding a fingernail instead of claws was a huge surprise and it is considered a huge hallmark for our primate history. The paleontologist was actually expecting a huge claw at first and getting a small nail was a shock for him. Nails also make it easier for primates to gather food rather than claws which gives it a similar characteristic to us.
The nail is a complex cutaneous structure that consists mainly of the nail matrix, nail plate, nail bed, cuticle (eponychium), and nail folds. The cuticle is an outgrowth of the proximal fold, which is situated between the skin of the digit and the nail plate, providing a waterproof seal from external irritants and pathogens.
For example, during the Renaissance, well-born European women plucked out hairs, one by one, from their natural hairline all the way back to the crowns of their heads, to give them the high rounded foreheads thought to be beautiful at the time. Those who didn't want to resort to plucking used poultices of vinegar mixed with cat dung or quick-lime. The latter often removed some of the skin as well as the hair.
The treatment takes about 30 minutes, and some patients require two treatments. According to a recent study, 90 percent of people treated with LightPod Forte grew out normal nails. This may take from three months to one year.
The wide rimmed ring of space located at the top of the lekythos was commonly decorated with a pattern called palmette. Discovering a palmette pattern is not unusual to find on a lekythos, and many other types of ancient Greek pottery. The different variations in color, design, pattern, intricacy and brushstroke can help determine the ancient painter. Because the colors were not fired directly on the white-ground, they are not necessarily as permanent as the black gloss; therefore overtime the vivid colors and detailed decoration will
The word barber is derived from the Latin word barba, meaning beard.2 As a profession, barbering was introduced in Rome in 296 B.C. The barbers of the early days were also surgeons and dentists, and in both Egypt and Greece, barbers attained prosperity and respect. Statesmen, poets, and philosophers who came to have their hair cut or their beards trimmed frequented the shops. They also came to discuss the news of the day because the barbershops of the ancient world were the headquarters of social, political, and sporting news.
Prepare the nails by removing any old nail polish present on the nail. Clean the nails with hand sanitizer.
Toe dancing was developed in the early nineteenth century, it did not become widely used until the 1830’s. When Swedish-Italian ballerina; Marie Taglioni, demonstrated its potential for poetic effect. Also known as pointe work, almost exclusively used by women, although male dancers may use it as well.
Biting my nails is a great because it relieves stress and helps with boredom. It is unwanted however because it leaves my finger nails in an undesired state.
9). Toselli noted that Egyptian women used henna to color their nails (2009). The most notable color used to paint their nails was red. However, the color red was reserved for women of power. One example of such women, is Cleopatra, who “…favored a deep rust red” (Toselli, p.9). Women of lower stations “…were permitted only pale hues” (Toselli, p.9). Pales hues refers to light colors. Over the years different ingredients were utilized to create nail stain, varnish all otherwise known as nail polish. According to Toselli, the mixture of Arabic gum, egg whites, gelatin, and beeswax was used by the Chinese. “They also used a mixture of pulped rose for color, or orchid and impatiens petals combined with alum, which, when applied to mails overnight, left a pinkish, reddish stain” (Toselli, p.9). Eventually, ingredients included: scented red oils, powders and creams. It was by accident that it was discovered that “…boiling nitrocellulose made it soluble in organic
This practice, which began with the Tang dynasty in tenth-century China, started with the upper class. Mothers began binding the feet of their daughters as young as five years old. “A girl’s foot was made small, preferably only three inches long, by pressing the four smaller toes under the sole or ball of the foot in order to make it narrower. At the same time it was made shorter by forcing the big toe and heel closer together so that the arch raised in a bow shape. As a result the arch was broken and the foot could bear no weight except on the heel.” (Fairbank, 285).
Like today paintings in Ancient Egypt were found everywhere, but as time passed by paintings meant different things1 that made it harder for us to identify what some of the art they did meant. To remember the important people, the Ancient Egyptians painted portraits so their presence will always be with them even though they have passed away. Most of the time the Ancient Egyptians would exaggerate paintings that cause the paintings to be inaccurate and unrealistic.2 Before the Artist can start painting they had to go through a special process, the process was quite simple; a square grid paper covered in red paint was prepared. They did this so that they can make sure that the proportions were aligned. Now days we don’t use grid paper covered in red paint, the artists uses a ruler. These days we see all the great paintings located inside museums. Back then the great paintings were mural paintings (wall paintings) and these mural paintings were found in the walls leading toward tombs. Usually the paintings that were painted were what that person’s life was before entering the after-life. The paint the Ancient Egyptians used was from nature, it was a natural source, white was from Gypsum or Calcium carbonate, Red was from Ochre or Iron oxide, blue was from copper or Lapis Lazuli, green was from copper chloride compound and glues were made from egg white. Ancient Egypt’s painting was very symbolic
During this time colouring and staining of the fingernails was extremely common within the Chinese culture. Men and women would use beeswax, egg white and rose petals’ to brew a bright polish. Methods such as these would turn out to be quite lengthy, as this procedure required the nails to be soaked in the mixture for several hours’. In Chinese culture only the wealthy were permitted to wearing bright colours. Poorer citizens were only permitted to wear dull colours and defiance would result in the death penalty.
In addressing the subject of footbinding, one primary difficulty becomes apparent - that much remains within the realm of the unknowable. Any factual knowledge about the practice may only be drawn from 19th- and 20th-century writings, drawings or photographs. In addition, many of these documents represent a distinctly Western point of view, as they are primarily composed of missionary accounts and the literature of the various anti -footbinding societies.[1] The historical origins of footbinding are frustratingly vague, although brief textual references suggest that small feet for women were preferred as early as the Han dynasty. The first documented reference to the actual binding of a foot is from the court of the Southern Tang dynasty in Nanjing, which celebrates the fame of its dancing girls renowned for their tiny feet and beautiful bow shoes.[2] The practice apparently became the standard for feminine beauty in the imperial court, spreading downward socially and geographically as the lower classes strove to imitate the style of the elite. [3]
No one is quite sure exactly how the process of foot binding was first started or how it gained its popularity, but there are a lot of tall tales. Some believe that the practice began when a concubine called “Precious Thing” belonging to Prince Li Yu danced somewhat like a ballerina on her toes. She did this inside a six foot high lotus. From there, the custom is believed to have been picked up by royalty before becoming popular with commoners. The second belief originated among upper-class court dancers. Court dancers wrapped their feet in white silk to dance atop a golden lotus sculpture. The talented dancers bound thei...