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
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 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
: 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 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.
Artificial nail structures are applied to enhance the natural nail by increasing its length, improving overall appearance and to strengthen and repair.
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.
The art of polishing nails has been around for centuries for both men and women. Nail polish or nail stain, as it was known for many years ago, started out being natural in formula. However, as the years have progressed, nail polish formulas have become more intricate including chemicals. As the years have passed, the color and purpose of polishing nails has expanded to not only nobles or those of high rank/station, but also everyday people. There are many different ingredients in today’s nail polishes. It is important to know which ingredient correlates with the four primary qualities of nail polish, specifically the ingredient that is responsible for the drying-time. Red has become one of the most popular colors to paint nails. Essie,
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
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).
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.
Getting your nails done takes an hour or more in length. The process is actually simple. First, the nail technician places the clear, artificial tip on your real nail with nail glue. Next, is the acrylic or gel that makes your nails stronger. Then, the drilling of the nail and shaping it to your liking comes in. After this is the time you go wash your hands, pick your color, make them fit your personality. I’m
According to article “Personal Hygiene and Cosmetics” stated, “Egyptians used cosmetics regardless of sex and social status for both aesthetic and therapeutic reasons” (1). Appearance was important to egyptians and would let cosmetic products and skin care products as an offer to the dead because they believe their souls would still want to take care of themselves. Egyptians made their make-up with carbon, lead sulphide (galena) or manganese oxide (pyrolusite) to create white and black colors. Malachite and other copper based minerals to create the green color, ground red ochre mixed with water to create the red color, which was applied to the lips and cheeks, and henna was used as a nail polish creating either a yellow or orange color. Oil was the based in most of their cosmetic products for example their finest oil was extracted from a fruit called Balanites Aegyptiaca, moringa nuts and almonds mixed with organic and inorganic substances to create pigments. Kohl is the eye makeup preference in eastern countries and is applied to upper and lower eyelids with a line extending at the end of the eye, eyebrows were painted black and lips were in dark tones of
File and buff the nail. Try to make the nail a bit rough. Put the artificial nail extensions beside the hand.
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...