Hardware manicure - instructions for execution

A hardware manicure has grown in popularity as a precise and delicate nail care option. This method offers a more refined finish than traditional methods because it shapes, cleans, and polishes the nails using specialized tools.

The ability of a hardware manicure to reach and treat areas that are frequently challenging to manage with manual tools is one of its main benefits. It is therefore especially advantageous for people with delicate skin or nails.

If you’re interested in giving hardware manicure a try, knowing what it entails and how it works will help you determine if it’s the best option for your nail care regimen.

Feature	Description
What is it?	Hardware manicure uses an electric device with various attachments to shape and care for nails and cuticles.
Key Benefits	Provides precise nail care, reduces the risk of damage, and is suitable for all nail types.
Procedure	Involves using different drill bits to clean, shape, and polish nails without soaking them in water.
Recommended for	People with sensitive skin or those who want a longer-lasting manicure.

Contents

Features and differences from other types of manicure
What is needed to perform hardware manicure at home
Step-by-step instructions
Requirements for hardware manicure in the cabin
Pros and cons
What you need to know about the structure of the nail for working with a milling cutter
Depth of manicure
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Features and differences from other types of manicure

The devices’ configuration, power, and number of revolutions vary. Devices with revolutions starting at 30,000 are used in the professional world. You may want to look at models starting at 25,000 rpm for home use.

The hardware manicure is the least traumatic procedure when done by skilled hands because it is done dry and without the need for cutting tools, unlike other types of manicures like edged, unedged, and European. It is perfect for people with closely spaced vessels and dry hands and cuticles.

Regular application of the hardware procedure causes the cuticle to grow more slowly and prolongs the manicure’s lifespan.

Over time, the nails become less dry and brittle because there’s no need to steam them in water before the procedure.

Sawing is the most frequent error made when doing a hardware manicure. Because of this, practicing for several hours or even tens of hours is necessary before achieving satisfactory results. It is best to practice on artificial or extended nails before beginning work at home so that you are familiar with the device’s features.

A hardware manicure is a contemporary technique that offers a safer and more effective way to achieve a well-groomed appearance by using specialized tools to gently and precisely shape, clean, and polish nails without the need for soaking or traditional cutting methods.

What is needed to perform hardware manicure at home

For doing the process at home, a milling cutter is a great tool. It’s a lifesaver when it comes to cutting gel polish without soaking, trimming long nails, and delicately working with the cuticle without the need for tweezers or scissors. Make a decision right away if you will only perform manicures or pedicures with your new milling cutter before buying one for home use. You’ll need a stronger, professional-grade machine for a pedicure.

Be mindful of milling cutters that have a 65 W power and a 30,000 RPM speed. These models are appropriate for manicures. Choose models with 25,000 revolutions if you work with your hands. You may read more about selecting a device here.

Practice using silicone cutters before using diamond ones to learn proper grip and pressure to avoid damaging the nail without the necessary expertise.

To avoid cutting the nail plates, limit the machine’s power during the initial few runs to no more than 10,000 rpm.

Use only dry materials for the procedure; otherwise, the attachments may heat up and become clogged, necessitating time-consuming and inconvenient cleaning.

For novices, two cutters are the bare minimum. You will need a ball to remove the cuticle and a cone to remove the pterygium from dry, thin cuticles.

Three pieces are the minimum required for cuticles that are pronounced and dry. A large ball to cut the cuticle, a small ball to lift the cuticle, and a cone to remove the pterygium are required.

The hardest cutters are those with blue notches, which are best for extremely dry and rough skin. Cutter heads with red, finely abrasive notches are suitable for damp or relatively smooth skin.

Apart from the cutter, the following items are required for the procedure:

A set of milling cutters
Dust mask
Exhaust hood, if possible
Brush to remove dust
Cleanser and wipes
Orange stick or pusher
File 180/240 grit to shape
Cuticle oil
Varnish and accessories for nail art if desired

Step-by-step instructions

The basic steps are as follows: shaping the nail plate, polishing the nail plate, processing the cuticle, and side ridges. Over time, many nail service professionals create their own sequence of steps.

Steps involved in giving a hardware manicure:

Using a pusher or orange stick, gently push back the cuticle
A file shapes and adjusts the width of the nail
A diamond cone processes the side ridges and lifts/opens the cuticle at a right angle
A thin truncated cone cleans the pterygium along the roundness of the nail plate
A medium-sized ball of soft abrasiveness removes the cuticle, which by this time is completely separated and turned away from the nail
A cylinder or trapezoid removes the length of the plate, leaving a minimum of 2 mm
Using a polishing attachment or polisher, the plates are processed. The attachment must be in continuous motion to avoid heating the surface
Dust is brushed off with a brush
Nails are wiped with a sponge soaked in a cleanser or dehydrator
A design is made with varnish or gel polish
Cuticle oil or nourishing cream is applied with light massaging movements

Requirements for hardware manicure in the cabin

The hardware manicure process in a salon will vary slightly from what you would do at home because of the following:

Before the procedure, the master must process your hands with a disinfectant
The master should work in gloves
Tools must undergo mandatory disinfection and sterilization, stored in craft packages or UV sterizer
The master works with a large number of attachments, changing them for each stage of work
The attachments should also be sterilized before visiting a new client
The master uses the reverse mode when processing the right and left parts of the nail (depending on the preferences of the master)
The procedure will take 30-40 minutes on average
Before the procedure, the master can make a hygienic bath for 2 minutes to clean the skin, but not allow steaming
If the master uses tweezers and scissors, then this procedure is called combined

Pros and cons

Like any technique, there are advantages and disadvantages to the procedure. It is imperative to consider them prior to beginning work.

Advantages

Processing dry nails exclusively with a milling cutter offers several benefits, such as:

Speed of execution. Hardware manicure is performed faster than trimmed manicure and takes from 20 to 40 minutes, depending on the condition of the hands and cuticle.
Safety. When working with a milling cutter, the risk of injury and infection is minimal due to the absence of cutting tools. No cuts or pricks. This is a huge plus for thin skin and closely located vessels.
Durability. A manicure performed by the device will last up to 3 weeks. Due to the lack of a cut, the cuticle skin grows more slowly and does not grow into the plate. It can be corrected at home with a cuticle remover and an orange stick to extend the period for another week.

Cons

Practice and precision of movements. Hardware manicure will require practice, dexterity and precision of movements. It will be difficult for beginners to get a good result from the first uses of the machine. Experience is important to consider when choosing your master.
Additional financial costs for operation. If used incorrectly and the cutters are incorrectly selected, they can fail, become clogged, and the device can overheat. Maintenance of the device and cutters will require additional financial costs. And the purchase of a good device itself will require significant initial investments.
Compliance with the stages of the technology. It is important to strictly adhere to the sequence of stages in the procedure to avoid damage and overheating of the nail plate.
Hygiene requirements. Disposable cutters must be disposed of after each use. Reusable cutters require disinfection and sterilization after the procedure. Over time, the cutters wear out and become unusable, they will need to be replaced.

What you need to know about the structure of the nail for working with a milling cutter

Understanding the anatomy of the skin and nail system is crucial to performing a manicure correctly, extending its life, preventing undue drying at the cuticle line, and preventing hangnails from developing the day after the treatment.

For the majority of clients, dry overgrown pterygium is the most frequent issue. The master works to avoid interfering with the natural processes of epidermis renewal because he is aware of the characteristics of its formation and the complexities of processing the areas where it grows.

Important details regarding the composition of the skin and nails in relation to hardware manicures:

Three layers make up the skin:

Dermal – the deepest, which cannot be touched, otherwise it will bleed;
Epidermal – consists of living cells, but without nerve endings. Performs a protective function, so it also cannot be filed off by the master. Often this layer is damaged during a combined procedure, when cut with scissors or nippers;
Horny – dead cells of white color. This layer, in turn, consists of several layers, the last of which, shiny, also cannot be filed off by the master, so as not to start the processes of intensive healing and renewal of the skin;

In the nail bed there are capillaries, nerve endings and blood vessels that connect the nail plate to the skin and ensure its growth and nutrition;
If the epidermis is sawed, then the body begins to intensively overgrow these areas, and we get an overgrown cuticle and pterygium;
Blood capillaries are located in the matrix zone and in the dermal layers – in the proximal ridge zone. If a wound appears in the pocket, it is due to an incorrectly placed instrument;
On the back of the roller, which we see after opening the pocket, there is a delicate epidermis. This layer cannot be processed with cutters.

The stratum corneum is the only area that the master can file and clean due to the epidermis’ protective role. Avoid doing too much cleaning; if you do, extensive recovery procedures will begin.

You must hold a lamp up to your fingers, look at the cuticle in the light, and determine whether or not the flap at the cuticle is horny. This piece cannot be filed or cut if it is pink or reddish in color. If not, there will be peeling, excessive growth, and delamination.

Depth of manicure

The matrix has a variety of depths. The master will be informed of this by the lunula. This client can perform a deep manicure if the hole is tiny or nonexistent and the roller is thick.

When creating an excessive depth is impossible:

If the coating is not planned, then you can"t make an excessive depth, since the matrix zone remains unprotected, and this will lead to intensive growth of the cuticle and pterygium in this area.
If the client has a very large, soft and sensitive lunula, as well as a flat ridge, then most often this indicates that the coating has been worn for too long or the nails have not been treated for a long time. As a result, gluing occurs, the cuticle grows to the nail plate, grows with small blood vessels. In this case, you also can"t make a deep pocket. Raised skin is alive, it cannot be simply cut off, and it will hang down like a skirt over the nail plate, be subject to injury and grow hangnails.
You can"t do a deep manicure for men or if there are problems and deformations of the nail plate or lunula. If the lunula is large, then you can damage the growth zone. In this situation, it is better to make the cleaning “in the joint”, to the cutter cut line. The thumb also does not require a deep manicure and opening the pocket, since it has a large hole.

We precisely open the pocket to the coating’s future distance when carrying out a hardware procedure. We use the device to clean the dry white part after opening; we avoid touching the pink skin.

Once you’ve weighed the benefits and drawbacks of hardware manicure, you can decide whether to buy the device. If you are willing to put in the time and effort to learn how to use the technology, a milling cutter can be a great helper when doing a manicure at home. We’re prepared to respond to any queries you may have in the comments.

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A hardware manicure is a contemporary, effective method for getting well-groomed nails with the least amount of discomfort. This method lessens the chance of cuts and irritation, making it especially helpful for people with sensitive skin or cuticles.

Though it necessitates specific equipment and expert instruction, the outcomes can be accurate and long-lasting, which makes it a well-liked option for both nail technicians and customers. Maintaining your nails with hardware manicures on a regular basis can help them stay in excellent shape.

Seeking to try hardware manicures? You should definitely speak with a qualified expert who is familiar with the method. This guarantees that your nails get the finest treatment possible, giving you gorgeous, healthy hands.