“Nails” for a boy: Moscow men massively went for a manicure

Stereotypes about men visiting beauty salons haunt more than one generation of Russians. They seem to have become accustomed to barbershops (barbershops, if in our opinion!) But a young guy or a respectable gentleman who signs up for a manicure session still surprises many. The MK correspondent talked with employees and clients of the salon offering such a service.

In recent years, Moscow men have become three times more likely to visit beauty salons, and the most popular procedure has become trimming and hardware manicure – beauty industry experts shared these statistics with the MK correspondent. The average check for procedures for the care of men’s hands is a little more than a thousand rubles (not to be compared with ladies’ “nails” with a long-term coating).

As the director of one of the beauty salons in the north of Moscow said, in the past few years, men have made up to 10% of all clients of the institution – this is a significant change compared to the beginning of our century, when there were only 2-3% of male clients.

“I noticed an interesting pattern. If a man enters the salon and there is no one in the nail salon, he may feel embarrassed. However, if he sees that other men are already sitting there, he will join them. Probably a feature of male psychology. It is curious that we notice such situations on Fridays, we generally have Friday – men’s day.

The clients who don’t raise any questions in the nail parlor are the ones whose fingers are regularly filmed or photographed close up. First of all, we are talking about the grooms. In favor of male manicure, almost all wedding photographers speak out, moreover, very categorically.

“If the hands are not well-groomed, forget about the shots where the hands will be visible close-up. For example, where the groom hugs the bride, runs his hand through her hair, holds her hand. That is, of course, I will take such shots, but the groom’s nails will look terrible on them: untreated uneven gray nails, burrs, sloppy hands. And I don’t do retouching of such things,” photographer Daria Ryzhova warns clients.

However, there is no monopoly on male manicure for potential newlyweds and should not be.

– Well-groomed hands and nails create a positive and pleasant impression. It’s better than bitten nails with burrs. It’s even disgusting to look at, especially when a man is attractive, well-dressed and smells, and here such nails …

We greet each other with these very hands, handing over business documents, tablets and laptops, asking to see the files we need for work, hugging the woman we love and holding the hand of our child.

In some industries, untidy hands and nails can be viewed with suspicion. This is the same element of appearance as the face. It’s just that many people think that men’s manicure is the same as women’s: multi-colored varnish, sparkles and other joys. Men’s manicure is first of all clean and evenly trimmed nails, without burrs. You can’t help but like it, – says an employee of the salon, which also does men’s manicure.

The manicurist continues: hand care is not only beauty, but also health. The area where cuticles are treated is less prone to burr formation. Therefore, the use of tweezers or scissors is not the only way to give the nails a shape and a healthy look.

A common male phobia: you sit in the chair of a manicurist – and in an hour you will see long shiny nails painted in mother-of-pearl color. But no, it’s not that scary! Men’s manicure is done differently and takes a little longer than the women’s version of the procedure.

– Nail plates in men are stronger and thicker, and the skin around them hardens faster. For the treatment of male nails, a more abrasive (coarse) nail file is used than for women. The shape of the nail follows natural contours, so the treated nail looks natural. Simply put, it will not be evident that you have been to a nail salon if you are embarrassed about it,” the manicurist explained.

Male manicure in the salon usually consists of four to five stages. First, the nails are shaped with a nail file, and then polished with a special polishing block to smooth out the bumps. Then a hand bath is made to soften the skin, after which the nail bed is treated (the cuticle is removed or pushed back). At the end, the master applies nourishing oil. If desired, you can make a light peel and apply a matte colorless nail polish to give strength and shine, as well as to saturate the nails with vitamins.

Most men prefer to update their manicure every few months – most likely before important events. However, there are those who sign up for a manicure regularly, at least once a month.

– I don’t think there’s anything wrong with men getting their nails done and using hand cream. It’s nice to have clean, neat nails and soft skin, and not dry, hard, like paws of a lizard with crackling nails, under which there is dirt, even a turnip, – one of the clients of the beauty salon willingly shared.

A comrade “in misfortune”, sitting in a nearby chair, agrees with him.

“Male manicure with a coating is, of course, too much,” says a young man in his thirties. – Now it is very common among young people, I often notice painted nails on bloggers and rappers and I am completely loyal to this fashion. The most important thing is that people feel comfortable. But I still think that men’s nails look more masculine when they are uncoated. However, a standard manicure should be done by everyone, regardless of gender.