Japanese style hand care

Hands are one of the most visible and solicited parts of our body, whether for everyday actions such as holding chopsticks and tapping on a keyboard, or the more ceremonial gestures of serving tea and giving.

In this way, for the Japanese, hygiene and careful care of hands and nails are just as important, if not more, than facial care. It is a symbol that reflects a person's cleanliness and delicacy.

While some Japanese people sport ultra-colorful manicures with nail art, capsules and gel, many of them, including men, stick to regular nail and hand care.

In this article, we share with you some simple actions to take care of your hands subtly.

1. Clean and trim your nails regularly

Cleaning and trimming

To limit the proliferation of bacteria and other germs, get into the habit of cleaning under your fingernails morning and evening with a soft brush and soap. Then, rather than cutting your nails very short when they have become too long, trim them regularly so that they are always the ideal length (that they do not protrude from the finger).

This KOBAKO nail clipper, designed by the ingenious Kiho Watanabe, has an adjustable stopper that allows you to cut evenly 1 or 2 mm as desired.

Adjustable nail clipper KOBAKO

Shaping the shape

Optionally, you can then use a file to adjust the desired shape and prevent the splitting of your nails.

Here are two tips from the nailist Kiho Watanabe to properly file them:

• Avoid pushing the file on your nails or going back and forth because it weakens the nail. It is best to pull the file towards you in the same direction.

• Place the file at 45° to your nails to shape a square nail, at 20° for an oval shape.

  It is to facilitate the creation of the shape that Kiho Watanabe has created with KOBAKO these files in the shape of a 45° or 20° prism, that allow you to obtain the desired shape without technique nor effort!

45 ° square shape file KOBAKO	20 ° oval shape file KOBAKO

2. Treat the base of your nails

Pushing back and maintaining cuticles

To lengthen their hands and amplify the elegance of their gestures, Japanese people have a little secret; pushing back cuticles. By removing unnecessary keratin and dry cuticles that accumulate around the nail, they achieve a clean base that visually lengthens the nails and gives a very neat appearance to the hand.

• Daily care: moisturize the base of your nails twice a day with a rich oil in roll-on format. The nail oil has an emollient effect on the cuticles that prevents or reduces their appearance. It is also an excellent treatment for nails that lack vigor and suppleness because it provides nutrients from the matrix.

• The weekly method: if the cuticles persist, soak your fingers for a few minutes to soften them and then use a cuticle pusher from the tip of the nail to its base.

Nail Oil Basic uka	Cuticle Pusher KOBAKO

3. Smooth the surface of your nails

Natural nails

If you want to keep your nails natural, use the buffer as a final step to even out the surface of your nails. After using the two rougher sides of the nail buffer (which rid the nail of small dead skin and dilate scales) add your oil or a balm. Then use the other two sides in order to make them shine.

Polishing Block KOBAKO	Nail Oil 18:30 uka

Polished nails

If you want to polish your nails, use the two rougher sides of the buffer to prepare the nail, smooth out irregularities and allow better adhesion of your nail polish. Before applying the base coat, rinse or brush your nails and the skin around them to remove dirt, dead skin and any remaining impurities from polishing and filing.

Hand brush SHAQUDA	Base Coat 0/3 uka

4. Care of your hands   

When your nails are well-groomed, you can move on to hand care. Often washed, exposed to UV rays and minor scratches, hands are, to the Japanese, an indicator of the passage of time that must be maintained often in order to age gracefully.

Therefore, they regularly massage their hands with a cream or lotion that helps maintain the skin's radiance and elasticity while accelerating its regeneration.

Blanc Plume Lotion Cokon Lab	Hand cream 13:00 uka