Image source: aboutpixel.de / Nails © Ronald Leine
In the office, as I was surreptitiously surfing the net for online college reviews, I couldn’t help but notice my co-worker’s toe. It seemed as if it had been run over by a speeding truck. It was covered in a thick bandage and looked swollen as hell. She told me she just had surgery on that toe, because of a nasty nail infection from a nail salon she recently went to.
If in the past you have likewise fallen prey to supposedly experts who give careless manicures, here are some points to remember the next time you hit the nail salon:
Bring your own stuff. It wouldn’t hurt to be scrupulously clean when having manicures. Buy your own manicure or pedicure kit and bring it with you to wherever you get your nails done. Don’t forget to disinfect your tools after each use, even if you’re the only one using it. If you can, take off your old nail polish from your nails before going to the salon, or bring your own nail polish remover.
Inspect the salon. You don’t have to walk around with a magnifying glass in hand. Discreetly check if their manicure tables and floors are clean, and if the trash bin is properly bagged and covered. See if their disinfectant containers are clean.
Be sure that the pedicure tub is cleaned after each use. Check if the manicurists wash their hands before and after each client, and that each client washes his or her hands prior to the manicure.
Take the extra time to make sure everything used is sanitary. In the long run, it’ll spare you a big headache- and fungi-infested nails.