Fingernails history
Since ancient times, both women and men have held great interest in embellishing their fingernails. Throughout history, a great variety of techniques have been used to colour, shape, cut and decorate fingernails. The same way as fashion, fingernails have reflected the social tendencies of the moment.
Fingernail treatments date back 5000 years ago in India, where a plant called "henna" was used to dye fingernails. In ancient Egypt and China fingernails were also high valued, both Cleopatra and Nefertiti were very fond of dying their fingernails with bright red colours. Cixi, a Chinese princess was known for keeping her fingernails very long. The ancient women were not the only ones to favor nail care. Before going to battle, both Roman and Egyptian commanders painted their fingernails in the same color as their lips. Babylonian noblemen kept their nails neat by using specialized gold tools.
During the 17th century the Chinese men and women of the upper class dyed their fingernails to reflect wealth and social status. They would also grow their fingernails to 5 inches and beyond, which was intended to reflect the fact that they were not doing any manual labour. They used bamboo or gold sticks to keep their nails from breaking. During the same century, in France, the Versailles courtiers grew their pinky fingernail on one hand which they used to scratch the door which was preferred to loud knocking.
In England the 19th century saw the rise of "the filbert", a oval fingernail with pointed tip, which is a shape that some women are fond of even today. However, at the time, the powder used to add tint to the nails was shunned by queen Victoria, and the technique became less and less popular.
The 20th century saw the invention of the nail polish, also named "nail enamel", which were derived from lacquers used in automotive paint. Long nails were also trendy among upper class women, which also avoided bright colors, as these were distinctive of the working class. Artificial fingernails made their breakthrough in the 1930's, being specifically developed to be used in Hollywood films and posters, and gained favor among women who couldn't grow natural long fingernails. Red nails, made stylish by the fashion icon, Coco Chanel, remained the peak of fashion throughout the 1950's.
In the late 1970's the French manicure was introduced by the cosmetics company Orly, founded by Jeff Pink who also came up with the Home French Manicure Kit. The square pink fingernail with a white tip was very popular at Hollywood because it fit perfectly with a variety of looks and wardrobes.
Fingernails became shorter and the colours less intense during the 1980's when women became more interested in their work. Although bright colours, especially red, regained popularity during the 1990's, fingernails remained relatively short.
Today there are many popular trends in manicure. Some women prefer French manicure, while others favor more extravagant practices, from shinny metallic colours to ornaments such as decals, crystals or nail tip hanging charms.
Fingernail treatments date back 5000 years ago in India, where a plant called "henna" was used to dye fingernails. In ancient Egypt and China fingernails were also high valued, both Cleopatra and Nefertiti were very fond of dying their fingernails with bright red colours. Cixi, a Chinese princess was known for keeping her fingernails very long. The ancient women were not the only ones to favor nail care. Before going to battle, both Roman and Egyptian commanders painted their fingernails in the same color as their lips. Babylonian noblemen kept their nails neat by using specialized gold tools.
During the 17th century the Chinese men and women of the upper class dyed their fingernails to reflect wealth and social status. They would also grow their fingernails to 5 inches and beyond, which was intended to reflect the fact that they were not doing any manual labour. They used bamboo or gold sticks to keep their nails from breaking. During the same century, in France, the Versailles courtiers grew their pinky fingernail on one hand which they used to scratch the door which was preferred to loud knocking.
In England the 19th century saw the rise of "the filbert", a oval fingernail with pointed tip, which is a shape that some women are fond of even today. However, at the time, the powder used to add tint to the nails was shunned by queen Victoria, and the technique became less and less popular.
The 20th century saw the invention of the nail polish, also named "nail enamel", which were derived from lacquers used in automotive paint. Long nails were also trendy among upper class women, which also avoided bright colors, as these were distinctive of the working class. Artificial fingernails made their breakthrough in the 1930's, being specifically developed to be used in Hollywood films and posters, and gained favor among women who couldn't grow natural long fingernails. Red nails, made stylish by the fashion icon, Coco Chanel, remained the peak of fashion throughout the 1950's.
In the late 1970's the French manicure was introduced by the cosmetics company Orly, founded by Jeff Pink who also came up with the Home French Manicure Kit. The square pink fingernail with a white tip was very popular at Hollywood because it fit perfectly with a variety of looks and wardrobes.
Fingernails became shorter and the colours less intense during the 1980's when women became more interested in their work. Although bright colours, especially red, regained popularity during the 1990's, fingernails remained relatively short.
Today there are many popular trends in manicure. Some women prefer French manicure, while others favor more extravagant practices, from shinny metallic colours to ornaments such as decals, crystals or nail tip hanging charms.
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