1. Assist with nail treatments on the hands Nail analysis

2. Assessing the client Question the client Look at the nails
Examine the hands and nails to assess their condition
Discuss what you see with your client

3. Questioning
Ask the client about how they look after their hands and nails at home
What products do they use?
Have they had a manicure before?

4. Visual inspection
Have a look at the hands, nails, skin colour and texture
Do you see anything?

5. Manual inspection
Now you have had a quick look its time to do things in detail
Have a feel of the hands – rough/smooth
What condition are the nails in – smooth/broken/short
What condition are the cuticles in – healthy/split/neglected

6. Assessing the condition hands
Look at the back and front
What colour and texture is the skin?
Are the hands smooth or rough?
Any sign of infection?

7. Assessing the condition nails
What shape are they?
Short or long
Are all the nails the same length?
Are the nails healthy looking?
Any sign of disease or disorders?

8. Assessing the condition skin around the nails
Are the cuticles hard and overgrown?
Any sign of redness, inflammation or infection?
Are the cuticles neglected and growing onto the nail plate?
Are there any hangnails?

9. Dry nails Dull appearance Flaking free edge Dragging feeling To touch
Superficial
ridges
Peels easily
Very dry
cuticles

10. Brittle nails Thicker nail Very hard plate Usually inflexible
Often break
or crack
easily
May become
Curved.
Tend to overgrow

11. Dehydrated/ageing Dull appearance Flaky & peeling Superficial ridges
Sometimes
thickened
Nail plate
Dragging feel
to touch
May be
discoloured

12. Normal
Flexible
Very
strong
Healthy
Pink
colour
Smooth
ridges

13. Damaged Senstive to touch Slow to grow/ No growth Very thin Very weak
Peels
easily
Extremely
soft
Free edge
disintegrates
on filing
Evidence
of bruising