Caring for Your Hands

It is within your power, Madam, if you attend to your hands, for them to be as beautiful as your face and even surpass it in expressing your personality. And it is an expression whose understanding is not confined to the fortune-teller alone; the shape of the hands and the feel of their skin say a great deal, and more eloquent still is the way you use them. Perhaps you have seen the marvelous picture of La Gioconda by the Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. Gaze at her face, radiant with contentment and inner confidence, over which lies a touch of irony and disdain for the whole world; then gaze at the shape of her hands and their pose — they disclose to us that bodily contentment made manifest in the features of the face.

And your hands, Madam, express your personality in the same way. If your hand is slender and soft, with fingers tapering at the tips, then you have an advantage over some of your peers, since slender hands enjoy the greatest favor — though I know some women with small, plump hands like children's hands, which have a beauty all their own because of their softness, their cleanliness, and the graceful way they gesture. So you need not worry if your fingers are not of the long, slender type, for every hand has its own personality. Still, the most beautiful hand in the world loses its charm if its cleanliness and good grooming are neglected.

And remember how many times you use your hands, deliberately or not, especially in your hours of emotion. You clasp your hands tightly in moments of distress and anxiety, raise them in astonishment, pass them over your forehead when tired; your fingers touch your face in contemplation and thought, and you extend your hands in greeting a friend. In short, hands are more eloquent in expression than words.

The first thing an actress learns is how to use her hands — or, more precisely, how to hold their reins and make them obey her will, for every gesture of the hand betokens an idea or a state of mind, and so the gesture must be right.

And what applies to this actress applies to you as well, Madam, for it is important that you know how to use your hands, since they are always the object of attention, and so they must appear at their best. Someone may ask: and how is that to be done? The answer: first, the hands must be perfectly clean. Second, they must be given complete care. Third, their nails must be trimmed in a manner suited to their shape.

The secret of all bodily beauty — whether of the face, the hands, or the figure — is composed of eighty percent health, ten percent care, and ten percent sound taste. Your state of health shows itself in the nails of your hand. If their surface is thin and easily broken, or furrowed and marked with white spots, then your general health suffers from some deficiency or ailment. In that case you must watch your diet, to learn whether you are eating more than your body can digest; whether you are getting enough physical exercise; and whether you are deprived of fresh air.

Answer these questions for yourself first, since beauty is not complete or attainable without securing bodily health. Now let us suppose you enjoy perfect health and well-being — what, then, must you do to keep your hands beautiful? Here is some advice.

Massage is very beneficial for the beauty of the hands, for it lends them suppleness and makes them soft and pliant, and it helps you correct their flaws and blemishes, such as prominent finger joints, redness, and unusual fleshiness. Use a massage cream if your hand is of the dry type, and talc powder if it is moist with perspiration. And do not forget that the massage should go from the fingertips to the wrist and beyond.

Moist hands are a delicate, embarrassing matter. A friend of mine, an actress famous for the beauty of her hands, told me how she deals with this problem, which is due to enlarged pores. This is her advice: dip your hands for about two minutes in very hot water, then dip them for about another two minutes in a bowl of cold water. After that dry them lightly, then massage them gently, using an astringent solution such as rose water. There are many other solutions for the hands that you may use.

But the beauty of the hands also depends to a great degree on the care given them. Never manicure your nails carelessly; rather take your time in trimming and tinting them before you go out, and arrange a fixed program of your time for their care, setting aside an hour every week and five or ten minutes every morning.

The present fashion decrees that a woman's nails should be long, tapered at the tips, and tinted. This fashion adds to the charm of the long, slender, well-tended hand. But the plump hand needs greater precision than that in its manicure, for the nails must be moderate in their length, their tapering, and the color of their polish, so as to suit the general shape of the hand. And the hand and nails — whether long or short, slender or plump — must be scrupulously clean, for nothing is uglier than tinted nails on a hand that has not been given adequate care.

You must give the weekly manicure your fullest attention. To carry out this operation and the massage, you must first remove all old polish from your nails, then wash your hands in hot water. Everything you will use must be within reach — the massage cream, the talcum powder, the towels, the bowl and hot water, and the manicure implements.

First massage the palm and back of the left hand, using the palm of the right hand, and let the massage be vigorous, from the joints to the wrist. Then begin with each finger and massage it firmly with the ball of your thumb, starting from the tips toward the palm, pressing hard on the joints; and massage the thumb by the same process. Then stretch and bend each joint of the fingers. Massage each finger from top to bottom in the same way, then rotate it gently using your thumb and finger. Finish this operation by massaging the wrist gently and rotating the hands from the wrist for a minute or two; this operation makes the hand supple.

When you are ready to trim your nails, first dip one hand in a bowl of lukewarm soapy water. Never trim your nails with scissors; use a file instead, filing them from top to bottom, not back and forth, for that leaves the edges of the nails rough. Then use an emery board to complete the operation.

Finally, Madam, remember that brilliant shades of polish and splendid jewels draw all eyes to your hands — so avoid them, unless you are certain that your hands fulfill the conditions of beauty set forth here.