Tip of the Month

A proponent of the waterless manicure, Susan Hilker, a nail technician at Salon Millennia in Torrance, Calif., uses lotion and a heat lamp to hydrate clients’ skin. After filing and shaping the nails, Hilker applies cuticle cream, then dabs on a generous amount of mango-scented moisturizing lotion on the hands which she then covers in plastic wrap. She places the hands under the heat lamp for five minutes. When hands are soft and smooth she proceeds with the rest of the manicure.