17 Reasons Why Manicures For Men Is A Very Good Thing
Manicures for Men
17 Awesome Reasons Every Man Should Get A Manicure Before Going On A Date
For many women, manicures make up an essential aspect of the pre-date ritual. Having beautiful nails makes us feel beautiful, put-together, and in control over our appearance.
Why shouldn’t our male partners reap the same benefits from getting their own pampering nail treatments? Just like the magic a fresh coat of Shellac works for us, a manicure for men can work wonders for a guy’s confidence before a romantic night out.
It may be difficult at first to get your man to clear the mental hurdle of appearing girly in public, but once he sees that nail salons are accepting, inclusive spaces of relaxation and care, he’ll be a convert.
Here are some tips for getting the special man in your life to take the plunge. He’ll say that he never thought about manicures for men. He will now!
Why Men Should Get Manicures
- Nail maintenance is important for everyone
Whereas many women learn from an early age to maintain our hands and nails (think of how many different lotions and nail polishes you’ve accumulated as gifts or impulse purchases in the last year alone), some men appear woefully unaware of the importance of good hand hygiene.
We use our hands to do skin-damaging tasks constantly, like washing them with harsh soap, peeling vegetables too quickly, and just having them out and exposed to the sun all the time, so it’s only natural that they show a bit of wear and tear.
For those who rely on their manual dexterity for work, such as chefs, mechanics, and doctors, hands withstand above-average levels of abuse, and may need even more TLC.
The state of our hands communicates so much about the amount of care we devote to our well-being, and the fact that we routinely present them in full view of people we’re trying to impress, through gestures, touch, and greetings, should give us pause.
It has only recently become largely socially acceptable for men to hit the salon, which means that as a group they still have a long way to go toward routinely caring for their hand health.
Trusting a professional to take care of one’s hands shouldn’t just be for the ladies anymore. Say it with me: “Manicures for men!”
- Taking care of one’s nails is good for your health
To illustrate this point, have you noticed that your man’s hands are plagued by truly awful cuticles? Like paper cuts, raw cuticles are tiny injuries with big repercussions.
As he’s taking a shower, getting dressed, and popping a lime slice into his nerve-calming pre-date Corona, he’ll be reminded that his cuticles were in need of a serious moisture intervention, and have now peeled into an angry red fringe.
Not only is this downright painful, it puts him at risk of infection, especially if he’s a nail-biter.
This could all have been prevented with a quick trip to the nail salon, where a seasoned technician would have taken one look at his harrowing digits and slathered them with enough cuticle oil to refill a Wendy’s fryer. His fingers will look…delicious!
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- He has no idea how good his nails could look
Sure, most people are fully capable of cutting their own nails to a socially acceptable length.
But as someone who has tried (and failed) to achieve the same symmetry and smooth, jag-free edges that your garden-variety nail tech gives me, I can attest to the fact that a DIY job doesn’t compare to the majesty of a professional manicure.
There’s just something about having someone else do it, and much of that difference comes down to the fact that the nail tech sees hands from a completely different angle than the owner of said hands does, and will notice any irregularities otherwise overlooked.
Your man may think his nails look fine now, but if he considers that this angle is the same one from which you’ll give him the once-over as soon as you see him, he’ll understand why getting a second opinion may be the right move.
- Many salons offer services tailored to men
Did your man know that many nail pros, like those at BoomZip, offer services tailored to men’s needs, and also that whole salons exist to cater exclusively to men in search of quality nail care?
If his rigid idea of getting a manicure includes compulsory hot pink polish and Hello Kitty appliques, he needs to wake up and smell the coffee that is the minimalist trim, buff, and (optional) clear coat typical of your standard manicure.
- Men getting manicures is cool!
Take it from one of the hottest male celebrities of the moment, Harry Styles: men can rock nail color like the best of them.
So, if your guy sees your fantastic nails and wants a splash of color, that’s ok, too.
Just ask Johnny Depp, A$AP Rocky, and Brad Pitt, three bona fide manly men who have been incorporating nail art into their public appearances for years.
- He will look more put together
If your guy can’t find a men-only salon and is worried about appearing effeminate by visiting a traditional salon, he can take solace in the fact that strict adherence to the gender stereotype that forbids men to get their nails done is harmful and he’s 
doing a service to himself to resist it.
Also, the point of a manicure is not to draw attention to a man’s nails, but to allow them to seamlessly blend into an all-over, put-together look. (And that’s a very good thing!)
It’s what you don’t see–hangnails, calluses, flaky eczema patches–that make all the difference in whether he looks like an adult in control of his self-care, or someone who needs serious help impressing their date.
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- It will bring out his feminine side
Having unapologetically well-groomed nails is a great way for your partner to show he’s secure enough in himself to embrace femininity by stepping into the woman-dominated realm of beauty treatments.
Transcending entrenched gender norms takes a good deal of confidence, and something as subtle as manicured nails on a man speaks volumes about his willingness to sacrifice an image of hardened masculinity in order to look neat and tidy for his partner.
In other words, clean nails on a man scream self-possessed confidence, a significant determinant of the success of any relationship.
What he may not know is that it’s actually been scientifically proven that getting in touch with his feminine side could yield huge payoffs.
Men who bear “feminine” trappings such as pink shirts reap social and career benefits, including feeling more attractive and earning more money at work!
- He’ll show that he pays attention to details
A similar but slightly different benefit is that, whoever you are, in having beautiful, bespoke fingertips, you’re communicating to your partner that you pay attention to the details that help build the well-laid foundation of a rewarding relationship.
Attention to detail makes for a partner worth keeping–one who will communicate precisely, respect time commitments with their promptness, and pick out great gifts due to their careful indexing of hints dropped by their significant other over the course of several weeks leading up to a major commercial holiday. (That’s right. I went there!)
- He will scratch you less
Picture this: you arrive at the understated yet sophisticated wine bar you agreed upon for your date.
You look around the tastefully dimly-lit room, scanning for your beau’s face. He calls your name from behind you and pulls you in for a hug, but his unkempt nails catch on the bodice of your lace cocktail dress, yanking out several threads and effectively ruining the brand-new garment.
Alternatively: you’ve reached the end of an otherwise perfect date, and he tenderly brushes hair out of your face, in the process scratching your cheek with a monstrous hangnail. “Not again!” he’ll exclaim, remembering how he brutally snagged his own sock earlier that night.
- He can take time to relax before the date
As manicure enthusiasts know, often the biggest perk of schlepping it to the salon is that you’re forced to sit in a chair for 30 minutes to an hour without the ability to use your phone.
While it is technically possible for him to use one hand at a time to scroll through a truck dealership’s Instagram account to his heart’s delight throughout the appointment, his digits will more likely than not be wet or slippery from various treatments and will leave his phone screen smeared or water-damaged.
At the end of the day, he’ll find it’s disrespectful to his technician to disregard their existence in an effort to disassociate during the manicure. The best thing he can do at this point is to sit back, relax, and enjoy the precious moments he’s about to spend not staring at a screen.
This is the perfect time for him to sit quietly and channel his date night game face, by thinking about all the great one-liners he’ll deliver, or to just zone out in his happy place. Either way, he’ll leave the salon feeling rested and ready for the big night.
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- Manicures come with a massage
Speaking of relaxation, is there anything more soothing than the complimentary hand and forearm massage you get during a manicure?
Bonus points if the salon offers an exfoliating scrub or paraffin wax to seal in all that wonderful moisture. Hype this part up, or alternatively let it surprise him, so he’ll feel wowed by the service and more likely to book a second visit.
- Break a nail-biting habit
Between the shame of the nail pro seeing your man’s fingers in a mutilated mess and the money he’ll spend getting them buffed back to a presentable state, your man should be able to find a reason to stop biting or peeling his nails.
Nothing motivates like a hefty financial incentive, and depending on where you live, a basic manicure may not come cheap.
- Relieve stress
Having bad nails can stress a person out. Feeling stressed out can manifest as bad nails.
It’s a vicious cycle with a simple solution: regular nail care.
Encourage your man to use the aforementioned screenless time to enjoy having someone else take care of a small but important facet of his outward appearance.
He doesn’t yet understand the power of a nail-related ego boost, but he will.
- It’s a good excuse to have a spa getaway
Why not pre-game your date with a date of its own: a trip to the spa?
You’re both, presumably, already getting your nails done in preparation for a night out together, so why not toss in a hot stone massage, sauna session, and exfoliating facial to round it out?
When sandwiched between more gender-neutral treatments, a mani/pedi may seem less like an overt attack on his masculinity.
- Help him begin a self-care routine
After years of being taught that tenderly looking after oneself is inherently feminine and therefore shameful, it’s no wonder that your guy feels queasy at the mere mention of caring about how he looks.
The truth is that men need self care, too.
Getting a manicure can be his gateway into putting time toward nourishing his body and soul with self-pampering.
- He’ll have one less thing to stress out about
Have you ever been out on a date, minding your own business, when you look down and notice…there are threads from the seam of your pants shooting out everywhere?!
Or you run to the bathroom and see that you accidentally smudged your mascara all over your left eyelid?
Or that you overlooked a chia seed that was stuck in your teeth from that morning’s overnight oats?
Much like your man’s raggedy nails, these are all unforced errors that could easily have been prevented before arriving on the date. We all judge one another’s appearance on dates, and the little things, like nails, do matter.
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- He’ll be prepared for whatever the date throws at him
For purely hypothetical reasons, let’s imagine that your guy plans to pop the question on this date.
You’ll want to take a million photos to document the occasion, and you’re likely to include a Boomerang or two of him clasping your newly bedazzled hand.
In moments like these, it’s way easier for him to just have Kodak Moment hands instead of editing out his battle scars in post-production.
What Does It All Mean?
Getting your man to get his nails done before a date has a slew of perks that he’ll be hard-pressed to contest.
Be sure to talk up the benefits of nail care, help him book the appointment if he needs it, and be an enthusiastic participant if he needs you to tag along for moral support.
In the worst case scenario, he doesn’t enjoy the experience, but walks away with great nails.
You never know–maybe he’ll become a mani-pedi regular with you, and have beautifully kept hands year-round.
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