A paraffin manicure is a manicure that utilizes paraffin wax to soften the skin and clean the nails. The wax is applied to the arms, hands, and feet before it's heated. The wax is then removed with the aid of a hot towel. The main ingredient in waxes is hydrocarbons such as hexane, heptane, and octane.

Artificial nails can lengthen short nails, making your fingers look long and slender. They can also be hard on your nails. To get acrylic nails (a type of artificial nail) to stick, the surface of your natural nails must be filed until they feel rough. This thins your natural nails, making them weaker.