The next time you pull a bottle of nail polish out of your bathroom cabinet, think about how many people have been engaging in that exact same routine for over 7,000 years! That's right — the history of nail polish (or nail art, to be exact) is a long one, and full of ups and downs, blingy accoutrements, Victorian chaste, "wow" moments, and dull spans of non-inspiration. History allows nail enthusiasts to better understand the practice of nail enhancement that has spanned generations and continents. Apparently, we're not the only ones who like getting our nails done!
3000 years Before Christ the Chinese used enamel on their fingers (Cheng). They applied the substance and left it to sit for several hours, resulting in a pink shine on their nails. This was the beginning of nail art and the earliest records. The Indians also practiced nail art in a similar period using a dye derived from the Henna plant. This sometimes implied a social significance. Egyptians were another civilization that used nail art early on. The color of ladies nails were used to identify what class in society you were in. The higher class wore deep shades of red and lower classes wore pale shades. This is the same with the Chinese; if a lower level woman was caught wearing red nail polish, she would have her hands cut off and sometimes her head(Butchart)! Another mother of nail art was the Inca civilization who actually painted images of eagles on their fingertips. They would paint a white base coat on to symbolize purity towards the Gods, and the eagles were red to symbolize strength in times of war(Fisher).
The modernization of nail design began early in the 19th century. Orange wood sticks were developed in Europe, beginning the exponential increase of nail art interest. Modern manicures began with this invention around 1830(Fisher). The popularity created business opportunities, and salons started to pop up across the US by late 19th century. After the creation of the automobile and more importantly the mass production of them, a new range of paints entered the market on the demand of car enthusiasts giving new life to nail art. One of the first designs to become poplar was what was known as the "moon manicure". This nail art design involved painting the middle of the nail while leaving the moon of the nail unpainted. This led to more and more creative designs to become popular.
The next revolution came from the Revson brothers, with their invention of a new kind of nail enamel and their creation of the company Revlon. The third partner in the business was a Charles Lachman who inspired the "L" in the middle of the company name (Cheng). Their use of pigments instead of dyes changed the industry dramatically. This allowed for new colors and designs to quickly be adapted. The success instantly made Revlon an industry leader by 1940 and it was clear that nail art was here to stay. As time moved on, nail art became a symbol to communicate between subcultures. Goths for example started to sport black nail polish, as did rock stars and punks(Butchart). Along with the "preppy" group which generally stuck to light pinks and creams. No matter what "group" women associated themselves with, they had a nail design or trend that allowed them to express themselves.
Since then, nail art has become more creative and artistic. Many trends have come about such as the addition of symbols and crystals, air brushing, acrylic and gel nail enhancements. Nail wraps such as the metallic nails range have been created to have a more metallic look or sport a deign too complicated to be done by hand("History of Nail Art"). These wraps are pre-printed designs from a digital printer, and are applied with heat activation and allow for designs to be finished in a fraction of the time. Not only this but they protect nails from scratches and don't chip like traditional products. They last for over 1 month and truly are the latest breakthrough in nail art.
Many people in modern times create complex nail designs which are used to express their inner feelings, seasons and holidays, or even a movie that inspired them (such as Despicable Me; which is trending right now in the nail fashion world)! Non of those designs, however, could be possible if it weren't for the initial pioneers of nail décor. If those first nail finishes and henna dips hadn't been thought of, who knows what kind of a nail world we'd live in. Those "polishes" have been the stepping stones to the magnificent designs and polishes sold in the world today.
3000 years Before Christ the Chinese used enamel on their fingers (Cheng). They applied the substance and left it to sit for several hours, resulting in a pink shine on their nails. This was the beginning of nail art and the earliest records. The Indians also practiced nail art in a similar period using a dye derived from the Henna plant. This sometimes implied a social significance. Egyptians were another civilization that used nail art early on. The color of ladies nails were used to identify what class in society you were in. The higher class wore deep shades of red and lower classes wore pale shades. This is the same with the Chinese; if a lower level woman was caught wearing red nail polish, she would have her hands cut off and sometimes her head(Butchart)! Another mother of nail art was the Inca civilization who actually painted images of eagles on their fingertips. They would paint a white base coat on to symbolize purity towards the Gods, and the eagles were red to symbolize strength in times of war(Fisher).
The modernization of nail design began early in the 19th century. Orange wood sticks were developed in Europe, beginning the exponential increase of nail art interest. Modern manicures began with this invention around 1830(Fisher). The popularity created business opportunities, and salons started to pop up across the US by late 19th century. After the creation of the automobile and more importantly the mass production of them, a new range of paints entered the market on the demand of car enthusiasts giving new life to nail art. One of the first designs to become poplar was what was known as the "moon manicure". This nail art design involved painting the middle of the nail while leaving the moon of the nail unpainted. This led to more and more creative designs to become popular.
The next revolution came from the Revson brothers, with their invention of a new kind of nail enamel and their creation of the company Revlon. The third partner in the business was a Charles Lachman who inspired the "L" in the middle of the company name (Cheng). Their use of pigments instead of dyes changed the industry dramatically. This allowed for new colors and designs to quickly be adapted. The success instantly made Revlon an industry leader by 1940 and it was clear that nail art was here to stay. As time moved on, nail art became a symbol to communicate between subcultures. Goths for example started to sport black nail polish, as did rock stars and punks(Butchart). Along with the "preppy" group which generally stuck to light pinks and creams. No matter what "group" women associated themselves with, they had a nail design or trend that allowed them to express themselves.
Since then, nail art has become more creative and artistic. Many trends have come about such as the addition of symbols and crystals, air brushing, acrylic and gel nail enhancements. Nail wraps such as the metallic nails range have been created to have a more metallic look or sport a deign too complicated to be done by hand("History of Nail Art"). These wraps are pre-printed designs from a digital printer, and are applied with heat activation and allow for designs to be finished in a fraction of the time. Not only this but they protect nails from scratches and don't chip like traditional products. They last for over 1 month and truly are the latest breakthrough in nail art.
Many people in modern times create complex nail designs which are used to express their inner feelings, seasons and holidays, or even a movie that inspired them (such as Despicable Me; which is trending right now in the nail fashion world)! Non of those designs, however, could be possible if it weren't for the initial pioneers of nail décor. If those first nail finishes and henna dips hadn't been thought of, who knows what kind of a nail world we'd live in. Those "polishes" have been the stepping stones to the magnificent designs and polishes sold in the world today.