Nail Designs
Nail designs, often referred to as nail art, is a fashionable way to add a glamorous touch to your nails. Nail designs can be used to decorate and embellish both the finger nails and the toenails. With many styles to choose from, the possibilities are endless when it comes to nail designs. In this article we will talk about the history of nail designs and how they became so popular over the years.
The History of Nail Art
Nail art has been in existence for more than 7000 years, it is a beautiful story that provides us with some context when it comes to the art of nail painting and decoration. Some experts state that the idea of nail decor and brightening up the appearance of the nails has its roots in India where ladies would colour their fingers with a natural dye called Henna. Henna is still utilized in our contemporary society to dye the hair, and to stain the fingernails and toe nails. This practice dates back to 5000 BC
In 3000 BC, China became the focal point of nail treatments. They produced nail color using various natural products such as Arabic gum and rose petals. This was used to color and create beautiful designs on the nails.
15th Century Europeans would sometimes paint images of Eagles on their finger nails. Usually without adding another color to the nail bed, just a picture of an Eagle. A simple, yet intricate and bold design.
The 1920’s was a beautiful era for fashion and confidence. Red nail polish was all the rage and simple yet bold moon manicures became a massive trend. People are still doing moon manicures to this day with bold and minimal colors.
Revlon nail polish was launched in the 1930’s, this was a massive turning point in nail styling. With bright and innovative colors, nail art was about to change for good.
Also in the 1930’s artificial nails were produced and acrylic nails became a fashion trend. The French manicure became popular in the 1970’s and brighter colours like neon pink and yellow became popular in the 1980’s. In the 90’s, we saw minimal colours and designs using permanent marker pens.
The turn of the century saw the production and release of gel polish and nail art became more and more widespread with bloggers posting their homemade designs on the Internet. Salons have a whole myriad of styles to choose from when it comes to nail designs. From crystals to flowers and stripes, to multi coloured tips and nude nail beds, nail design has come on leaps and bounds since the 5000 BC.