By Eric Rose

As a magician you rely on your hands. Sadly, very few magicians know how to take care of their hands. If you take care of your hands, though, you appear more professional, you are more confident and your sleights become easier.

Here are a few tips that I’ve accumulated and developed over the years. It only takes a few minutes a week to keep your hands in top shape and you’ll find that others will notice. Some of the things I will suggest may sound a little off the wall, but think about it – we’re the people that carry hollow plastic thumbs in our pockets, pay $30 for a gaffed 25 cent piece, and spend hours learning how to cut the deck at exactly the halfway point. These ideas may be a little off the wall, but so are we.

First, look at your nails. Bad news, guys. (I say guys because that’s where the problems usually are.) Your nails have to look good or else they detract from your magic. I don’t care if you are a mechanic or a doctor, you still can have your nails trimmed and neat. The key is to do it right. The first thing I suggest is to take in a deep breath and go get a manicure. That’s right, a manicure. Manicurists are trained professionals that know how to make your nails and hands look good. One manicure will teach you more about taking care of your nails than any article ever can. Here’s how you do it: Look for a strip mall and inevitably you will see a bright red sign that says “Nails”. Drop in and see if they take walk-ins. They almost always do. Tell the receptionist that you want a manicure but no nail polish. They won’t care if you’re a woman or a man as long as you have the cash. The overall cost should be somewhere around $20 including a tip. Pay attention to how the manicurist shapes your nails and buffs out the ridges. If you’re lucky, they will be chatty and will answer your questions about what they are doing. Congratulations! You have just received an education in manicuring from a professional. You can get the same tools (emery boards, buffing boards and scissors) at your local drugstore for a few bucks. It only takes 15 minutes a week to keep your nails looking nice. Now maybe folks won’t cringe when you hand them a sponge ball to hold.

Your nails are the quick fix. Let’s take a look at your hands. It really doesn’t matter much if you have large or small hands, gnarled or picture perfect fingers. The real key is that your skin has the right amount of moisture in it. You will be amazed at how easy it is to do double lifts, palms and second deals if your skin is in good shape. I have tried all sorts of moisturizers - here are the best ones if you want results. If you have very dry or cracked skin, try a product called Eucerin. It is available at the drugstore and goes on as a thick cream. It is truly nasty, but will help heal major problems. Slightly less effective, but also less nasty is Cornhusker’s Lotion. If you don’t have major problems, there is a neat product called “Satin Hands and Body Buffing Crème” from Mary Kay cosmetics that will remove dry patches and minor calluses. It has little granules that polish off the dead skin. (If you don’t have a favorite Mary Kay lady to work with, try hanging out in a grocery store parking lot until you see one drive up. They usually have a couple stickers in their car window.)

Once you’ve taken care of your nails and skin, its time to maintain the gain. Here’s where a few tried and true magician products and secrets kick in. The first is Chamberlain’s Golden Touch. This is the mystic hand lotion that has been touted by Vernon and Jennings as the bee’s knees. It has been around forever, but you may have to special order it from your drugstore. It will be about $5 for a twelve ounce bottle. It is a very thin liquid and smells a little too much like soap. (Garcia used to add green coloring and sell it as his own, but the smell tipped off the folks in the know.) The neat thing about this stuff is it makes your hands tacky without making them sticky. It really makes palming a breeze. I use a pocket perfume atomizer to spray it on. One quick spray and rub your hands together. It should last for an hour or two. One more tip – the best atomizer I’ve found is from the perfumer Sephora. You can get them online for about ten bucks. Using the atomizer will make a bottle of Golden Touch last for years.

If the odor of Golden Touch bothers you, (sometimes it gets to me – it reminds me of the smell of my Grandmother’s bathroom) there is an insider option I learned down in Dallas a couple years ago. Vagisil. Yup, that Vagisil. Go into the same drugstore we’ve been talking about and pick up a bottle of Vagisil. As one magician told me, “It’s the Fountain of Youth.” Lucky for us, some packages have an adhesive label that peels right off. The bottle on my desk right now just looks like a nondescript lotion. For on-the-road use I keep it in the small bottles that Sweet Breath drops come in. Vagisil makes your hands tacky and also increases the moisture level. The nice thing about the big V is that if you cup your hands together and breathe into them, it renews the tackiness.

Now you have the main things I do to keep my hands and nails in good shape. If you follow these suggestions you’ll find that some of the moves that you’ve had difficulty with in the past will get easier and your hands will look more professional as folks are gazing down upon them. Put aside any preconceived ideas you’ve had about manicures and Vagisil and go do some great magic like a pro.