Grooming your skin is a delicate and time-consuming undertaking.
Depending on the technique you use, you may get discouraged, and think that your work will take forever.
In many cases, your best friend is your second hand, and you should try to integrate it into all your grooming strokes.
I use my second hand in four different ways:

You can reach most areas of your body with both hands.
It makes lots of sense to be competent with both.

When grooming yourself, you naturally tend to use your writing hand.
This is generally the best practice.
However, in many situations, your other hand would be a better choice.
Although your non-writing hand may have a real deficiency in skill and sensitivity, your efforts to overcome these difficulties will be well rewarded.

Try this:
• Place the nail of your right hand index finger in the wing of your right nostril.
-It fits perfectly, and you can groom this fold easily.

• Place the nail of your right hand index finger in the wing of your left nostril.
-It doesn't fit and grooming is difficult.

Sorry, you're better off using your left hand to groom the left nostril.
There are two main reasons that explain why one hand is better suited for a particular task: finger angle and finger strength.

Your body has a right side and a left side.
Your limbs, legs and arms, also have a right side and a left side.
To apply pressure on the right side:
• Your right hand fingers are straight,
• Your left hand fingers are curled.
The same applies to your left hand, but inverted.

But, straight and curled fingers function differently:
• When your fingers are straight; you have to push to apply pressure.
• When they are curled; you pull.

Pulling is much easier, and you can put more force.
Both angles have their advantages and inconveniences.
Often, using one hand to groom a particular area can put you in an awkward and uncomfortable position.
Try your other hand.

Grooming requires physical effort.
It takes its toll on the members who perform it.
The pressure you put, the repetitive movements, and the awkward positions all contribute to your discomfort over time.
If using only one hand, your forces weaken after a while.
Simply alternate your work in two different areas, each accessible with the other hand.

Two-handed grooming is covered on the pressure, fold forcing and superficial grooming pages.
Please follow these links:

Two-handed pressure grooming

Two-handed fold forcing

Two-handed superficial grooming

Grooming using both hands simultaneously is an extension of ambidexterity.
This time, both hands groom at the same time.
Most often, one hand mirrors the other's movements (symmetrical), but occasionally, each hand can act independently.

An interesting aspect of symmetrical two-handed grooming is being able to feel differences in the condition of your skin between your right and left sides.
• Place a finger of each hand in corresponding positions on the right and left sides of your body.
• Groom both areas in sync.

You can detect some problems this way.
If a crossing or fold has grown abnormally, you can check if the same spot on the opposite side shows a similar transformation.

The idea is to involve your non-grooming hand in your grooming efforts.
The assisting hand can contribute in two manners:
• By holding and repositioning a limb or an area,
• By stretching the skin.

The area you want to groom may not be easily accessible.
Some parts of your body may need to be lifted, turned, held in place, ...
Use your other hand to bring forward and hold the limb you're working on.
For example, to groom your foot, one hand should lift the foot and hold it in place so the other can work freely.
You may have to raise the whole leg.
Your helping hand should also free up access to hard-to-reach places like between your toes, the base of your nose, the back of your ears, ...

Some areas are easy to groom because the skin is already firmly attached to what is underneath.
However, your attempts in areas where the skin is loose or covered by a thick layer of fat will demonstrate that its flexibility prevents you from grooming it properly.
Your nail caves into the skin, as it moves along with it.
Whenever this is the case, use your other hand to pull the skin tight.

• Place the nail of your helping hand's finger close to the grooming location.
• Apply some pressure, then slide your nail back so that it pulls on the skin and stretches it.
• You can now groom the stabilized skin with your other hand.

You can continuously change your pulling angle in your quest to keep the skin from moving.

Each finger of the helping hand can have its own function.
Some may just hold the skin in place, while others may be pulling on it.

By using two fingers to pull in opposite directions, you can stretch the skin on both sides of your grooming finger's location.

It's a shame such an important technique is relegated to the bottom of this page.
But, where else?

You use underpinning in your everyday life when you place a solid object under a piece of fabric you want to work on.
This is necessary because the material lacks the rigidity needed to withstand your moves.
By putting a mass behind it, you can work on it.

While grooming, you resort to underpinning when the skin you want to work on has no rigidity; because of its location or body fat.
You then firmly press a finger of your other hand into your skin, about half an inch from the place you are grooming, in order to create a flab of skin, which serves as your work surface.

• Place the finger you want to use for underpinning a quarter-inch to an inch below the location you wish to groom.
• Press it tightly into the skin, with a slightly upwards motion, so that it produces a solid workplace.
• Put a finger from your other hand where you want to groom.
• A piece of skin is now trapped between the fingers of both hands.
• Your grooming hand can now apply pressure and work.