Maintaining
healthy natural nails is not as
complicated as many may think. As
with hair, nails are usually their
healthiest in their natural state,
requiring a bit of nail polish for
protection and regular
applications of hand cream as a
moisturizer.
In fact, many argue that using
natural nail strengtheners, which
chemically cross link the nail
plate, is actually a bad idea.
Although they do make nails more
rigid, they also make them less
flexible and thus more prone to
breaking on impact. It is actually
more important that nails are kept
flexible and moisturized.
Frequent nail splitting can also
indicate dehydration. In such
cases drink more fluids and use an
oil designed to penetrate the nail
plate. Then follow up with a
moisturizing cream.
Several coats of nail hardener
will help minimize chipping and
peeling of the nail enamel. The
trick is to find something that
protects AND moisturizes. Nail
hardeners with nylon fibers are
also very affective. (This will be
discussed in the Product Top Picks
area.)
By the way, regular use of nail
polish can cause a yellowing
discoloration of the nails. This
is not considered damaging, but is
useful to keep in mind if you
prefer the "natural
look" but use color
occasionally.
Below are some useful nail care
tips:
Never clip nails to shorten them.
Use an emery board to file nails
down to size.
Apply a top coat almost daily to
help protect the tips.
Use nail polish remover as
infrequently as possible -
especially those containing
acetone. Most nail polish removers
will dry nails out. Many
specialists suggest using nail
polish remover no more than once a
week.
Apply a hand cream or lotion after
washing hands since soaps tend to
cause nails and skin to become
very dry. Cuticles should remain
moisturized with Vaseline or a
moisturizer such as Moisturel or
Aquaphor. (Tip: Apply moisturizer
before going to sleep each night.)
Never peel or scrape off nail
polish or use metal instruments on
the nail surface to push back the
cuticles. This can scrape off the
protective cells of the nail
surface.
Break the habit of nail biting -
it is very destructive to both the
nail and the cuticle and can lead
to infections that can actually
deform the nail.
An excellent time to do your
manicure is after a shower, bath
or the dishes. These activities
will remove dirt from under the
nails as well as soften dry nails.
The cuticle protects the nail root
from bacteria. Instead of cutting
the cuticle, push it back gently
with a rosewood stick or
rubber-tipped cuticle-pusher.
However, should the cuticle be
hard and dry and sticking up,
slightly trimming it is
justifiable, but never remove the
whole thing. Strong cuticle growth
can be controlled with a cuticle
softener or cuticle remover
liquid.
Keep your nails out of your mouth!
Biting nails can damage the nail
and the cuticle leading to a
deformed nail shape or uneven nail
growth. You can also transfer
harmful organisms to the nail that
lead to infection or even increase
one's chance of catching a cold or
flu.
FACT:
If you have a diet that is rich in
oils you will have beautiful hair
and nails. This is because
virtually any kind of oil contains
vitamins that are great for nails.
Tab's
DO's & DON'T's for nail care:
Do not put your hands into any
kind of washing up liquid
Think about a leftover bowl of a
chicken casserole and what happens
when you squirt one bit of
detergent on that. Now consider
what that's doing to the natural
oils in your hands and the natural
oils in the fingernails which is
the only part holding the finger
nails together. It's totally
destructive!
It's dangerous to cut the
cuticles of your nails
The cuticle is a natural seal
where the skin bonds with the
nail. If you open a cuticle up,
you allow bacteria to have access
straight into the blood system.
The cuticle solution
Cuticles should be removed with
cuticle removing solution. Also,
every time your hands are in the
bath for a long time, rubbing the
cuticle and moving it back removes
the dead cells. They must be very
soft to do that and be in the
water for 15 minutes.
Beware of fast drying nail
polishes
Fast drying nail polishes today
have a high percentage isopropyl
alcohol (IPA). This tends to make
nails dry and crumble. Once the
polish dries up it become brittle,
flaky and begins to chip off. A
nail polish that bonds really well
is also the type that takes a
while to dry. So it's a trade-off.
Be square!
People tend to point their
fingernails when they're filing,
which leads to filing away the
sides of the nail. Because the
sides is what gives the fingernail
strength, pointed nails will tend
to give you splits in the sides.
Pointed nails break much easier.
They should grow until there is at
least an eighth of an inch of free
edge before you start to point
them. People started to wear their
nails square (particularly in the
USA) out of necessity because they
needed the side wall of the nail
to give it strength.
Every thing you touch
... is an emery board. If you have
the slightest snag on the ends of
your nails, it will cause your
nails to rip. Every time you touch
something, fingernails bend.
Fingernails are meant to bend but
every time you do, that snag will
open up more and eventually turn
into a split. How do you avoid
this calamity? Use a very gentle
file, never a metal file.
Best beauty tip in the world
Use a thick hand cream, smother
your hands in it, wear cotton
gloves, then rubber gloves and
then do the washing up. The heat
will melt the cream, releasing the
natural oils and in two weeks even
the roughest hands will look like
a baby's bum. The transformation
is amazing.
And it's a way to beat the
household blues! It will make the
fingernails grow too. The natural
oils in the fingernails is what
holds them together.
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