NAIL CARE MUST DOs & DONTs

Healthy Nails Means Healthy You!

For most of us, our nails are hardly world-record worthy, although they still have an important role to play: They protect tissues, scratch itches and act as windows to our overall well-being. They also offer warning signs of malnutrition, infection and serious disease.
On common not, who among us doesn't feel better when we have a great set of nails to show off? Going to the salon and getting the works is one thing, but what are the steps to caring for those gorgeous nails all week long?One of the most requested nail care services is artificial nails, but not for those who dont or more precisely those who "cant" get nail-done every other day from salons.

So here are few important dos and don'ts in order to keep your nails healthy and attractive enough to make you feel good!

DOs:
-Keep nail polish in fridge to keep nail polish smooth.

-To help keep the polish a little longer you can put little vinegar on your nails before you polish.
-Mix white iodine and castor oil in equal amounts and massage cuticles with this. It helps to keep your cuticles smooth
-Clean the nails remove all traces of polish from nails.
-To help the polish dry a little faster, make sure that it has started to dry / set then dip your fingers in cold water. 

-Moisturize the cuticle area to prevent cracking and peeling, which can hurt the matrix.Wear gloves to protect nails and cuticles from housework, gardening and washing dishes. 

-Be cautious when doing office work. Nails and cuticles take a beating filing, opening letters (use a letter opener), typing (use the flat of your finger pads on the keyboard instead of the tips of your nails) and handling papers. 
  
-Apply hand cream frequently, especially after you're done washing your hands, and pay attention to the cuticle area. 

-Wear a sunscreen during the day on your hands and cuticles to prevent sun damage, which can hurt your nails. Reapply every time you wash your hands. 

-Do meticulously clean all nail implements and change nail files often. Bacteria and other microbes can get transferred by the nail tools you use, causing infection or harm to the matrix. 

-Disinfect any tears or cuts to the cuticle, and treat ingrown nails as soon as possible. Nail infections are not only unsightly, but also can cause long-lasting damage to the nail. Any drugstore antibacterial ointment, such as Polysporin, Neosporin or Bacitracin, will do.

-When applying a second coat of polish wait for first coat to dry completely before applying another to prevent bubbles in nail polish.
 
-Apply a nail hardener, but avoid products containing toluene sulphonamide or formaldehyde. These chemicals can cause redness or irritate the skin.
-When filing your nails make sure you file from the outside to the centre,
-Always repair splits or tears with nail glue or clear polish.
-Cut nails straight-sided with slightly rounded tips to look fingers longer and more slender. This shape looks very nice on short nails too.

-Rub waxy lip balm into brittle nails 3 times a day to protect condition and seal in moistures.
-To help reduce dry and brittle nails is to petroleum jelly (Vaseline). Treating your nails and cuticles with petroleum jelly makes lot of difference.
-Rub the fingernails from one hand across the other. Do this at least five times daily as this helps in enhancing the nail growth.
-Consume food that is rich in Vitamin B, potassium, iron and calcium, such as soy products, celery, eggs and sea food. These are good for nails 

-For growing longer nails, when applying lotion or oil, massage the lower nail bed and cuticles to stimulate blood flow.

-To grow nails longer, apply one coat of clear nail polish over the manicure each day for 5-7 days. Paint over the edge of the nail to protect the tips. Remove and clean as described in this article.

-Protect your nails. If you paint them with a proper color, make sure to sandwich the layers between a coat of clear polish. Re-apply the clear polish every other day, and wear gloves when doing jobs such as cleaning.
Moisturize your nails with aloe or cocoa butter lotion, or even olive oil.

-Do coat the outside of the nails with polish or ridge fillers, which can help protect the nail and prevent breaking and splitting, at least while the manicure lasts. 

DONTs:
 
-Never use nails or blades to remove nail polish only use a nail polish remover. 
  
-Don't use nail products that contain formaldehyde or toluene. They pose health risks for the nail and for your entire body as well.

-Don't use fingernails as tools to pry things open.

-Don't use your fingers as letter openers. That destroys the cuticles, which destroys the nail matrix and affects nail growth and strength.

-Don't soak nails for long periods, and never use any kind of soap or detergent when soaking. Nails and cuticles that become engorged with water weaken, and the longer soap or detergent is in contact with skin and nails (despite the advertisements for Palmolive dish detergent) the greater the potential for damaging the nail and cuticle structure.

-Don't overuse any kind of nail-polish remover. Use a minimal amount on the nail and avoid getting too much on the cuticle and skin.

-Don't push the cuticle back too far. Leave the cuticle alone as much as possible. Trim only the part of the cuticle that has started to lift away from the nail.

-Don't allow any manicurist to touch your hands with utensils that have not been properly sterilized. The importance of this step cannot be stressed enough. Risking your health and well-being for a manicure is just not worth it, and that is a definite possibility with bacteria-laden nail instruments!

-Don't pull or tear at hangnails. Always gently cut them away, leaving the cuticle intact and as untampered with as possible.

-Don't ignore nail or cuticle inflammation. Disinfect the skin as soon as you can with an antibacterial or antifungal agent. Any change to the nail's appearance needs to be checked out by a dermatologist.

-NEVER file backwards and forwards, this can weaken, or break nails

-Never file the corners of your finger nails to deep as you can weaken your nails.

-Don't bite your nails. Biting your nails weakens them, gets highly addictive, and looks tacky. Paint your nails with clear polish so they taste terrible. Keep them short, or get a beautiful manicure so you won't want to bite them. 

-Don't use strong soap. Keep with a mild soap, since strong, harsh chemicals will make nails brittle. Use fingernail soap such as OrigiNails Bubble White or something similar.