It’s easy to neglect your nails but it’s also easy to spot someone who doesn’t look after theirs properly.
Make sure you’re doing what’s right for your nails by following our top ten tips to healthy nails…
- The first step to healthy nails is keeping them clean. How do you do this you ask? Why with soap, water and a nail brush. All it takes is a couple of minutes after which you will have sparkling white nails.
- Keep your nails reasonably short by trimming and filing them. Trimming will ensure that your nails will be a manageable length and will not break easily. Filing stops nails from snagging on things and makes them nice and smooth.
- Dry your nails properly when you wash your hands or are just out of the shower. Wetness can make nails more brittle and can also increase your chances of infection. Have you seen pictures of an infected nail? Not nice.
- Massage the skin around nails. As with every part of your body it is important to keep the blood flow to your nails going. Buffing nails is also good for them as it keeps them looking clean and shiny.
- While wetness isn’t great for them moisturizing is vital for healthy nails. It is best to moisturise when you have just come out of the shower. While you are doing this gently rub each nail from the tip towards your hand. It helps to prevent rag nails.
- Believe it or not but nail polish helps to keep nails in tiptop condition. Nail polish, even the coloured kind, protects and strengthens your nails but you must always remember to put on a base coat to stop discolouration.
- Don’t wear fake nails all the time. Fake nails are perfect for a special occasion and more often than not look really well but they shouldn’t be used all the time. When they are on they do protect your natural nails but when you take them off they can damage them.
- Although they are not good for your nails it is best to wear rubber gloves when you are cleaning. You should also try to avoid chemicals as these too can damage your nails. Then again you could always avoid housework altogether. Not practical but tempting!
- You know all those years ago when your mother told you to drink lots of milk for strong nails and bones. Well she wasn’t wrong. Drinking milk does help to strengthen your nails and it’s what makes the tips of them nice and white.
- Vitamins help you to get healthy nails as well. Vitamin E is great for your cuticles so that means lots of nuts and vegetables including peppers, broccoli and green beans. If all else fails, you could always pick up some vitamin tablets.
So don’t fail your nails (yes, we did just rhyme). Look after them and they’ll look after you. Okay so they won’t really but at least you’ll be able to drum them on the table now with pride.
