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| Source: hollywoodnails.com.au |
Hands and nails are in continuous contact with everything
handled, including food. If they are not kept clean, they can be a source of
ill health.
Long nails are beautiful, but if you're someone who has struggled with snags or breakage, Dr. Shamban recommends that you keep your nails short — at least to start out with. A shorter style with a rounded edge tends to be easier to manage and looks neater, so you can focus on building strength without worrying about anything else. As long as each nail is uniform in shape and matches its nine neighbors, you won't miss the added length.
When properly taken care of, hands and nails enhance
personal appearance. Take proper care of your hands and nails as follows:
- Wash them in warm soapy water, using a soft brush.
- Rinse them thoroughly.
- To prevent dryness and roughness of the hands, rub some oil.
- Wash the nails with a nailbrush to remove any dirt underneath. Cut and file the fingernails to keep them short and well-shaped.
- When using a nail polish remover with acetone make sure to wash your hands immediately after use to remove all the acetone from your hands. If you have very dry skin and nails I recommend using an acetone free remover.
- Using a cuticle remover is something I do only once a month. Don't do this step too often, because the chemicals in most cuticle removers will irritate your skin a bit. These chemicals do a great job in removing the cuticle, but I just don't recommend soaking your cuticles in it every day (which isn't necessary anyway).
- NEVER PUT YOUR HANDS IN HOT OR ICY WATER. "Hot water makes skin dry by taking away sebum; cold can cause a constriction and then a dilation of capillary vessels, leading to redness," explains manicurist Mie Kitabayashi of Beverly Hills' Chi Nail Bar.
- Avoid the habit of biting nails. This makes them rugged and ugly. Biting nails is also unhealthy.
