We pay a lot of attention to face care but how often to we stop to think about hand care? Our hands, especially our nails need a lot of care, too. Without care our nails can become rough and brittle. In addition to this, we need to eat a balanced diet, exercise regularly and drink lots of water if we want to make sure our nails remain healthy and pink. If anything goes wrong with our bodies—the signs can be seen in the color and texture of our nails.
Getting a manicure is one way of taking care of our nails. To put it simply—a manicure is a beauty treatment for our fingers and nails. It can be done by a trained beautician or it can be done at home.
Nail Care Tips
Things needed for Nail Care
*Cuticle Pusher (preferably made of rose wood)
* Nail File (preferably, an emery board nail file)
* Nail Clipper
* Nail Buffer (fine textured)
* Nail Brush
* Orange Stick
* Cotton Wool
* Olive Oil
1.The most important thing to keep in mind is that you should drink plenty of water, eat a balanced diet and exercise regularly. In short you need to stay healthy if you want your nails look healthy.
2.Keep your nails clean by cleaning them with a mild soap (or even face wash) and lukewarm water, regularly.
3.Whenever you do any housework or gardening, or any work that exposes your hands to chemicals or too much water—wear gloves to protect your hands.
4.Do not bite your nails.
5.If your nails turn brittle or flaky, or you find white marks or ridges on your nails, or if they turn yellow—consult a doctor. These can be symptoms for fungal or bacterial infection or vitamin or protein deficiency.
6.Use a nail brush to clean your nails. Make sure that dirt does not accumulate under your nails. This looks bad and can cause bacterial or fungal infection. Take particular care to make sure that the corners of your nails stay clean and dirt-free.
7.Moisturize your nails with olive oil—massage your nails with olive oil daily. If maintaining this nail care regimen becomes a little difficult— follow this process at least once a week with warm olive oil.
8.If you love to wear nail enamel make sure you pick your shades from major brands, only. Also, remember your nails need to "breathe." So, keep your nails "enamel free" for at least two days in a week. Use only good quality nail enamel removers. It may not be a good idea to do "budget shopping" as far as your beauty care products are concerned.
9.Always use colorless nail enamel as a base coat whenever you apply nail enamel to your nails.
10.Use a nail clipper to trim your nails once a week or once every ten days—depending on how fast your nails grow.
11.Use a nail buffer to smooth out rough or uneven portions of your nails.
12.Use a file to shape your nails.
13.A cuticle pusher is useful if you want to push back the cuticles. You may also use a cotton-wool tipped orange stick, dipped in olive oil, for this.
14.Never use sharp objects on your nails.
15. A simple homemade nail care recipe may be just the pampering your nails need. Here’s the recipe just for you—
We have already given our list of "things you need" for nail care. So, here’s how you would give your nails some pampering in the form of a "non-chip French manicure."
Things you need for a non-chip French manicure.
* Sesame Seed Oil*- 1 tsp.
* Full Fat Milk- ½ cup (warmed)
* Beeswax-1 tsp. (melted)
* Chamois
* Soft Towels
(If you are in hurry--olive oil works just as well.)
Procedure for non-chip French manicure.
* Wash your hands using a mild soap. Use a soft towel to pat your hands dry.
* Use a nail clipper to trim your nails.
* Use an emery board to shape your nails.
* Buff your nails with a buffer. Take care to buff in one direction so as not to damage your nails.
* Pour the milk in a glass bowl. Soak your fingertips in the milk for about 8-10 minutes. Make sure that your nails are completely immersed in the milk. Remove your fingers from the bowl and pat them dry with a moist, soft towel.
* After drying your fingers, take one half of the sesame seed oil. Rub a little bit of the oil onto each of your nails.
* Dip 2 orange-sticks tipped with cotton-wool in a little bit of the sesame seed oil. Use one of these to gently push back the cuticles of your nails. Make sure to reveal the half-moon shaped portion of your nails.
* Use the other orange-stick to clean and whiten the portion beneath your nails. Do this slowly and very gently.
* Gently, apply the remaining sesame seed oil to your nails. Leave it on the nails for 8-10 minutes.
* Use the chamois to polish your nails with the beeswax. Polish your nails slowly and gently till they get a healthy, pearly look.
* You may use this nail care recipe to take care of your toe-nails, too.
