Nail Care
Nail Care is important when it comes to personal grooming. Here are some essential tips on nail care which helped me alot.
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?
Nail Care
* Take care of your nails between salon visits.
* File your nails regularly and always keep them short.
* If your nails are exposed to chemicals, moisture, water, etc, it could result in split peeling nails or allergic reaction. Wear rubber gloves to protect your nails or coat them with some cotton.
* Never use something like scissors for both for infected and non infected nails.
Artificial Nails
* Always get artifical nails applied by a good technician.
* Artificial nails would need manicure or refilling every two or three weeks.
* If you decide to remove them, appropriate solution is not difficult. Even when the artificial nails are removed, natural nails remain in the same condition.
Nail Tip Design
* Using glue could damage your nails, even if it is applied on polish layers.
* Ensure the last polish layer is dry before applying the next. Use layers of different colours.
* Keep on experimenting with nail tip design. You could use Chinese characters, apply small fake tattoos or create different patterns.
* You could use band-aids for applying design. Cut band-aids and stick them on top of a dry coat of polish. Contrasting color would look good.
For Acryllic Nails
* Keep your acrylic nail polished. Thick polish could cause bubbles and uneven application. So first add a drop of polish and then dilute it thinner.
* Before applying any acrylic layer, clean your nails. If the nails have remnants of cuticle oil, old polish or lotion, the new polish would not apply itself properly.
* For avoiding bubbles, remove the excess from the brush along the bottle's border.
* Lay a base coat to protect your nails and in the process, help helps the acrylic layer to stick in proper way.
* Use a nail stick to clean up the acrylic on the skin around the fingernail.
* Seal the polish with a top coat to camouflage possible bubbles or streaks.
* Seal the polish with a top coat to camouflage possible streaks or bubbles. It also adds shine.
* Allow enough time to the nails to dry.
Dos and Don’ts
* 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.
* Do moisturize the cuticle area to prevent cracking and peeling, which can hurt the matrix.
* Do wear gloves to protect nails and cuticles from housework, gardening and washing dishes.
* Do 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.
* Do apply hand cream frequently, especially after you're done washing your hands, and pay attention to the cuticle area.
* Do 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.
* Do 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.
* 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 unhampered 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 dermatology
More Tips
The nail is made of a hard protein called keratin. A protein is one of the building blocks which make up the body. The nail care help protect the ends of the fingers and toes from trauma and also help us pick up small objects.
Over the last hundred years, the nails have become more important for cosmetic reasons and less important for protection.
Manicuring is the care of the hands and nails. Basic manicuring should be done once a week. Every 4-6 weeks it is a good idea to seek the services of a professional manicure. A professional manicurist best knows how to keep your nails looking healthy and beautiful. Obviously much of what you will find in these pages applies to anyone who wants to maintain health, beautiful and long nails.
Keeping your hands looking clean, feminine, and polished does not require weekly trips to the manicurist! Find easy nail care tips to get the perfect nails you have always wanted.
Grime
No need for grimy mitts. Just give your hands a scrub with mild soap and warm water before you go out, using a nailbrush to get the gunge out from under your nails. Oil on hands and under nails can be got rid of with a bit of swarfega, or other cleansing agents.
Infections
If your nails go crumbly and whitish or yellowish and separate slightly from the nail bed then it could be a nail fungus infection. Speak to your doctor, who can prescribe an anti-fungal paint to get rid of it. If you get hangnails or loose skin down the side of the nail, trim it off with sharp scissors to reduce the risk of the skin tearing or infections getting into the skin.
Basics
* Wash hands with mild soap, using a nailbrush.
* Soak the hands in warm water for a few minutes to soften the cuticles (the bits of skin at the bottom of the nails).
* Very gently push back the cuticles if they are long and ragged.
* Trim the nails to the same length, cutting off any snaggy or spiky bits.
* File the ends of the nails to smooth them off.
* If your hands are dry, apply some hand cream (it doesn't have to be the girly stuff that stinks of flowers, lads).
Don't Bite!
Nail bitting isn't exactly seductive, try an anti-biting nail paint. Tastes absolutely disgusting, but will stop you putting your fingers in your mouth so often.
Nutritional
What you eat will reflect on the health of your nails, too.
* Lack of vitamin A and calcium causes dryness and brittleness.
* Lack of protein, folic acid and vitamin C causes hang nails.
* White bands across the nails are caused by protein deficiency.
* A lack of sufficient hydrochloric acid can cause splitting nails.
* Insufficient intake or vitamin B12 can lead to excessive dryness, very rounded and curved ends and darkening of nails.
* Insufficient zinc can cause development of white spots on the nails.
* Cuts and cracks in the nails may indicate a need for more liquids.
* Red skin around your cuticles can be caused by poor metabolism of essential fatty acids.
Here are the guidelines to follow for improving the health of your nails:
* Eat a diet composed of 50% fruit and raw vegetables in order to supply necessary vitamins, minerals and enzymes. Eat foods rich in sulfur and silicon, such as broccoli, fish and onions. Include foods rich in biotin such as soy, brewer�s yeast and whole grains.
* Drink plenty of water and other liquids.
* You may supplement your diet with royal jelly, spirulina or kelp, which are rich in silica, zinc and B vitamins and help to strengthen your nails.
* Drink fresh carrot juice daily, this is high in calcium and phosphorus and is excellent for strengthening nails.
Eat well and your whole body will be better, healthier, more beautiful!
Nail Care for Men
This might be a touchy topic at first glance because for most men nail care starts and ends with the occasional cutting of the nails when they grow too big to be left alone in the wild. Besides, in some societies and social circles men who take care of their appearance in general and their nails and skin in particular are regarded as being feminine. But as a matter of fact, as cooking can be regarded as simply a survival skill, cutting your nails and maintaining them in good shape can be regarded as basic personal hygiene and maintaining one's hygiene can hardly be a reason to laugh at somebody.
Men's nails grow faster than women's. Also, they are larger and thicker. This is how nature sees it appropriate. But the fact that men's nails grow faster and are larger, means that they also are prone to more bumps and bangs. Add to this the fact that generally men more often have jobs that involve physical labor, which makes their hands and nails dirty, and you will see why washing your hands once a week is not enough if you are to maintain a decent level of personal hygiene.
If you are still not convinced that being a men does not suppose poor nail and skin care, consider the fact that many male
Nail care for men involves the same procedures and products as for women. Even most of the brands that have traditionally sold nail care products for women only have adapted to the shift in demand and now offer whole series of nail care products especially for men. Nail saloons also offer procedures for men, though it seems like that the prices for men are higher than the prices for women. This is a kind of discrimination but nevertheless, there are saloons who offer the same prices for both genders, so after some search it is certain that you will find a non-discrimination saloon.
Even if you are not enthusiastic to go to a nail saloon, there are many procedures that you can apply at home. If you decide to grow long nails, you need to shape them first, as described in the How to do a Manicure article. Next, you proceed with the nail polish. Most men prefer clear nail polish because it is transparent and has only gloss but not color. It is up to you to decide if you will go for a color or stick to colorless nail polish but in any case, have a look at its label to see what's inside and how often to apply it. The reason is that there are nail polishes for men that combine a top coat, a base coat and a strengthener, so there is no need to purchase (and apply) all these products separately.
Depending on the polish you have chosen, you might need to apply it daily or less frequently. If you wash your hands many times a day, your nail polish will most likely not survive for a long time, so you might need to reapply it daily, especially if the polish is of the protecting kind. There are special nail polishes that are intended for men and their main advantage is not their bright color (they are colorless, actually) but their chemical composition, which helps the nails to stay strong and healthy. These special nail care products usually act as a moisturizer and a thickener as well. It might sound funny but women start using these “for men only” series too, so now they have become more of a unisex brand.
When you apply nail polish, you also need a cleaner – even for colorless polish. Again, there are brands that are especially for men. Nail polish cleaners have the disadvantage that they dry your nails but if the nail polish has a moisturizer in it, everything is OK.
Additionally, you may want to use a skin lotion to make your hands look softer. Probably you are not surprised that again, there are brands especially for men. When you choose a skin lotion, look for a brand that can be applied on the nails and the cuticles as well because this way you will have to apply it only once a day for both skin and nail, rather than twice, if they were separate products.
CARE IS NEEDED
No comments:
Post a Comment