As girls, we are always concerned about getting the best facial skin care treatments, best manicures, best pedicures and best spa treatments. But, what we tend to forget is that there are other minute details we need to take care of too. Let’s take our nails, for instance; they might be very small parts but insignificant is the last word you could use here. Nail care of fingernails and toenails is an all important part of our overall care.
In this article, we will be taking you through nail care tips that help you get the most immaculate looking healthy nails.
Here is a list of the top nail care – dos and don’ts
Nail Care – Do’s
1. Dry And Clean Nails
The number one rule in top manicure tips and tricks is keeping dry and clean nails. This helps protect your from fungi and bacteria infections. You might come across a lot of dishwashing soaps claiming that they are good for your nails but, we would advise you to stay away from any such deceitful labels as they don’t do any good whatsoever in reality. Hot water and soap can be quite a damaging combination. Do your nails a favor and get yourself some cute gloves to wear when you’re at the dishes.
2. Sterilize Nail Tools
If you‘re amongst those who don’t get a lot of time to visit the salon and handle your nail issues yourself, there a few manicure safety tips you need to keep in mind. Nail tools should be conscientiously cleaned and sterilized and nail files should be regularly replaced to prevent bacteria and microbes from colonizing and causing you harm.
[Also Read: How To Take Care Of Your Nails Naturally]
3. Moisturize The Cuticle Area
Cuticles are unfathomably the only line of protection between the nail bed and any foreign entities. Moisturizing them and keeping them hydrated prevents any cracks and peeling, which can in turn cause damage to the nail bed.
4. Shaped And Trimmed Nails
One of the foremost rules in nail care is keeping your nails shaped and trimmed. Unlike most other beauty treatments women endure, keeping nails in shape is actually pretty easy. As an added bonus, keeping nails in shape helps prevent nails from tearing or catching on clothes and other items in your wardrobe.
5. Disinfect Tears Or Cuts On The Cuticle
Infections on the delicate cuticle area of skin and around the nail are not only unattractive, but can cause some serious long-term damage. So it is important that you disinfect any tears or cuts immediately with an antibacterial ointment.
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6. Treat Ingrown And Torn Nails
Ingrown nails and torn nails can be quite unsightly and painful and should be treated to avoid infection as soon as possible. Most ingrown nails respond well to home remedies including antibacterial ointment but in rare cases, these conditions may need a quick visit to the dermatologist.
Nail Care – Don’ts
1. Use Nails As Tools
We understand that this is an undeniably hard to resist urge, but we have a few reasons to advise against it. You might feel why reach for the sauce-pan scraper when our fingernails work perfectly fine? Or why waste money on a tooth pick while your nails can get the job done? But besides being absolutely nasty habits, all the poking, prying and picking can cause deep cuts to the cuticles and damage your nails permanently.
2. Bite Nails
A lot of people have the habit of biting their nails during stress situations but the next time you have the urge to do so, have a quick mental recap of everything you’ve picked or scraped or touched with those fingers in the previous 24 hours. Disgusting, isn’t it? Not only can biting nails cause damage to the nail beds, it also precariously exposes your mouth to all sorts of dirt and bacteria. We advise that you reach out to a yoga mat instead of your finger nails the next time you want to work off some nervous energy.
3. Pull Off Hangnails
Sure, it’s quite annoying when you have hangnails that just beg to be pulled, but its best that you resist the urge. Pulling hangnails can rip off live tissue and expose the nails to fungi and bacteria.
4. Overuse Polish Remover
If you are a regular nail polish addict, you would know well about the urge to remove the current polish from your nails and switch to new shade you just got your hands on. Though this urge may be overwhelming at times, try to squelch it since using too much polish remover can eventually lead to drying out and damaging the nails. Some people even experience yellowing of the nails. Consider using acetone-free polish remover if you must use it often, but do it no more than once a week.
Having healthy, beautiful nails can be fairly simple if you follow the rules of basic hygiene and nail care.