Whether long or short everyone yearns for healthy nails. You can easily tell if you have unhealthy nails with some visible signs like the skin around your nails becoming swollen, red or having white spots. Learn some of the ways you can take care of your nails at the comfort of your home to avoiding any of the aforementioned signs.
Keep your hands dirt-free
Always ensure that your nails and the skin around them are properly cleaned. You don’t need to buy an expensive scrub with most of them having very dry and harsh chemicals. All you need to do is gently scrub with a toothbrush and soap. This process aims to clean and exfoliate the dead skin around your nails. Avoid using metal tools to clean your nails because to much digging from them can cause the nail plate to separate from the skin, a condition know as onycholysis. Do this for both your finger and toe nails everyday to improve your nail health. To prevent your nails from getting into direct contact with any harsh chemicals or dirt, invest in plastic, vinyl or plastic gloves.
Trim your nails
We recommend you keeping your nails on the shorter side especially if you have very weak and brittle nails. It is better to build on strength than to have long nails that are unhealthy. To trim your nails, do small but several clips and avoid the one big cut that can lead you to damaging your entire nail. Keep a nail file close to smoothen away any rough edges caused by breakage. The best time to trim your nails is after a shower as the nails are softer and easier to manage. As a pro tip, file in the same direction rather than in a back and forth manner to prevent weakening your nails overtime.
Don’t underestimate your nail coats
If you’re one to always paint your nails, don’t get lazy and skip the base coat. This important step prevents discolouration of your nails by the polish, keeping your polish looking saturated and fresh. To help sustain and reduce the chances of your nail polish chipping, apply a layer of top coat every three days.
It’s moisturising time
This is best done after a good wash and trim of the nails. Keep your cuticles and nails strong and hydrated with your favorite nutrient packed oils. An example of cocunut oil or avocado oil will do well. Never let your hands and nails dry as they will get very flaky and breakable.
Avoid messing with your cuticles
The cuticle acts as a seal for the area at the base of your nail. Removing your cuticle leaves your nail prone to bacteria and fungi leading to infections. Try not to tear those dreaded hangnails that stick out from around the sides of your fingernail as this can result to so much pain and irritation. However, you can gently push back your cuticle from your nail tip with the help of a wooden orange stick. Do this after showering with a cuticle oil or a creamy lotion.
Nail it up!
