Healthy Nails

   Who doesn’t like a set of well maintained, healthy long nails? But long nails need high maintenance. So, here are some dos and don’ts for keeping your nails beautiful, hygienic and strong.

Maintaining long nails - do's-and-don'ts Nails are composed of laminated layers of protein called keratin. As the new cells grow, they push out the older ones and so the nails become longer. Nails without any ridges, dents and discoloration are healthy.

One must follow a few ground rules for keeping the nails healthy. Ladies! Long and strong nails can help you fight the eve-teasers too!

Dos and Dont's for maintaining long nails

Keep them clean and dry: Bacteria, fungi and other microorganisms can grow under your nails due to moisture and dirt. This can lead to painful infections. If you like cooking, make sure your nails are clean, as the dirt might enter your food leading to health complications.

Trim and file them: It is very important to trim your nails from time to time. The cells which were pushed out earlier might become brittle and break if you don’t trim them properly. This in turn may damage the length of the nail completely. Again, well-trimmed and nicely shaped nails enhance the beauty of your fingers.

Apply hand and nail cream: Moisturizing is very important and even more important is using the right cream for moisturizing. Invest in a good hand and nail cream as these creams are specially designed for your nails.

Eat for your nails: Calcium plays an important role in the growth of your nails. Along with it vitamin A, C, E and B12, folic acid and proteins are important. Make sure you eat right for better growth of your nails.

Wear gloves when needed: Do not expose your nails to a lot of moisture, harsh chemicals, and detergents. Use gloves whenever required.

Dont be a nail abuser: Don’t bite your nails. Biting your nails harms the laminated layers of keratin. There are many instruments available to keep your nails clean, so never ever use tooth picks, or any other sharp objects to clean them.

Plucking your cuticles: is another big no-no. People generally tend to pluck the cuticles, which can be very painful. It causes redness in nail and is also an open invitation to all the microorganisms.

Pull the hangnail: If a part of the nail is hanging it doesn’t mean you should pull it off. Use a nail cutter to cut it off and apply some moisturizer. Pulling the hangnail damages the layers of keratin. You might also damage your cuticles in the process, which can lead to a lot of pain and hence inefficiency in work.

Use nail as bottle opener: People use their nails as tools to open boxes, bottles and pull out things which are stuck somewhere. We should understand that our nails are not designed for that. Be gentle towards your nails.

Over manicure: Over manicuring your nails can harm your cuticles. Damaged cuticles are painful and do not allow you to do other works easily. Even updating your Face book message or sending a tweet can become a task due to this pain!

Ignore the problems: If you notice problems like change in the color of your nails or brittleness, consult a doctor. Wait and watch approach can prove very harmful in some cases.

Well, now that you know the dos and don’ts, you can make healthy, well-manicured nails an integral part of your everyday life.