Nail care as well as hand care has to be constant. It should not finish at the beauty salons but slip into your home. A healthy nail has to be strong, flexible and pink. Sometimes nails problems mean some health problems.
If you reduce a little bit your nail care the spread nail skin easily tears and small scratches appear. If they are not disinfected immediately (with iodine, special liquid, brilliant green or manganese crystals) it can lead to purulent infections.
The nail structure is hereditary but it can change under the influence of external factors (environmental conditions, nutrition, improper care, job habits). In order to have healthy nails, the nutrition has to proper, food has to be diverse and contain the necessary vitamins and minerals. Nails grow at the average 2mm a month that is why it take half a year to grow it back.
For proper nails care you have to do manicure (classic, European, hot or hard) at least twice a month. The place choice for the manicure is up to you. It can be a beauty salon, good friend or yourself. If you like to do manicure on your own or decided to try it yourself, you’ll need special manicure set. It includes several files, large and small cutting pliers, nail scissors with small, curved blade, cuticle pusher and orangewood stick. There is no doubt that all these things have to be kept clean. You can boil them, clean with spirit or cologne.
Let’s examine the structure of a natural nail
Nail plate (the part where nail polish is applied on), which is the visible part of the nail and is lifeless. It consists of keratin, which is like porcelain enamel of a solid matter and is situated in a nail bed.
Nail bed. A nail bed is protected from possible trauma and infections by a nail wall or cuticle.
Matrix. The most important part of a nail. This is an intercellular material at the base of a nail bed, from where the nail comes from. Sometimes matrix can be seen as a white hole. There are life nail cells which, when dying, come to a nail plate.
Natural nails care consists of
1. Matrix nourishment. Get nourishing massage for your nails. It will strengthen your nails, improve metabolism, soften nail walls and your hands will look well-groomed. The nourishment is performed with the help of a nail cream.
2. Softening. A finger bowl with hot water and foamy stuff (liquid soap, liquid for classic manicure) will soften the rough skin around your nails and will serve as a relaxing agent for hand muscles.
3. Cuticle removal. You can use the classic method (cutoff manicure) or a special tool for cuticle removal.
4. Apply some hand cream, paying special attention to the cuticles. Manicure is recommended to be done once in 10 days.
5. Use only high-quality cosmetics, nail polish removal must not contain acetone. It dries nails plate.
6. It is better to use a high-quality nail polish which does not contain acetone. The thing is that acetone affects the nail plate, thinners it and leads to crumbly nails.
7. Nourishing masks.
8. It is very useful to rub vinegar, lemon, cranberry, red and black currant juice into your nail plate.
9. Proper nutrition. Your ration has to include:
vitamin A – that strengthens your nails. It is contained in liver, butter, greens, tomatoes, carrots
vitamin E – that nourishes. It is oxidation preventive and is contained in oil, sunflowers seeds
B group vitamins are necessary for nails growth, is contained in cabbage, yeast, egg yolk, sprouted wheat
Iodine – improves nails growth, is contained in laminaria and spinach
Silicon – has an affect on nails’ flexibility and hardness, is contained in vegetables
Calcium – strengthens nails, makes them harder, is contained in dairy products
Iron – is necessary for nails plate structure and form
Sulphur – prevents inflammatory processes, is very important for nail formation, is contained in cabbage, onion, cucumbers
10. When nails become yellowish (with the exception of fungal infection), this can be removed by rubbing in a piece of lemon, which will not only lighten your nails but will also strengthen them.