Beautiful nails don't just happen, you need to work on them! From eating the right foods, to filing and decorating your nails, you need to do the right things, not just anything.
If you want to grow healthy nails there are a few tips that you can take onboard. Healthy and beautiful nails can be achieved, but you must be willing to put in a little work to get the best possible result. So, how do you go about getting healthy nails?
The first thing that you will need to remember is that healthy nails are often down to your genes i.e.. if you have great nails in your family, the likelihood is that you will have healthy nails too. However, it’s not all doom and gloom if you’re not naturally blessed with healthy nails, it just means that you may have to maintain an ongoing beauty regime to achieve healthy nails and keep them looking great.
The first great tip to remember if you want to grow healthy nails is to avoid contact with water and harsh chemicals at all times. Many people get into the habit of washing their hands very frequently, but if you find yourself doing this you can actually damage your hands and nails. Soap and other chemicals such as washing up liquid can have a very drying effect on your hands, but by wearing rubber gloves whenever possible you can limit the potential for damage substantially.
Also remember to use a moisturiser that is specifically formulated for hands and apply a little extra moisturiser around the cuticles several times a day. If you work in an occupation whereby you have to use chemicals every day it is especially important to wear rubber gloves while you work.
The next tip for achieving healthy nails is to avoid cutting or manipulating your cuticles. Many professional manicures will include the cutting or shaping of your cuticles, however, the cuticle plays an important role in the growing and maintaining of healthy nails.
Acting as a barrier to fungus and bacteria, the cuticles should be left alone – if they are routinely cut or shaped they can not only start to look red, swollen, and ragged, but they can also let in infection that can harm the nail bed and lead to permanent nail damage.
To this end, it is also advisable to limit the number of professional manicures that you have, or at least ensure that they minimise disruption of the cuticles while they are treating you.
When you are seeking healthy nails you should also try to avoid nail hardeners. Although nail hardeners can be good for anyone who has exceptionally weak and fragile nails, they are generally not very good for the majority of nails.
In fact, by using nail hardeners you could actually cause more damage to your nails. Healthy nails should be soft and flexible, so avoid using products that could potentially make them more brittle – the chances are that you may experience more chips and breaks if you do.
Also remember that you are what you eat! As with hair, healthy nails will somewhat rely on the minerals and vitamins that you take in with your food. If you have a less than perfect diet, think about taking multivitamins, and in particular biotin supplements that are said to be great for achieving strong and healthy nails.
If your diet is lacking in the minerals and vitamins that are required for a healthy body, the chances are that you will see problems in your nails as well as finding that your hair and skin suffer – so stick to a healthy diet.
Finally, moisturiser is absolutely essential for obtaining healthy nails! This may seem like a simply suggestion but many people don’t realise how important moisturiser is. Apply moisturiser every day, ideally several times a day, and in conjunction with the above tips you should find that you can easily obtain healthy nails.