You might not think it, but you can tell a lot about a person from their nails. Bitten or distended nails are often seen as a sign of nervousness or low confidence, whereas someone with perfectly manicured nails can seem a bit vain. It’s not just on a superficial level either, the condition of someone’s nails can give an indication of their overall health and nail problems can be the first sign of more serious health problems. But it’s not just about what others think. We all get an extra confidence boost from stepping out with a perfect set of nails. So here are a few quick tips to help keep your nails looking great.
Firstly and most importantly, never let your nails get too dry. Always moisturise your hands after you wash them and regularly throughout the day. This will help your nails and cuticles to retain their moisture and stop them breaking or peeling. Moisturisers like those by Aesop are a good choice as they last all day and work well with your skin. Don’t cut your cuticles, but carefully push them back when they are soft, for example after a bath. If you are still encourtering problems with dry skin I would recommend using Eve Lom as their creams are extremely good!
If you do have dry, fragile nails or get hangnails, it could be a dietary problem. Calcium deficiency can cause nails to peel or break, and white spots are often caused by a lack of iron. All these things can be easily fixed by making sure you eat a balanced diet. Manual work, including housework and washing up, can seriously damage nails so wear gloves especially where washing up liquid is involved, and always moisturise afterwards.
Nail polish looks good but can really damage the nails if used all the time. Only paint your nails when you want to go out and look your best, there’s really no point going to all that effort if you’re only going to work where they will only chip anyway. When you do use nail polish, always use a base coat to prevent the colour from staining your nails. OPI is a good place to start for a great range of colours that are long lasting, and they do base coats and nail treatments too. When you remove your nail polish use as little remover as possible and, yes you guessed it, wash and moisturise your hands straight afterwards to prevent your nails from drying out.