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Long and Healthy Nails

Grow Long, strong and healthy nails with these tips

healty-nails

In this age of cosmetic treatments, it is easy to erase or shrink signs of aging. While you can alter your hair color and hide age spots and wrinkles with facial treatments, your hands will most likely betray your actual age.

If you do not care well for your hands and nails, they can in fact make you look even older than you actually are. Weak and unhealthy nails dry out quickly, become brittle and break easily. Their condition can significantly worsen if you continuously neglect caring for your hands.

Fortunately, it isn’t too difficult to take care of hands. One of the easiest ways to improve their look is by paying attention to your nails. Healthy, good looking nails can enhance your overall appearance and confidence.

Here are some useful tips that will help you restore the strength and quality of your nails, and grow them long and strong!

Start by caring from within

To look good, you must take care of your nails from the inside just as much as you would from the outside. Your nails are made of a substance called keratin, which is a protein. Dietary protein is important to provide enough keratin for hair and nails. A well-balanced, nutrient-dense diet will help you keep your nails long, fresh and lustrous. Some of the foods that you should include in your diet for this purpose include

  • Lean meats, dairy, eggs and sea food that are good sources of protein.
  • Nuts, soybeans and whole grains as vegetarian sources of proteins
  • Good sources of Omega-3 fatty acids like sardines, mackerel, spinach and walnuts
  • Sources of zinc like green beans, oysters and cashews that enhance the development of connective tissues

Stay hydrated always

lemon-healthy

Dehydration will quickly affect your nails and cause them to become brittle and lose luster. When nails lose moisture, they become weak and frail. This can cause them to become damaged. Keep your nails hydrated from within by drinking plenty of water everyday. Ensure you have at least eight glasses of water. Additionally include fruits and vegetables that are rich in water content in your diet. Increasing your consumption of water is important in winter, as your body tends to lose more moisture.

Treat weak nails with care after using acrylic nails

Acrylic nails are often seen as an easy and quick way to achieve long and stylish nails. Unfortunately, these artificial nails can affect the health of your nail bed and cause long-lasting damage. Many women who ditch acrylic nails after having them for a long time find their natural nails to be brittle, thin and fragile. If you have had acrylic nails for a while and decide to go natural, the following steps can help you nurse your natural nails to good health.

  • Use good quality cuticle oil to massage the nail beds regularly. These will improve your nail growth.
  • Keep the nails short till they achieve enough strength to gain length. Give your body time to rebuild the damaged tissue, and you will see better results.
  • Avoid using chemicals and strong nail polish till your nails heal from the damage. It is a good idea to use nail polish only in alternate weeks till this time.
  • Visit a doctor promptly if you see any redness, discoloration or signs of infection after removing your acrylic nails. You may need treatment as it could be a fungal or bacterial infection.

Use home remedies to grow nails faster

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Instead of chemicals, turn to age-old home remedies to improve nail growth. Many ingredients in your pantry are ideal for this. The best thing is that these ingredients have no side-effects.

You can use some or all of the following ideas to pamper your nails at home itself.

  • Oil massage: Apply natural oils like warm olive oil or coconut oil to massage your finger nails before bed time. Let them soak in the moisture from these oils and leave them on overnight to become soft and supple.
  • Vitamin C soak: Prepare and use a nail soak of either freshly squeezed orange juice or lemon juice for ten minutes twice a week. The Vitamin C included in these juices will aid nail growth. This remedy will also whiten your nails.
  • Tomato soak: Add a few drops of oil to freshly prepared tomato juice and soak your fingers in it for few minutes. The combination will strengthen your nails and also add luster

Fast nail growth tips

It isn’t possible to grow your nails long and strong overnight. Certain habits can extensively damage your nails. These include the following:

  • Habits like nail-biting can chip your nails and create ragged edges.
  • Constant contact with water and using harsh chemicals like detergents on a regular basis can dry your nails and affect their quality.
  • Continuous use of dark-colored nail polishes will stain nails. So, always use a base coat with such colors and apply them only occasionally.
  • Using nails to peel labels, pry open things and peel off sticky stuff can affect the strength and cause breakage.

Once you take control over these factors, you are ready to move on to the next step of growing your nails.

Manicure your nails regularly at home or with professional help. File your nails in a round shape to grow them quickly. Always start filing from the outside and move towards the inside. Never push your cuticles back or cut them. This isn’t recommended as it can lead to infections in the nail base. When choosing nail polish removers, avoid ones that contain formaldehyde and acetone. Acetate formula removers are safer to use.

Take regular and good care of your nails and hands and you will begin seeing significant improvement in their condition. It won’t be long before your efforts pay off and you can enjoy long,strong and most importantly healthy nails.

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