5 Easy Nail Care Tips at Home

While thinking about self-care, we often put face, skin, hair, diet, exercising and even mental health on the checklist while often leaving out one important part: nails! Our fingertips and even feet go through a lot on an hourly basis, making it essential to give them the treatment they deserve. 

Many people assume manicure and pedicure to be synonymous with nail care, which is both a misconception and also not enough. Many other factors play a role here as well-groomed nails don’t necessarily mean healthy nails. Some of the many signs to check that your nails need immediate help are:

• Peeling, chipping and even splitting nails could be from causes like vitamin or iron deficiency, underactive thyroid, numerous other health conditions and even nail paints.
• Tiny white spots from zinc and/or iron deficiency.
• Horizontal grooves could be an indication of a serious underlying health issue or from a recent illness. 

As nails also represent your health scenario, a positive indication of happy nails could be:

• Pinkish or mauve in colour
• Don’t break easily
• Don’t have ridges around
• Cuticles are visible

The best way to achieve those stronger and healthy nails can be achieved in the comfort of your home and not in some salon or expensive nail care kits. Small changes in your lifestyle can also go a long way and that also includes bidding farewell to bad habits like biting nails or exposing them to toxins on a regular note. Here are some of the easy-peezy tips to get your happy nails’ game on:

Moisturized nails
A very basic and important step that goes a long way, you can definitely not underestimate the power of moisturised nails. Dried nails pave the way for brittle and easily breakable nails and washing hands is one of the major causes as the cleaners are filled with chemicals and ingredients that rip off the moisture. 

To prevent this, use a hand cream after every hand wash. Even petroleum jelly and oils like olive oil, avocado oil and our favourite coconut oil can be used at least three times a day and once before sleeping. 

Avoid plucking your cuticles
Cuticles are essential to protect your nail beds from allowing bacteria from entering and causing infections. If you feel they are useless and need to be removed, avoid doing that. The old and the dead cuticles can be gently trimmed without harming the fresh ones.

Gloves, gloves, gloves!
Extremities can cause harm to anything. Not just excessive dryness, even too much wetness can serve as a portal to bacteria that may cause infection not so easy to cure. Hence, any activity that involves doing the dishes, clothes, gardening or any similar engagement will be safe on your hands if you wear rubber hand gloves.

Food for nails
Your nails don’t need the harsh treatment of supplements and products. More than half the battle is won when you incorporate rich nutrients in your diet that can remove almost all the nail issues, right from the appearance to the unnecessary growths and breaks and much more. Nutrients like iron, calcium, omega-3 fatty acids, keratin, Vitamin A, B, C and D and the list goes on. While these seem a handful to consume, they are available in most of the foods that we consume at home.

Give a break!
Don’t we all say that when too much is happening in our lives? Well, that also applies to our body, when we overburden it with too many tries. Sometimes, keeping nail paints and removers away for a while can give your tips some time to relax and soak in the natural aura. Also bombarding with nutrients and nail products can backfire instead of doing more good. In fact, too much stress even impacts your nails! If it becomes overwhelming, do seek help from a professional. 

The way to getting perfect nails may sound a lot but with small efforts, it surely goes a long way. Remember happy nails, happy you!