Home nail care. Proper comprehensive nail care

Beautiful, healthy nails are the key to the beauty of every modern girl. Well-groomed hands can say a lot. How to avoid the high cost of visiting the salon and become the owner of beautiful and healthy nails.

Having beautiful, strong and durable nails without discoloration is the dream of every woman. A few of our tips will be a small help in achieving this dream. After reviewing several, simple and proven, ways to care for nails and applying them at home, you will become the owner of beautiful, natural and healthy nails.

Treat your nails with a special polisher. Thus, the plates and your nails will shine even without the use of varnish. In addition, the color of the polished surface is much brighter and better. However, don't use too much nail polish too often, as this can destroy too much nail tile and weaken your nails.

Use your nail polish correctly

Nail polish was originally designed for their protection, beauty and shape correction.

Due to the flexible layer that is formed on the nail plate, the nail becomes impervious to water.

A good polish is the basis of fingernail care, it should not cover the nail too thickly, be chipped and dry quickly.

Nail polish will stay on the surface longer if it is applied to previously degreased nails.

Keep in mind that the thinner the layer of varnish is applied, the more stable the effect will be. To properly varnish nails, it is usually applied in two layers, it is always recommended to wait until the first layer dries well and only after that the second layer is applied. The exception is quick drying polish, which contains more pigment in its composition and, therefore, is applied in only one layer, so that the nail is completely covered.

Use a nail conditioner

Of the nail care products, it is worth highlighting the intensive treatment conditioner.

The essence of this procedure is to cover the nails with a layer of nutrient medium that stimulates the reconstruction of the nail structure. It is preferable to include more calcium and a daily vitamin complex in the air conditioner.

After about four weeks of using the conditioner, your nails will become stronger and stronger.

Nail Protection Methods

Remember also that any type of housework, using washing, cleaning and detergents, should be done with rubber gloves. The chemicals in cleaners can significantly weaken your nails, making them dry and brittle. Even a long stay in the water only contributes to the deterioration of the nails.

You can use your homework time as a moment of intensive hand and nail treatment. To do this, use the same rubber gloves, filling them with a layer of nourishing cream. Heat in combination with cosmetic care products will create the effect of a compress, which will increase the supply of nutrients and vitamins to the skin of the hands. After finishing work, your hands will be soft and your skin perfectly moisturized.

Cuticle: proper care

Don't cut your cuticles!

Even if the skin comes off and a burr appears, do it very carefully so as not to damage the nail plate. It is better to pre-soften the skin with a special liquid or immerse your hands in warm water for a few minutes, then carefully remove the skin. If you make sudden movements, removing the torn edges of the cuticle, this can lead to the formation of numerous and unwanted cuticle damage, which, subsequently, will have to be removed again.

Even if the skin comes off, do it very carefully so as not to damage the nail plate.

Diet for healthy nails

Remember that diet can also work wonders. Stratified, brittle and weak nails are usually signs of a vitamin deficiency. Make sure your diet includes foods that are rich in vitamin A, B vitamins, and contain adequate amounts of calcium and iron. Eat more nuts, seeds, whole grain bread, yogurt and kefir, and oily fish. You can also take vitamins and trace elements that affect the appearance of nails in the form of supplements, pay attention to preparations containing horsetail extract and yeast.

Hand cream

Try to use hand cream, preferably after every hand wash. It may sound like a cliché, but regularly moisturizing and nourishing your hands brings amazing results. The cream should always be at hand. Try to combine moisturizing your hands with cream, and do a short cuticle massage - rub the cream on and around each nail in a circular motion.

Regular soaking of nails in warm olive oil.

Pour olive oil into an open container that allows enough free dipping of your nails, add a few drops of lemon juice to the solution to soften the nail plates. Heat up the oil until it is warm. You do not have to fill in a new portion of oil each time, one dose is enough for two weeks of treatment. Best results are obtained by soaking your hands daily for 20-30 minutes, but if you don't have that much time, try this nail bath two to three times a week.

Nail care is a simple but very important procedure. Nail hygiene affects not only the condition of the nail plate, but also human health in general, so it cannot be neglected! To learn how to properly care for your fingernails, read this article.

Why is it so important?

The main function of the nail plate is to protect the fingertips from the environment - and this is the main reason why they need to be properly taken care of. The second, and no less important reason will be that fingernails are an excellent intermediary for various microbes! Improper care practically guarantees infectious disease.

Groomed and damaged nails become an excellent "home" for fungi, bacteria and other harmful microorganisms. And getting into the body from there is not difficult at all - a person can become infected while eating with dirty hands, and even if he just scratches his nose with them.

In addition to painful factors, unkempt nails look terrible - and this applies not only to women. Men often neglect the care of the nail plates, and they begin to turn yellow, exfoliate and “stripe”: as a result, even the most expensive suit and stylish hairstyle cannot smooth out the impression of ugly hands.

Rule one: wash your hands

The most simple and banal recommendation, which many people neglect, is thorough hand washing. They need to be washed before and after meals, and also at those moments when you return home: it doesn’t matter if you were at work, on a walk, or just went down to pick up mail, your hands are already dirty.

Hand washing implies the obligatory use of soap: just rinsing your hands and nails under tap water is not enough! Antibacterial soap is preferable to plain soap - it fights bacteria much more effectively. Also, to take care of the skin of your hands, try to choose a mild soap with a moisturizing effect that does not dry out the skin.

Pay more attention to the area under the nails - this is where dirt and various microbes accumulate! Rinse the area thoroughly with soapy fingertips. Long nails may take a little longer to maintain, so keep that in mind.

Rule two: home care

Even if you do most of your manicure and nail coloring in the salon, taking care of your nail health at home is a must. The procedures performed at home are not at all complicated, you just need to devote a little time to them!

The most important and obligatory in home nail care is baths for them. They soften not only the skin, but also the cuticle with the nail plates: after this procedure, shaping the nails and caring for them are much easier! Essential oils and other beneficial ingredients are added to the baths, moisturizing and softening the skin.

After the nails are shaped: with nail scissors, nail clippers, or even simply a nail file. The nail file must be pre-washed and disinfected to prevent infection. In addition, it is preferable to use a glass nail file, it does not harm the nails at all.

Next, you need to take care of the cuticle. Do not cut it at home: improper circumcision can cause infection! The best option would be to soften it with a special tool, and then move it with a special stick.

This completes the procedure for home nail care. After such a simple manicure, a nourishing cream is applied to the hands: in addition to taking care of the skin of the hands, it also helps to strengthen the nails. After soaking the cream on the nails, you can apply varnish: do not forget to degrease them so that the varnish lays down well and lasts a long time.

Nail care after extension

Extended nails, no doubt, look very impressive and beautiful, but they must be properly taken care of. First of all, make sure that your nails are in a healthy condition: this procedure is absolutely not suitable for nails with fungus or burrs! Also, you can not grow nails while taking hormonal drugs and antibiotics.

After completing the build-up, you need to be very careful and careful with your nails: avoid impacts and forceful effects on your nails, otherwise everything can end in failure. Also avoid exposure to metal nail files - this is bad for gel nails.

In addition, extended nails are not friendly with acetone: be careful that neither varnishes nor liquid for its removal contain acetone. Also, your artificial nails will not get along with household chemicals: acids and alkalis affect them equally badly, so use them only with rubber gloves.

Don't forget about standard nail care. Washing hands, brushing off dirt and general care of their condition is mandatory and should be carried out much more carefully than when handling natural nails.

Take good care of your nails. A change in the shape, structure or color of the nails is a bad sign that most often indicates a fungal disease. Consult a dermatologist to rule out this possibility and get treatment recommendations!

However, following the simple rules described above will help you avoid fungus, colds and other unpleasant diseases.

Related video:

Well-groomed and healthy nails always make the image complete and stylish. You can perform a manicure not only in the salon, but also at home on your own. To do this, you need to know a few rules for nail care, which set of tools will come in handy. Also, do not forget about the pedicure.

Read in this article

What can the nail plate tell about

You can find out about the state of health by looking at a person’s nails. The color of the plate and its uniformity will indicate a vitamin deficiency or hidden diseases. Thus, the presence of the following signs indicates different problems:

  • Metabolic disorders are manifested by the slow growth of the nail plate.
  • Hormonal changes can be suspected if the length increases too quickly.
  • Anemia, as well as a deficiency of vitamins A, E, and group B, can have such a sign as a dull color of the nails.
  • If there is not enough calcium and phosphorus, then the plate will grow very thin and brittle.
  • When there is an excess of iron in the body, dark grooves form along the length of the nail.
  • If there is not enough protein, then white spots appear.
  • Violations in the work of the organs of the gastrointestinal tract are manifested by grooves across the nail plate.
  • Diseases of the spine can be recognized by the triangular shape.
  • Diseases of the heart and blood vessels have such a sign as a flat shape and short length.
  • Tuberculosis affects the shape of the nails, making them bulging and large.
  • Heart disease also manifests itself in color, it becomes bluish or dark red.

Nail care rules

You can make your hands and nails beautiful even at home. Often the wrong care spoils the whole picture. Simple procedures and rules will help to extend the manicure, namely:


To make the plate stronger and less flaky, special strengthening products can be used as a base or on their own.

  • When processing nails with a nail file, you need to move only in one direction. From each edge should be processed to the center.
  • You can whiten your nails, remove traces of earth or other dirt with a lemon. It is necessary to dip your fingertips directly into the pulp of the fruit for a few minutes, then rinse with water.
  • Periodically use scrubs and hand baths. They moisturize the skin, strengthen nails, nourish.

Useful hand baths

This is a fairly simple way to strengthen and nourish the nail plate. Baths help reduce brittleness, saturate with vitamins, whiten and increase growth. A couple of times a week, you can carry out the following procedures:


Watch the video about the salt bath for hands and nails:

Correct manicure technique

Many women make mistakes when doing a manicure. Avoid:

  • use of other people's tools;
  • the use of low-quality devices for manicure;
  • filing nails with metal nail files;
  • polishing the surface too strongly, as this deprives them of their natural protection against infections and other external factors;
  • injury to the cuticle, since if it is cut incorrectly, this increases the risk of bacteria, fungi entering, and also weakens the nail;
  • scraping off the remaining varnish from the plate.

Before carrying out a home manicure, hands must be washed and then disinfected. To remove the cuticle and injure it, you must first steam your hands. This is what baths are for. After the procedure, it is necessary to treat the cuticle with oil. This softens it, moisturizes and slows down the growth.

Set of tools

As mentioned above, the choice of tools for manicure and pedicure plays an important role. For a quality procedure you will need:


An important role in giving the fingers a well-groomed appearance is played by the processing of the cuticle. Even if the shape, length and luster of the plate are in order, then dry, unkempt skin around will spoil the whole impression.

Once a week or 10 days you need to remove the cuticle. To do this, it is softened in warm
water with salt, a special agent or oil. Then you need to gently push it away with a stick or pusher.

Cut the cuticle should be carefully so as not to injure the skin and not cause infection.

If necessary, a strengthening, healing agent or varnish is applied to the nail, only then the rollers are covered with special oil. After application, you need to let it soak for a couple of minutes, then rub it in with light massage movements.

In addition, you need to use oil not only after a manicure, but also constantly throughout the day.

But such a little secret will help to give your hands well-groomed, there was not even time for a full-fledged procedure: today oils are produced not only in bottles with a brush or pipette, but also in the form of a stick or pencil. This is very convenient, because you can process dry cuticles in just a minute and give your hands a polished look.


Cuticle oils

Features of procedures for toe nails

Often people are concerned about problems with toenails, in particular, ingrown toenails. To avoid such a nuisance, it is important to learn how to cut the plates correctly. You need to do this only in a straight line, without cutting off the corners. So the nail will grow along its "trajectory". In addition, after cutting, be sure to go through a nail file to remove roughness. And if the nails are not yet strong branches, then in order to avoid problems, shorten them only in this way.

Also, the feet need to be bathed with oils, herbs and salt. This will help relieve fatigue, swelling, moisturize dry skin, nourish it. Bath products include:

  • Salt. It eliminates swelling and pain, fatigue.
  • Essential oils of lavender, rose, patchouli soften rough and dry skin of the feet.
  • Decoctions of chamomile and linden eliminate swelling.
  • Burgundy and calendula extracts help fight infection and fungus.
  • A decoction of oak bark, pine needles and thyme oils reduce excessive sweating of the feet.
  • Infusion of nettle, mint with St. John's wort refresh and give lightness.

Doing a foot bath should not take longer than 20 minutes.. At the same time, its temperature should not exceed a comfortable level. And to soften the cuticles and skin of the feet at night, you can make compresses with olive or castor oil. The leg is lubricated with a product and wrapped with a film or bag. For the best effect, you can wear a sock. In the morning, the legs will be chic, like a baby's.

It is worth carrying out a pedicure according to the same rules as, that is, remove the cuticle, use oil and cream, work only with personal and high-quality tools.

It is also important to periodically remove the varnish from the nails and inspect them for the presence of fungus. It can become infected without being noticed. But the sooner it is detected, the easier it is to get rid of.

If suspicious stripes, grooves, spots are found on the nail plate, it has generally changed shape and color, then you should immediately contact a dermatologist, and not self-medicate. Otherwise, you can completely lose the entire nail or even several, because the “infection” spreads quickly.

How to restore the nail plate after the gel

Gel coating, which has become so popular recently, can seriously damage the nail. It is a complex chemical substance containing hydrolyzed collagen. When covering the nails with gel, the surfaces fuse, therefore, when it is removed, the upper stratum corneum of the plate is removed along with the coating. So many girls notice a sharp deterioration in their condition.

Plus, when removing the gel, very aggressive substances are used. So after the "unearthly" beauty of gel nails, the young lady gets a lot of problems. But not everything is so bad, you can restore them. To do this, you must follow the following recommendations:

  • Let your nails rest for two to three months.
  • Review nutrition. In the diet should be present in sufficient quantities of foods containing calcium. These include: fish, eggs, cottage cheese, cheese. And you need to use them in advance before building.
  • Drink supplements and vitamin complexes with iron and zinc. Thanks to these elements, the nails become elastic, resilient and less brittle.
  • Make masks from citrus fruits. Nails should be immersed for 5 minutes directly into the pulp.

After removal, the following steps must be taken:

Nails require careful and attentive care. Performing simple procedures, you can always have a beautiful and healthy manicure. Well-groomed nails and cuticles are an integral part of an elegant look.

Useful video

Watch the video on how to restore nails after gel polish:

Every girl tries to look well-groomed, but many people forget about caring for their hands and nails. But it is precisely well-groomed hands with healthy and neat nails that are the hallmark of a woman. Even if there is no manicure, you need to take care of the condition of the skin and the nail plate: no burrs and a neat shape.

This article will tell you how to independently preserve the youth and beauty of your hands, and not spend a lot of time and money on salon procedures.


Basic skin care at home

Every day, the skin of the hands suffers from doing household chores: from washing, washing dishes, cleaning the apartment. One of the most affordable means to keep them well-groomed is the use of rubber gloves. However, when working with them, you also need to follow some rules.

  • before using gloves, wash your hands and dry them with a towel,
  • before putting on gloves, moisturize the skin with natural cream or vegetable oil,
  • Wash your hands again after work
  • gloves should also be washed and dried.

In order not to harm your appearance and health, avoid using cosmetics containing silicones, parabens, petroleum derivatives, animal fats, artificial colors, etc. They contribute to the development of many skin diseases and the appearance of allergic reactions. In addition, they suck water out of the skin and are very toxic.

To care for your body, it is best to use natural products. It is harmless, and is contraindicated only in case of individual intolerance to individual components. No wonder they say that only what you can eat should be applied to the skin!

Yes, most of these products are sold at a fairly high price, but, fortunately, there are a large number of folk recipes for skin care. They are easy to prepare and include affordable products.

Folk care products for hands

1. For rough skin vegetable oils (olive, almond, linseed, coconut, etc.) help very well. Apply it on the skin with massage movements. Do not spare money - the more the better. The beneficial substances of the oil will be absorbed into your hands, and will make them softer, well-groomed and beautiful. Try to choose oil according to.

The duration of the procedure is approximately 10-15 minutes, then it should be wiped dry.

Watching my girlfriends and girls I know, I came to the conclusion that most often women put a lot of effort, time and money into facial skin and hair care. No one from my environment pays special attention to the care of nails and skin of the hands. Of course, each of them does a manicure, varnishes her nails either in the salon or at home, applies nourishing creams to the skin of her hands. But to make the nails look beautiful, and the hands tender and soft, this is not enough.

Our nails and hands, as well as the skin of the face, require constant and systematic care. Just covering the nails with varnish is not enough for the hands to attract attention to themselves, and they want to be touched again and again.

Meanwhile, caring for nails at home is not so difficult. If you do this regularly, then over time, taking care of your nails will become a habit and it will be as natural for you as, for example, washing your hands before eating or brushing your teeth.

One of the basic and most important rules is respect for them. Every day, our hands have to deal with a lot of adverse factors, such as wind outside, too dry indoor air, chemicals that make up detergents, hard tap water. Therefore, it is necessary to constantly protect our hands from harmful external influences.

In the cold season, be sure to wear warm gloves or mittens to avoid chapping your hands. In the summer, before going out, apply a moisturizer to your skin. This will not only help prevent dryness, but also protect the skin from the negative effects of ultraviolet rays. When applying the cream on your hands, do not forget about the nails. The cream creates a protective film on the nail plate, which protects the nail from external factors, in addition, the cream moisturizes and softens the cuticle. I always try to carry hand cream in my purse. This is very convenient, because during the day the skin of the hands often dries out and because of this there are very uncomfortable sensations. A little cream will help to quickly bring the skin of the hands into shape.

If in winter the skin of the hands is very weathered, cracked and reddened, then a mask for hands and nails will help to quickly put your hands in order. To do this, before going to bed, you need to smear your hands with a thick layer of fatty, nourishing cream, put on cloth gloves on top and go to bed in this form. In the morning, after such a mask, the condition of the skin of the hands will improve significantly.

Any household work, such as washing dishes, floors, dusting, is best done with special household gloves. Of course, this is not very convenient. I really dislike washing dishes with gloves on. But exposure to surfactants, which are part of many modern detergents and cleaners, has a very negative effect on our nails and hands. Because of this, the nails begin to exfoliate, the nail plate becomes thinner and more brittle. Therefore, it is better to endure the inconvenience and learn to work with gloves than to constantly walk with broken and cut nails to the root.

Proper nutrition is also important in the care of nails and hands.

Undoubtedly, a healthy diet is one of the most important components of the beauty and health of not only nails, but the whole organism as a whole. To keep your nails strong, you need to include in your diet cottage cheese, dairy products, fresh vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, herbs, fruits, especially citrus fruits, which are richest in vitamin C, dried fruits, seafood. In addition to this, you can drink multivitamin complexes, which include calcium, vitamins A and E.

When taking vitamins, be patient, as the effect will most likely not be noticeable immediately. Calcium accumulates in the body gradually, but after a while you will definitely notice that the nails have become much stronger and stronger. This I can say from my own experience. From the beginning of pregnancy, I began to drink special vitamins for pregnant women, containing many different vitamins, including calcium. Within a few months, I noticed positive changes. My nails have become much stronger, stopped breaking and began to grow faster. But observe the measure, you should not drink vitamins in handfuls and throughout the year. It is better to consult a doctor beforehand so that there is no overdose of any vitamin.

Another effective nail care product is special baths. I especially like oil baths for nails. Usually I do them like this: I pour a little vegetable, olive or castor oil into a bowl, heat it up in a water bath. Then I dip my nails in a bowl for 10-15 minutes. This procedure is very useful for nails. Firstly, it significantly moisturizes the nails and prevents them from breaking. Secondly, it nourishes them with vitamins. In addition, this procedure accelerates the growth of nails. You can add a little freshly squeezed lemon juice to the oil, this will be an additional source of vitamin C for our nails. This procedure is best done several times a week. After the bath, be sure to spread your hands with a nourishing cream. If you do not have time to keep your nails in the bath, then you can simply wipe your nails with a cotton swab dipped in warm oil.

If the nail plate has turned yellow, then lemon can help. Cut a lemon in half and soak your nails in the lemon pulp for a few minutes. Lemon juice whitens nails and prevents them from splitting.

Another strengthening bath for nails is a saline solution. Probably, many have noticed that after relaxing somewhere at the sea, when you swim every day in salty sea water, your nails become much stronger and begin to grow faster. Of course, during the year it is unrealistic to constantly go on vacation to warm countries, so you can do strengthening and caring for your nails at home. Dilute a few tablespoons of coarse sea salt with warm water in a small container and dip your nails into it for a few minutes. Do this procedure 2-3 times a week, but not more often, because too long exposure to salt water is not very good for the skin.

Proper manicure is also important.

Proper manicure is another necessary condition for the beauty of nails. If the manicure is done correctly, then even the shortest unvarnished nails will look neat and well-groomed. When doing a manicure at home, you must follow some simple rules.

You should always file your nails in one direction, you should not drive the nail file back and forth, because of this the nail plate becomes more brittle and easily delaminates. It is also important what kind of nail file you work with. It is better not to use metal files, as they strongly scratch the nail plate and destroy its structure. These nail files are mainly used for acrylic nails. I usually use a glass nail file, it has a fairly smooth surface, files the nail very gently, and does not break it at all. Also, nail files on a rubber or cardboard base are well suited for natural nails. It is best to file nails in a dry state and before using therapeutic baths.

At the end of the procedure, I usually cover the surface of the nail with a protective agent. There are many different types of nail products available in cosmetic stores. Among them are products for nail care and leveling the nail plate, strengthening products with diamond inclusions, brightening and many, many others. Choose the one that suits you. I like these products also because in addition to their main purpose, they can be applied as a base for varnish. Lacquer applied to the base lasts longer and lays down more evenly.

The choice of varnish must also be approached responsibly. Remember not to paint your nails with dark colors for too long. From this, the nail plate may darken or turn yellow. In general, dark shades are best applied to the base. It is also better not to use cheap varnishes, as they greatly spoil the structure of the nail. Do not always keep your nails painted, give them the opportunity to “breathe” freely. To remove nail polish, use acetone-free nail polish remover, as acetone is very detrimental to the beauty and health of nails.

The secret of strong and beautiful nails is in proper nutrition, regular and accurate manicure, high-quality varnish, nourishing and moisturizing baths and constant care. Following these simple rules, your nails will always remain in perfect condition.

Sincerely, Natalia Maksimova.


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