Personal Nail Care

One important aspect of personal care or grooming is nail care. Made of keratin, a hard protein, nails protect our fingers and toes. Nail care is a must in order to have healthy nails. An often-overlooked cause of nail damage is exposure to chemicals that dry out the hands and fingernails. Practice wearing rubber gloves when doing household chores that require you to handle cleaning agents like bleach, detergents and cleansers, which contain chemicals that are harsh on the hands and nails.

While it is recommended that you get a professional manicure and pedicure every four to six weeks, you can do basic nail care in between your visits to a professional manicurist. Moisturize your nails by soaking them in tepid water and massaging them with moisturizer. Also, keep the edges of your nails square to avoid painful and unsightly ingrown (hangnails). Keeping the edges as such also makes cleaning a breeze. Keep your nails short. Short groomed nails are better than long and sculptured ones because sculptured nails are more vulnerable to breakage and infections. And while it’s very tempting, never cut, pull or tear off your cuticles.

If you have nail polish, give one coat of clear polish to your nails every three days. This will protect your nails from chipping and will prolong your manicure’s life for about two weeks more. For nail polish that’s starting to chip off, remove the polish with a cotton ball moistened with nail polish remover.

Allow your nails to breathe. Take breaks between manicures and pedicures. Have a week or two that your nails are without nail polish. Nail polish and nail polish remover dry nails, making them brittle and prone to breaking.



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