How to Maintain Your Healthy Hands and Nails at Home

Healthy hands look clean and attractive.

Because the hands are such a vital tool in our everyday lives, they tend to show wear and tear much more readily than other areas of the body. It is imperative that the hands and fingernails be kept clean and healthy. By getting into the habit of properly maintaining your hands and nails at home, you can minimize your chances of running into hand health problems in the future.

Things You'll Need

• Moisturizer
• Nail clippers
• Emery board
• Orange wood stick
• Cuticle oil

Instructions

1. Keep your hands and nails properly moisturized to prevent roughness and cracking. Use hand cream at least once per day and make sure to rub it into your nails as well as your skin.

2. Trim your nails regularly. Cut them straight across with a nail clipper and use an emery board to smooth down any rough or sharp edges that could get caught on things and cause tearing or breakage.

3. Maintain your cuticles. Periodically push the cuticles back with an orange wood stick after showering or soaking your hands in a bowl of warm water, and apply cuticle oil each day to prevent the cuticles from becoming rough and developing hangnails.

4. Avoid biting your nails or picking at hangnails. Apply an anti-biting product to your nails if you have a nail-biting problem. These products have a foul taste that will discourage you from putting your nails into your mouth. If you find yourself with ragged hangnails on the skin around your nails, carefully clip them off with nail clippers. Never pull or tear off a hangnail.

5. Apply a clear base coat before applying nail polish, which will prevent the nails from becoming discolored. When removing nail polish, use a remover that does not contain acetone, which can be extremely drying to the nails.

Tips & Warnings

• Repeat this process about once a week to maintain the strength and appearance of your hands and nails

• Drink plenty of water daily

• Keep your hands moisturized daily

• Eat fruit and vegetables regularly

• Sanitize your hands regularly to ward off germs and potential infections

• If you must apply nail polish in addition to nail hardener, please apply it neatly. And please reapply nail polish once it begins to chip. There's nothing healthy about chipped nail polish!

• Please don't bite your nails. This makes maintaining healthy hands and nails more difficult.

References

• Mayo Clinic; How to Keep Your Fingernails Healthy and Strong---Nail Care Tips; Mayo Clinic Staff
• BodyCare.BecomeGorgeous.com: How to Get Healthy Nails and Beautiful Hands