Nails, especially on the hands, are a good test of a person’s hygiene and health. Nails are also part of the external body and like skin, and hair, they also need attention for them to remain strong and attractive. Improper nail care can cause breakage, peeling, discoloration, and infections. This article will teach you all about nail health. It will also give you basic tips to maintain your nails.
Understanding Nail Structure and Health
Fingernails and toenails are made of dead protein, called keratin. They are at the tips of fingers and toes. Healthy nails are clear. They have no roughness, ridges, color irregularities, or spots. The state of your nails can also be used as a diagnostic tool since your nails reflect your general body health. Any changes that involve color or texture can be a sign of some nutritional imbalance or health problems that may require treatment.
Common Nail Problems
Before we discuss nail care tips, we must know some issues that indicate poor nail health.
- Brittle Nails: Brittle nails are vulnerable to breaking or splitting, frequently as a result of exposure to water or other chemicals.
- Peeling or flaking: can be due to environmental conditions; it can also be due to hand washing or solvents in nail polish remover.
- Discoloration: A change of color, such as yellow, contributes to fungal infections, smoking, and underlying diseases in an individual.
- Hangnails: These occur when, due to dryness, the skin surrounding the nail splits and causes painful tearing.
The Importance of Nail Health
1. Aesthetic Appeal: Clean nails are one way through which you can boost your physical outlook in the world. They can enhance your beauty and personality and therefore make nail care very important in everyone’s beauty regimen.
2. Protection: Protection of fingertips from harm and Turn requisites during intricate jobs are offered by nails. They must keep their strength up for hourly endeavors Necessary nutrients for body and mind include proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals necessary for the energy needed to carry out our daily and hourly tasks.
3. Indicator of Health: Unlike the hair, the nails also undergo changes that provide the doctor with information about your health status including nutritional deficiencies and imbalances and even systemic diseases.
4. Psychological Impact: Nail care is considered to be an important practice that also has an impact on global mental health and may decrease stress. The kind of break you get to enjoy even for a few minutes in the day can be a positive ritual.
How to maintain strong and beautiful nails
1. Maintain a Balanced Diet
Nails also stand to benefit from a diet that is high in vitamins as well as minerals. Incorporate foods high in:
- Biotin: Rich in eggs, nuts, and whole grains, biotin is needed for the manufacturing of keratin.
- Protein: Nails are mostly protein, so get your fill from lean meats, beans, and legumes to avoid brittle fingernails.
- Zinc: Foods required for growth and repair that include shellfish, lentils, and chickpeas are included.
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids: These can be obtained from fatty fish, flax seeds, and walnuts; These may assist improve the moisture content of the nails.
2. Stay Hydrated
Staying hydrated maintains good health of the body part and it reduces the occurrence of brittle nails. Take water intake shots of at least 8 glasses a day
3. Practice Proper Nail Hygiene
- Regular Trimming: It is advisable to trim the nails to a reasonable length in as much as this may cause some minor rips on the nail. Nail clippers should be sharp while the edges should be smooth and the nails should be filed.
- Clean and Moisturize: Then there is always the issue of washing your hands and not forgetting that your nails and cuticles need some moisture too. Anti-aging hand creams can be identified by their containing such ingredients as shea butter and vitamin E.
4. Avoid Contact with Strong Chemical Substances
Cleaning agents found in the house are some of the leading causes of brittle nails. When cleaning it is extremely essential that you wear gloves to avoid making your nails dirty and skin chapped.
5. Buying the Right Nail Products
When it comes to nail polish and removers:
- use a polish remover that doesn’t contain acetone since this can dry the nails.
- Apply superb quality nail products that do not include toluene and formaldehyde in their composition.
6. Avoid Over-Manicuring
This is misleading because it got to the point of establishing that frequent manicures may be dangerous. Let your nails bare once in a while and do not apply gel or acrylic nails when your nails are fragile.
7. Don’t Bite Your Nails
Some of the harmful habits include nail biting. They can try to remove stress, snap on, or use bitter-tasting nail polish as a form of discouragement.
8. Consider Supplements
If you have reason to believe that you may be malnourished or if your nails don’t look healthy, speak with a doctor. The usage of biotin and collagen helps in building the strength and necessity of nails but they are under guidance only.
Conclusion
Taking care of nails is one of the most vital Filipino aesthetics that are involved in personal tidiness, which is more than the face value. With your nails properly taken care of, not only will you have great nails, but you will also be taking care of your body’s health. It is therefore important to bear in mind that the nails are as healthy as the rest of the body and cannot be made stronger just by applying any solution and/or polish on them but rather, a well-adjusted nutritional diet, plenty of water intake, cleanliness when handling nails and products on nails among others. By adopting these practices into everyday life it will be easy to be able to have neat nails and therefore reflect self-care.
