Ten tips and tricks to take care of your nails at home

Our nails, like our hands, are an inevitable cover letter that says a lot about our image and our personal care. That’s why, just as we try to apply moisturizers on the face, conditioners in the hair or exfoliants on the whole body, we must include the task of taking care of the nails in our habitual beauty routine.

With these cares you will get the nails to stop being yellow, to open in layers or to break at the slightest touch. Take note:

Feed your nails

The first thing that we must consider is that the feeding influences a lot in the aspect of our nails. A disease or a serious lack of vitamins can be reflected in our nails very clearly.

In general, the consumption of foods rich in vitamin A and B is recommended, so if you have fragile nails, you should start by increasing the presence in your diet of cereals, brewer’s yeast, tomatoes, red peppers, carrots, nuts, almonds, crustaceans and fish. Also, a balanced consumption of dairy products is recommended, which provide the necessary calcium to show healthy and strong nails.

Protect them from moisture and aggressions

Always use gloves to scrub, not only to not spoil the enamel, but because keeping the nails in constant contact with moisture and soaps causes them to deteriorate and until fungi appear. In addition, use gloves for all tasks that involve aggression to your nails, such as gardening, DIY and crafts with aggressive products.

Hydrate the nails

The nails also need their hydration dose to be healthy and strong. For this I recommend a gesture as simple as baths in olive oil. Leave the nails to soak for 5 minutes and then massage them to absorb the nutrients as well as possible. If you also want to harden them, apply a few drops of castor oil.

Take care of your cuticles

In general, cuticles are the big ones forgotten. Just as you condition your hands from time to time, you must condition your cuticles. For that reason, I advise you that whenever you apply moisturizing cream on your hands, also extend it by the cuticles, giving a little massage.

In addition, when you go to do the manicure, you must hydrate your cuticles with some oil (commercial or homemade) to soften them and be able to mold them without damaging you. Never cut, unless you detect any skin or stepfather. Just push them once hydrated with the help of an orange stick or a cotton swab impregnated in oil. Do it by drawing small circles with which you are removing them little by little. This way you will prepare the surface for the manicure and leave them well conditioned.

Cut the nails

Although it is preferable to use the file to the scissors, you can cut your nails if they are too long and you do not want to carry them like that anymore. Always do it with appropriate scissors or nail clippers and following the shape of the cuticle, which will be the natural shape of your nails. The best time to do it without much effort is when we get out of the shower, because the nails are softer.

How to file them

Use a cardboard file, preferably a metal one, to avoid splinters. To make the filing less aggressive, dip your hands in warm water with a little soap for a few minutes. In this way we will achieve not to attack the layers of the nail too much.

Lime from one side to the other always following the same direction and with long and smooth passes. Never limes with back and forth movements. At the ends, the line passes slightly diagonally connecting the movement with the rest of the edge of the nail. To remove the debris that has been detached, pass the file vertically from top to bottom along the edge of the nail, in one-way movements.

Whitening the nails at home

If your nails have yellowed and you want to whiten them, you can do it from time to time by submerging them in lemon juice

As you know, the application of colored glazes can yellow the nail. To avoid this, you should always use a protective base polish before the color lacquer. Also, if your nails have yellowed and you want to clean them, you can do it from time to time by immersing them in lemon juice. The massages also work as bleaching agents with the paste made with lemon, baking soda and olive oil. Also, if you soak your nails in milk with lemon juice for a few minutes every day, you will see that they whiten.

Makeup remover

When it comes to removing your nail polishes, always choose soft products, without acetone, because these weaken the keratin of the nails and dry them. It will take more time to remove the lacquer with these nail polish removers, but it will always be in the interest of the health of your nails.

Let them breathe

Although you love to see your nails decorated, from time to time it is convenient to let them breathe, naturally, without even enamels with treatment. Also, try not to paint them and remove their makeup more than once a week so as not to mistreat them excessively. If you do, use nail polish remover without acetone and always protect your nails from colored lacquers with good quality bases that include some strengthening treatment.

Home remedies to strengthen the nails

There are three homemade ingredients that are eminently beneficial for our nails: garlic, which strengthens the nails and prevents the appearance of fungi; olive oil, which nourishes them, and lemon juice, which whitens and hardens the surface.

So, I propose a treatment based on a homemade mask very easy to prepare: it consists of mixing a clove of garlic with olive oil and lemon juice, all well crushed to get a paste. If you prefer, cook the garlic before it softens and mixes better with the rest of the ingredients.

You can store this mask in a clean jar and apply it whenever you can. Keep in mind that there is a smell of garlic, so try to have enough room to not have to leave the house with your hands smelling of garlic.

If you prefer, products that contain the benefits of garlic and lack their intense aroma are also commercialized. In general, products that contain urea or lactic acid, as well as supplements with biotin, which are usually prescribed by dermatologists, are recommended to harden the nails.