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Just take a look at someone's nails and you can learn a lot about that person. Are they healthy or malnutritioned? Do they care for their skin or let it go? Do you they routinely visit a professional salon or are they a "do it at home" type of gal? Are they anxious and stressed or relaxed and enjoying life? What do your nails say about you?
Too little zinc or iron in the diet can show up as white spots on the nails.
Are your nails dry and brittle? Do your nails break easily? These could be signs of a vitamin A deficiency, a lack of calcium or a lack of protein.
Hang nails can signal a lack of protein, folic acid and/or vitamin C.
Dehydration can lead to cuts and cracks in the nails.
White bands across the nail are usually indicative of too little protein in the body.
Fungus growing under the nails shows an imbalance of friendly to unfriendly bacteria in the body - many times in response to a series of antibiotics.
Your nails can give you a clue about what's going on inside your body without ever visiting a doctor. Nails are an extension of the body's skin layer. Finger and toe nails are made of a very tough sub-layer of the outer skin composed of a protein called keratin and a large number of minerals. Their growth rate ranges between 0.05 and 1.2 millimeters per week. Healthy nails need a nutritious and well balanced diet that includes a reliable and consistent supply of protein, vitamins such as A, B and C and minerals like calcium, zinc, iodine and iron.
Other ways that nails can become damaged are from external sources i.e. often submerging the hands in water, exposing them to harsh cleaning and disinfecting agents, having a poor hygiene routine and, of course, using ineffective or even harmful lotions and hand/nail care products. And, obviously, whatever is going on in your fingernails can also affect your toenails!
Below you will find nail care essentials that will leave your fingernails and toenails looking healthy, well taken care of and beautiful!
For starters, modifying your diet so that it contains all of the essential nutrients needed for healthy nails will be an excellent first step. Each day make sure that you are consuming foods that contain plenty of calcium and protein. Additionally, your diet should include plenty of fruits and vegetables in order to provide you with the proper vitamins and minerals your body requires. Here is a sample listing of some great foods to eat often: apples, brown rice, cucumbers, eggs, fish, garlic, grapes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. As you add in these foods, try to eliminate other less nutritious choices such as foods high in processed sugar or refined flour, foods with high levels of fats and excess quantities of alcohol and caffeine. Finally, drinking at least 64 ounces of clean, filtered water throughout each day will ensure that your body remains hydrated at all times.
If your life requires you to expose your nails to caustic or harsh chemicals or to submerge them in water for extended periods of time, invest in a good set of rubber gloves. These will serve as a barrier to protect your nails from further damage and harm. If you are a nail biter - stop! This unfortunate habit is both bad for your nails and your teeth.
If you are longing for some soft, beautiful hands and healthy looking nails, consider trying Bliss Glamour Gloves: Glamorous Gloves for Gorgeously Soft Hands. These gorgeously designed gloves aren't only pleasing to the eye but they'll bring great relief and joy to your hands as well! It's recommended that you put these gloves on before going to bed and allow them to work on your hands overnight. For those with less time, 20 minutes will produce excellent results as well. These are self-activating grapeseed and ceramide-gel lined moisture gloves that rehydrate dehydrated hands and nails. The moisturizing gel also includes olive, canola and jojoba oils along with the powerful antioxidant vitamin E.
For healthy hands, feet and nails they should be moisturized each day - preferably in the morning and at night. Interestingly enough, most of us moisturize our entire bodies - minus the hands and feet on a routine basis. For some reason we forget about these very important appendages that deserve so much more of our attention.
The perfect place to start in your moisturizing routine is L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream. This natural product was inspired by the beauty traditions of southern France. Made with 20% Shea Butter it is both nourishing and moisturizing to the skin and nails.
Honey, almond and coconut oil make it a luxury to spread across the skin and nails leaving them soft, supple and hydrated.
After pampering your hands, don't forget your feet! L'Occitane Shea Butter Foot Cream will coax out a sigh of contentment from dehydrated and sore feet. Revel in the potent herbal mixture of arnica, lavender oil and rosemary oil that will leave your feet and nails feeling light and wonderful.
Finally, there is Nailtiques, a complete line of nail products designed to enhance beauty and increase health of nails. Their products range from Nailtiques After Artificial Treatment which produces firmer, stronger natural nails after use of artificial nails to Nailtiques Cuticle & Hand Conditioner which rehydrates and conditions the hands and cuticles.
Article posted 9/11/2006.
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