Wbeauty

Tips To Maintain Healthy Fingernails
Whether you take pride in giving yourself a weekly manicure or struggle with biting your nails, most of us want to achieve healthy and beautiful nails. But perfectly manicured nails go far beyond aesthetics — it’s good for your health too. Good nail care can help prevent ingrown nails, fungus infection of the nail, and infections of the skin.

Signs of healthy nails include pinkish-white-colored nail plates, healthy cuticles, a lunula at the nail base (half-moon-shaped white section), and nails and white tips that are even lengths, says Good Housekeeping. To help you achieve healthy fingernails, we’ve rounded up some of the top tips. Let’s get into it!

Trim Your Nails Regularly
To keep your nails healthy it’s important that you trim them regularly. Regular trims make your nails less prone to breaking and snags.

Good Housekeeping says you should try to trim your nails every 2-weeks or so, however, you can adjust the frequency once you see how quickly (or slowly) your nails grow. The source also says you should keep your nails short (at least for a little while) to allow your nails to grow stronger.Keep Your Nails Clean
Washing your hands is so important for preventing germs but taking time to keep your nails clean is important too. If you have traces of nail polish on your nails, start by removing it with an acetone-free remover. This is the best type of remover that won’t dry out your nails.Take Care of Your Cuticles
A common myth is that you should trim or remove your cuticle. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. Everyday Health explains, “think of your cuticles like the protective caulking around a bathtub.” When you trim or push them back too far (or aggressively), you’ll damage them leaving your nail bed vulnerable to bacteria and infection.

If you must push back your cuticles, do so gently and preferably after your shower or bath, when the skin is soft. You also shouldn’t do this more than once a week. Moisturizing your cuticles regularly should also be part of your routine. Apply cuticle oil and massage the oil into your cuticles and nails.

Next, using a clean toothbrush, apply a dab of soap, and then gently scrub your nails and your skin. The toothbrush will help remove dirt while simultaneously gently exfoliating your skin.