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Featured Nail Care Ideas

A hand-and-foot makeover can be a wonderful thing!

Nail care is sometimes overlooked in personal grooming. How many times have you seen a beautiful woman with makeup carefully applied and clothes looking neat and fashionable, and noticed that her hands are looking a little shabby? It happens. We all lead busy lives and it's hard to get around to doing everything we need to. Moms are always running after the children, driving them here and there, helping with homework, cooking and cleaning. Dishpan hands are an occupational hazard. Sports-loving women find it difficult to keep their nails in good shape and hairdressers have their hands in water and chemicals for a large part of their day so they have problems other women don't. Nail care is made easy with regular trips to a professional salon but that can prove pretty expensive, not just financially but in terms of time. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to spend just half an hour a week on applying polish or giving ourselves a manicure or pedicure?

The simplest way to make time for nail care is to lock yourself in the bathroom with all your beauty products, and not come out until you feel like it! Of course, that's not the most practical of options. If there's a time of day when you can unwind and relax, perhaps when watching TV or just after the kids go to bed, take out your manicure kit and your favorite color of polish and allow yourself to enjoy feeling 'girly' again. Keep everything you need in a cosmetics bag so it's ready to go when you are and set it out where you're comfortable. You'd be surprised how good you'll feel when you're done and you can look at your fingertips or down at your toes and see the results of your handiwork. If you make a regular event of it, even if it's once every other week, it won't seem like a chore because it's purely and simply maintenance. In fact, if you haven't had a professional manicure in some time, book yourself in! After that, you can easily keep up appearances.

These days, salons don't just do simple buff and polish jobs. You can go in and have your nails trimmed of length and shaped for style, while your hands are lavished with a natural paraffin or vitamin treatment for your skin. The beautician can give you tips on how to keep your nails healthy and strong, how to achieve smooth results when you do your own manicure and even how you can be creative with the designs you apply.

If you feel you have any unchecked conditions of the nail or its bed, see your doctor or pharmacist. The most common complaints are ingrown toenails, fungus under the nail, white spots and weak or brittle nails. All of these things can be remedied so take action and you'll be pleased with the results. Nail care isn't just about making them pretty; it's about looking after them as well.

Once you've gone to the trouble of correcting any problems, and you've spent time treating your hands and nails to some well-deserved attention, give them protection by wearing gloves when you have your hands in water or dirt, such as in the garden. Moisturize your skin regularly to keep them looking and feeling soft. Proper nail care extends to the wrists, so don't neglect your hands.

If you feel like being a little more adventurous, consider investing in acrylic or porcelain nails for added length, strength and glamor. But be aware that once you have them, the time and money you spend on nail care will have to increase. Meanwhile, if you're happy to file the ends, tidy the cuticles buff your nails and add a couple of coats of polish - as well as use regular moisturizer - that's about all you need to do to give your worn out hands a beautiful makeover.

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Nail Products as Cosmetics

Nail products for both home and salon use are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. Under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, these products are considered cosmetics because they are "articles other than soap which are applied to the human body for cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering the appearance."

By law, nail products that are sold as cosmetics in the United States must be free of poisonous or deleterious substances that might injure users under the usual or customary conditions of use intended by the manufacturer. These uses are printed on the package or on a package insert. Many nail products contain poisonous substances, such as acetonitrile in glue removers, but are allowed on the market because they are not harmful when used as directed. They're poisonous only when ingested, which is not their intended use.

Selecting a Safe Nail Salon

To help you decide if a salon provides sanitary nail services, nail and public health experts suggest considering the following: Is the salon licensed? Licenses often are posted. If you don't see one, ask. Are the nail technicians licensed? These licenses also are usually posted. Ask if you don't see one for your technician. How are nail implements sanitized? Autoclaving (heat sterilization) is regarded as the best by many But most states allow chemical sterilizing as long as the implements are immersed in the solution for at least 10 minutes between customers. Ask the technician what the salon's practices are. If they're using a chemical solution, check the product's label for words like "germicidal" to indicate that it is strong enough to kill bacteria. Is there a pre-service scrub? Both the nail technician and the client should wash their hands with an antimicrobial soap before nail work begins. Is each customer given a fresh bowl of soapy water to soak their nails in and is a new nail file used for each customer? Both practices should be followed. Is the facility neat and clean? Is there a strong smell of fumes? If there is, it's a sign that the facility is poorly ventilated. Inhaling the fumes from nail products can make you sick.

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Precautions for Artificial Nails

If there is any question about your sensitivity to the materials in artificial nails, have one nail done as a test and wait a few days to see if a reaction develops. Never wear artificial nails for longer than three months at a time. Remove them for one month to give nails a rest. Read the directions for do-it-yourself nails before applying them, and follow the directions carefully. Save the ingredient list for your doctor in case you have an allergic reaction or other injury. Never apply an artificial nail if the natural nail or skin around it is infected or irritated. Let the infection heal first. Never use household glues for nail repairs. Use only products intended for nail use, and follow directions. Make sure you treat your artificial nails with care. They may be stronger than your own, but they still can break and separate. Try not to bump or knock them. Find new ways to do ordinary tasks, like using a pencil to dial or depress the numbers on the phone. If an artificial nail separates, dip the fingertip into rubbing alcohol to clean the space between the natural and artificial nails before reattaching the artificial nail. This will help prevent infection. Keep nail glues and other poisonous substances out of the reach of children.