There are so many things that can help you to know the health status of a person and the physical appearance of the nails is one of them. That’s why it is important to know how healthy nails look like and when it’s time to seek a doctor’s intervention.
Having or even maintaining good healthy nails can be a challenge particularly if you are not a nail specialist. But the good news is that everybody can have healthy nails if they are committed to doing so. To learn more about nails and what you can do to keep them neat and healthy, read on.
What are the signs of healthy nails?
Whether you religiously take care of your nails, knowing if they are actually healthy is important. These are the things that will help you determine if the path you have taken is helping your nails or not. Without further ado, here are the signs to show you have healthy nails.
1. They are pink or mauve
Healthy nails generally appear to be pinkish or mauve in colour. That colour you see on top of your nails is a reflection of the tissues underneath. If you apply pressure on the nail, the colour should disappear and re-appear after you release the pressure. It is the same as the capillary nail refill test that doctors use to tell if a patient is well hydrated and the blood flow to the tissue is good.
2. They look strong
If your nails are breaking too easily, you need to consult a clinician or a dermatologist to rule out the possibility of a condition known as Onycholysis. If your nails are brittle and you are not wetting them too often, iron deficiency in your body is also a possible cause. Basically, if your nails seem sturdy, then higher chances are they are healthy.
3. No sign of puffy nail fold
If the skin around your nails appears to be puffy and reddish, then your nail fold is inflamed. This may be as a result of various issues such as connective tissue disorder or nail infection but the main cause is usually lupus. Be sure to consult your doctor so that you are treated because a manicure is not enough to treat puffy reddish nail fold.
4. Nails and cuticles are moisturized
A good indicator that your nails are healthy is if the hands and the area around your nails are clean and well moisturized. Don’t relax though; continue to moisturize your cuticles every day. Apply petroleum jelly or any thick moisturizer on your cuticles every day particularly at night. Be more careful during the cold season when you are more prone to cracked dry hands.
Tips to make your nails healthy and good looking
Now, if you’ve realized the current status of your nails is not so good, or you want to know how to maintain your already beautiful nails, these tips can help you do exactly that.
Wear gloves
We all need to do some work with our hands. Whether it’s general cleaning, the typical house chores or gardening, make sure you wear your gloves before you get your hands dirty for better nail care. Gloves will protect your nails from dirt. When dirt gets into your nails, they not only look unkempt, but you also risk infection. Dirty nails are a complete turndown. Furthermore, when you use hot soapy water for a long, your nails will be weakened no matter how strong they are. When purchasing, ensure you invest in comfortable fitting gloves so that they don’t get into your way while working and tempt you to remove them in the middle of a task.
Use quality polish
Most probably you’ve heard people complain that nail polish is ruining their nail plate. This is something that has made many people refrain from using nail polish in order to protect their nails. What these people don’t know is that if you invest in quality nail products from a trusted source such as Semilac Shop, the products will protect your nails. So, wear your nail polish without fear, it won’t harm your healthy nails.
Trim the nails
For your information, the long talons are no longer fashionable. The trend is now to keep your nails shorter and neat. Hence, trim your nails to give them a more natural look. Besides, trimming your nails regularly prevents your nails from snagging or breaking easily. If your nails grow faster, then keep up the pace and trim them often. Use a file to trim the nails and depending on their appearance, you can slightly buff them. Buffing is especially useful if you are prone to getting ridges.
Use a nail brush
If you haven’t invested in a nail brush yet, please do so. Using long pointy objects to remove dirt in the nails can expose your nails to infection. As much as you want to clean your nails, rigorous cleaning until you leave a gap between the nail and the nail bed is definitely not the way to go about it. If you want to keep your nails clean without harming them, gently clean them using a nail brush.
Keep manicures simple
This is where most people go wrong. They assume that maintaining healthy nails requires constant manicures. Surprisingly, do you know exposing your nails to manicures often will do them more harm than good? Instead of those complicated manicure procedures, keep things simple. Just get into the beauty parlour, get your nail polish removed, have your nail technician shape them and then apply a fresh coat. Just like that and your nails will be beautiful and healthy. Plus you will save a few coins.
Stay hydrated
If you want to have healthy nails, then you must keep yourself well hydrated. Water helps your nails to retain moisture and stay strong. Thus, make sure you drink the recommended amount of water every day to moisturize your nails and prevent them from becoming brittle and breaking too easily.
Care for your nails
As long as you are committed and ready to make changes to your lifestyle, having healthy nails shouldn’t be just a dream but a reality. Eat a healthy balanced diet, drink enough water and keep your nails well-moisturized. If you do so, you will never have to worry about your nails being unhealthy. If what you are doing hasn’t yielded results yet, don’t give up. It takes patience and commitment to achieve the desired results. Over the same, if you aren’t sure about the condition of your nails, consult a nail technician or better still a dermatologist for medical advice. Otherwise, if there is no medical issue, daily proper care of your nails should be enough to enable you to maintain healthy good-looking nails.
