Common Nail Care Misconceptions
Nail care is a rather simple and do not require a lot of expertise to do. Unfortunately, some people, especially women really want to have beautiful nails. This leads them to trying out different practices that may not even have any basis as long as they believe that it will help in making their nails more beautiful.
One practice that is often practiced but will not do your nails much good is the application of nail polish with hardener. Hardeners will only make you nails stiffer and easier to break. This is why it might be a better idea to use normal nail polish to give protection to your nails.
Another way to make your nails more resistant to damage is by making sure that they are always hydrated. Dry nails are much easier to break, especially after they have been exposed to drying agents such as soap and bleach. Be sure to hydrate your nails using hand lotion every time you expose your nails to such substances.
The pushing back of cuticles is also done by a lot of women as they believe that this will help the growth of their nails. But this is also one practice that should not be done as the cuticle serves as protection for the nail bed. Removing this is not advised by dermatologists and it exposes you to risks such as infection.
The use of artificial nails is also popular especially for those who have ugly or damaged nails while waiting for nails to grow back. Unfortunately, chemicals used in the application of these artificial nails may further add to the injury on your nails. this also increases the risk for an infection as microbes can accumulate beneath the nails and proliferate, later causing complications.
Unfortunately, nails grow at a very slow rate, around 0.1mm per day, so you will really have to wait a long time before broken nails will go back to their original state. This is why you should try preventing damages from occurring so that you won't have to experience this.
A nail salon is a good way of having beautiful nails without exerting any effort at all. One precaution that you should take when going to such establishments is their cleanliness. The use of tools for several customers exposes you to risks, especially of the customer before you had a bacterial or fungal infection. Be sure to inspect a salon's cleanliness policy before allowing them to use their instruments on you. Better yet, choose a salon that makes use of liquids and gels so that indirect contact with infected individuals is avoided.
Nail care is not that simple once you consider all of these common misconceptions that people do. Before you do anything with your nails, be sure to know what you are doing and verify if it can really help in making your nails look and grow better. You may ask your dermatologist for help if you are not sure with your current nail care practices.
Learn more about foot and nail care. Visit Jen Hopkins's site, www.NailCareSecrets.com, where you can find out all about nail strengthener and what it can do for you.
Published August 12th, 2010