Tips for healthy nails

Stop overly tossing the nail plate, replenish the nutrients required by the nail matrix, and avoid invisible sources of irritation that are not noticed in daily life. 90% of ordinary people do not need hundreds of nail care essences and imported nutrient solutions. Most nail problems can be solved by adjusting daily habits.

I know a friend who has been a manicurist for 8 years. In the past two years, she changed her manicure almost once a week in order to create styles for clients. The polished surface of her nails made her nail bed shorter and shorter, and her nails were so thin that it hurt if she picked a bottle cap with just a little force. Now her nails are thick enough to open cans. The last time I saw her open an iced Coke, she didn't even find a bottle opener. Her experience is actually nothing special. She just needs to leave at least 3 weeks between manicures. She only polishes the most superficial sealant every time and never stops until the nail surface becomes astringent and soft. Nowadays, there is a lot of debate on the Internet about whether to polish the nails for manicure. One school says that the non-abrasive nail polish will fall off after two or three days, while the other school says that polishing the nails will permanently damage the nails. In fact, both sides are reasonable: if you only do a style once in a while to take pictures, you can tell the manicurist to just remove the surface oil layer; if you need to keep the style for more than one month, there will be no irreversible damage by appropriately thinning the surface cuticle, as long as you don't polish it to the nail base close to the nail root every time.

To be honest, I have been through a lot of nail care pitfalls before. I bought hundreds of imported nail polishes, but they were useless after applying them for two months. I also followed a blogger and tried to pierce the nail surface with vitamin E. After applying the polish all over my hands, I didn’t know whether my nails should be soft or not. Later, I asked my friend from the dermatology department and found out that the main component of the nail plate is keratin. The molecular weight of VE cannot penetrate the dense nail plate at all, so if you apply it, it will be in vain. However, this does not mean that VE is completely useless. If you always have barbs around your nails that are dry and cause skin damage, apply VE in the seams around your nails, or apply a layer of Vaseline. The moisturizing effect is really good, and you can avoid tearing out the barbs to the point of tears. Oh, by the way, if you have a hangnail, be sure not to tear it with your hands. I had it cut once before and it became infected and my whole finger was swollen for three days. I couldn't even hold chopsticks. The correct way is to soak it in warm water for 5 minutes to soften it, then use sterilized nail clippers to cut it off at the root, and then apply some moisturizer.

When it comes to daily invisible injuries, many people don’t take them seriously. I used to have a best friend who always said that her nails were naturally soft and that even after taking calcium tablets for half a year, it didn't help. After we spent a long time looking for the reason, we discovered that she always used her nails to pick off the express tape and pick off half of the nail polish that could not come off. She also likes to use that kind of soap-based soap with super cleaning power when washing her hands. Every time she washes her fingernails, they are soft and soft. Later, she put a mini box cutter in her bag, replaced it with a mild amino acid hand sanitizer, and remembered to wear thin nitrile gloves when handling dishwashing liquid and laundry detergent. Within two months, her nails had become much harder, and she never split them casually again. In fact, most people's soft nails are really not calcium deficiency. Unless you have obvious symptoms of calcium deficiency such as leg cramps and loose teeth, it is either due to too much external stimulation, or you usually eat less high-quality protein. Eat more eggs, milk, nuts, and if you are severely deficient, take appropriate supplements of biotin (vitamin B7), which is much more effective than blindly taking calcium tablets.

There is also a bad habit that many people have: they always cut their nails very short, and it is comfortable to cut them cleanly close to the flesh. I was like this before, until I got paronychia and the pain made me unable to walk, so I learned that it is best to leave a small white edge of about 1 mm when cutting nails. Don't cut the corners too round. Trim them slightly flat so that they will not grow into the flesh.

Finally, I would like to remind you that if your nails suddenly develop unexplained black lines, large pits, turn yellow, become thicker, or become brittle, don’t blindly believe in any nail care remedies. Go to a dermatologist for a consultation. It is most likely a sign of fungal infection or other physical problems. Timely medical treatment is more effective than any other tips.