Gothique

You might not think it, but you can tell a lot about a person from their fingernails. Bitten or distended nails are often seen as a sign of nervousness or low confidence, whereas someone who always has perfectly manicured nails can seem a little conceited and vain. It’s not just on a superficial level either, the condition of a person’s nails can give clues about their overall health and nail problems can be the first sign of more serious health problems. But of course it’s not just about what everyone else thinks. We all get an extra boost of confidence from going out with a perfect set of nails. So here are a few tips to help keep your nails looking great.

Firstly and most importantly, don’t allow your nails to get too dry. Always use hand cream after you wash your hands and regularly throughout the day as required. This will help your nails and cuticles to retain their moisture and prevent them breaking or peeling. Moisturisers like those by Aesop are a good choice as they last all day and work well with your skin. Don’t cut your cuticles, instead carefully push them back when they are soft, for example after a bath or shower. If you are still encourtering problems with dry skin I would recommend using Eve Lom as their creams are extremely good!

If your nails are dry or fragile or you get hangnails, it could be a dietary problem. Calcium deficiency can cause breaking or peeling, and white spots are often caused by a lack of iron. All these things can easily be remedied by making sure you eat a balanced diet. Any manual work, including housework and washing up, can seriously damage nails so wear gloves especially where washing up liquid is involved, and always moisturise when you’re finished.

Nail polish looks good but can really damage the nails if you use it all the time. Only paint your nails when you’re going out and want to look your best, there’s really no point going to all that effort otherwise when they will just get chipped anyway. When you do paint your nails, always use a base coat to stop the colour from staining. OPI is a good place to start for a great range of colours that are long lasting, and they do base coats and nail treatments too. When you remove your nail polish use as little remover as possible and, yes that’s right, wash and moisturise your hands straight afterwards to prevent your nails from drying out.