A little about nail care !

Hello!

Healthy nails are a short cut to looking well-groomed but they do need a bit of taking care to keep them in good condition. If your nails are less than photo-ready, get your hands out of your pockets and follow our easy nail care tips.

Nail Health

Good nutrition will keep your nails flexible and strong and your cuticles well-conditioned. "Nutrition has a huge impact on circulation - and it is blood that carries the nutrients you eat to the matrix of nails,"

. Include plenty of the following in your diet: green leafy veg, raisins, almonds and poultry (iron); eggs, spinach, broccoli and carrots (vitamin A); and Brazil nuts, steak and pumpkin seeds (zinc).

Exposure to water, chemicals, soaps and detergents will weaken your nails - so wear rubber gloves when cleaning. "Never use nail varnish remover containing acetone if you have weak nails - it makes them worse.

Ridges on Fingernails : As the nail grows from the nail bed, there is sometimes a temporary disturbance in the growth, which results in a corrugated appearance or ridges - it's totally natural and nothing to worry about.

Cuticle Care: Having healthy cuticles is a key way to ensure that your nails grow evenly and have a good colour. Cuticles are often neglected and mistreated, so apply hand cream after washing hands to prevent them drying out and becoming ragged. If yours are in particularly bad shape, or you use household chemicals regularly, rub cuticle cream to the base of your nails daily to stimulate circulation, promote growth and prevent hangnails from forming.

Neem leaf extract (used in Ayurvedic medicine for treatment of nail problems) encourage nails to grow stronger and encourages formation of healthy nail tissue .

White Flecks on Nails : White flecking occurs typically when trauma to the delicate nail fold (under the cuticle) receives a knock or bang, but occasionally it can be a zinc deficiency. The NHS recommends you get 4-7mg of zinc per day from meat, shellfish, dairy, bread or cereal products.