Body Care In Fall Nail Care

As the weather becomes colder, proper nail care becomes more and more important. Here is the list of do?s and dont?s that will make your nail care procedure easier:

DO?s & DON?T?s for nail care:

Do not put your hands into any kind of washing up liquid

Think about a leftover bowl of a chicken casserole and what happens when you squirt one bit of detergent on that. Now consider what that?s doing to the natural oils in your hands and the natural oils in the fingernails which is the only part holding the finger nails together. It?s totally destructive!

It?s dangerous to cut the cuticles of your nails

The cuticle is a natural seal where the skin bonds with the nail. If you open a cuticle up, you allow bacteria to have access straight into the blood system.

The cuticle solution

Cuticles should be removed with cuticle removing solution. Also, every time your hands are in the bath for a long time, rubbing the cuticle and moving it back removes the dead cells. They must be very soft to do that and be in the water for 15 minutes.

Beware of fast drying nail polishes

Fast drying nail polishes today have a high percentage isopropyl alcohol (IPA). This tends to make nails dry and crumble. Once the polish dries up it become brittle, flaky and begins to chip off. A nail polish that bonds really well is also the type that takes a while to dry. So it?s a trade-off.

Be square!

People tend to point their fingernails when they?re filing, which leads to filing away the sides of the nail. Because the sides is what gives the fingernail strength, pointed nails will tend to give you splits in the sides. Pointed nails break much easier. They should grow until there is at least an eighth of an inch of free edge before you start to point them. People started to wear their nails square (particularly in the USA) out of necessity because they needed the side wall of the nail to give it strength.

Every thing you touch

... is an emery board. If you have the slightest snag on the ends of your nails, it will cause your nails to rip. Every time you touch something, fingernails bend. Fingernails are meant to bend but every time you do, that snag will open up more and eventually turn into a split. How do you avoid this calamity? Use a very gentle file, never a metal file.

Best beauty tip in the world

Use a thick hand cream, smother your hands in it, wear cotton gloves, then rubber gloves and then do the washing up. The heat will melt the cream, releasing the natural oils and in two weeks even the roughest hands will look like a baby?s bum. The transformation is amazing.

And it?s a way to beat the household blues! It will make the fingernails grow too. The natural oils in the fingernails is what holds them together!

http://allwomenstalk.com

Bleach for Toenail Fungus

Perhaps you have heard of people using bleach for toenail fungus (onychomycosis). This is a home remedy that used to be more popular but it has been largely replaced by prescription medications and commercial home remedies. The downside of home bleach treatment is that it requires twenty to thirty minutes every day, a time commitment that many people find difficult.

On the other hand, using bleach for toenail fungus is much cheaper than almost any kind of remedy specifically marketed for onychomycosis, and most people already have some with their laundry supplies. Indeed, you may already have some stored with your cosmetics: some people are already bleaching toenails for entirely different reasons.

Foot care professionals recommend a weekly foot soak in a solution of one part chlorine bleach to 100 parts water, just to keep the feet feeling fresh and clean. Others recommend a stronger solution of one part bleach to 10 parts water for bleaching toenails to remove stains. In this case, the solution is applied directly to the toenail. If you?re using bleach for toenail fungus, however, you?ll need to be a bit more aggressive.

First, it?s a good idea to trim down the nail as much as possible, and even file it down from above so that you actually make the whole nail thinner. File it down as much as you dare. Most people recommend using very diluted bleach for toenail fungus ? one tablespoon in a gallon of water ? and soaking for 30 minutes daily. Even better, soak for 10-15 minutes morning and evening. Bleaching toenails in this gradual, gentle way will decrease the chances that you will irritate your skin with the solution.

Some people have used more concentrated bleach for toenail fungus: a one in four solution applied directly to the nail or undiluted bleach applied to the nail and washed off after three or four minutes. Some tough individuals have just applied undiluted bleach to nails daily and left it on. Keep in mind, however, that chlorine bleach is a hazardous chemical: it is corrosive, and will damage any skin that is exposed while you?re bleaching toenails. In addition, the fumes from the chemical should not be inhaled. It is much safer to use a diluted solution.

If you decide to use bleach for toenail fungus, be prepared to set aside the time daily for a couple of months. It may even take longer than this. If bleaching toenails doesn?t appeal to you, consider trying one of the commercial natural remedies for onychomycosis. They are more expensive than bleach, but less so than prescription drugs, and there is scientific evidence that some of them are effective against the fungus that infects toenails.

R. Drysdale is a freelance writer with more than 25 years experience as a health care professional. She is a contributing editor to Bleach for Toenail Fungus, a blog dedicated to the treatment of fingernail and toenail fungus.

Onychomycosis Yea I'm Talking About The Scientific Name For Nail Fungus... It's Dirty And Gross

Want to know a scary word? Try Onychomycosis, which is the scientific name for nail fungus. It's also sometimes referred to as Tinea unguium. Nail fungus is comprised of microscopic organisms that lurk around the fingernails and toenails. Generally, our nails are a very effective barrier against bacterial infection, as well as dirt and fungi. Sometimes, though, the barrier is broken, and that's when a nail fungus can get established. Unfortunately, once they've been there a while, they're very hard to remove. The barrier that is supposed to protect us from infections also makes it harder to treat them when they have settled in. Nail fungal infections do take a while to develop, and the earlier you treat it, the better your chances of success.

Nail fungi love the dark, warm and sheltered environment that exists underneath your nail. For women, they have a higher risk of nail fungal infections if they wear nail polish or use acrylic nails. This is because both of these help to trap moisture and so produce conditions that nail fungi love. Generally, toenails are most likely to harbor nail fungal infections. Wearing socks and shoes helps to create an even darker and moister environment for fungi to thrive in. Some doctors believe that of the 35 million Americans with nail fungal infections, toenails are 6 or 7 times more likely to be infected than fingernails.

A nail fungal infection usually begins at the base of the nail, and over time it spreads upwards. The nail appears crumbly and is brittle, and often is red or irritated as well. The nail often starts to grow irregularly as the infection spreads. The appearance of the nail changes progressively over time. Other symptoms may include mild discomfort or even sharp pain. The sides of the nail and the cuticles are sometimes itchy or tender. If the fungus is well advanced, the nail may start to bleed, and the cuticles detach. The color of the nail can vary from yellowish-green through to dark yellow or brown. Often the nail becomes thicker, and has white spots, or irregular holes and grooves.

Generally nail fungal infections aren't very contagious, but they can still be spread from one person to the next. Always wear something on your feet when walking on wet public surfaces, and avoid allowing your hands or feet to stay moist for a long time. Prevention is much simpler than cure when it comes to nail fungal infections. If you seem prone to nail fungi, then keep your nails clean, and cut them regularly. Don't use plastic or acrylic nails, and avoid nail polish. If you think you've picked up a nail fungus, soak the affected nails in salt water. In the early stages, over the counter medications can be effective, but generally don't work for advanced cases. In that case you may need to visit your doctor for a prescription, although many of these have unpleasant side effects.

For more information on how to prevent nail fungus and tips for healthy nails try visiting Eliminate-Nail-Fungus.com. A website that specializes in providing information on the different types of nail fungus, home remedies, antifungal agents and the progressive nature of nail fungus.