Your Guide To Gorgeous Finger Nails

Are your fingernails unsightly and yellow?  Do your fingernails chip and break at the slightest provocation?  Do you feel as if beautiful fingernails are just out of your reach?  Worry no more.  Try these salon inspired tips and soon you'll have gorgeous natural finger nails you'll love showing off.

Keep your hands out of your mouth.

If you're really trying to grow out your fingernails, you should avoid putting your finger tips in your mouth.  Saliva contains a digestive acid that breaks down the nail surface, making it weak and likely to chip. So, even if you're not biting your finger nails, the saliva can still cause damage. 

Find an alternate activity to keep your hands busy like knitting, handicrafts or posting on your favorite forum.  Simply typing out your frustrations will be a great distraction that gives your fingernails time to grow strong and beautiful!

Protect your nails.

Dish soap, washing detergent and even germicidal soap can dry out your fingernails, leaving them brittle and prone to breakage. Wear thick kitchen gloves whenever you do the dishes or laundry. And, don't forget to cover your hands while gardening.

Skip the hot bath

Don't underestimate the damaging power of hot water to soften your nails quickly. Hot water can make your nails weak and soft. Avoid hot water baths or showers whenever possible. Opt for a short warm shower, instead.

Calcium for your nails

Nails thrive on the minerals found in milk. For long and naturally beautiful nails, consume one cup of milk or yogurt daily. Without adequate calcium, your nails will become brittle and dry. Even if you're not a big milk drinker, you can get your daily allowance of calcium from many other foods like almonds, collard greens or kale.

Disinfect your fingernails

Apply a drop of tea tree essential oil to each cuticle, once a week. Tea tree oil contains an all natural anti-septic that will keep your fingernails free of germs that might cause infection.

How to avoid hangnails

Daily activities like housework, gardening and child care, often lead to hangnails and even broken fingernails. To keep your fingernails strong and healthy, apply all natural, skin healing Shea butter to your hands and fingernails nightly, massaging thoroughly. Then put on a pair of soft cotton gloves.  When you wake up, you'll find that your fingernails look fantastic, and your hands are soft as baby's skin!

Don't forget to reapply the Shea Butter after washing your hands. And, for added measure, always wear gloves while gardening gloves while doing the yard work.

Eat your way to beautiful nails.

If your fingernails are malformed, misshapen, ridged or cracked, you may be suffering from malnutrition. This condition can occur when you diet often or exclude certain foods from your diet.  Many necessary nail friendly vitamins and minerals are missing from fad diets.

For best fingernail health, include a wide variety of wholesome foods, proteins, fruits, legumes, nuts and vegetables into your daily diet. Or, supplement your current meals with a good multi-vitamin.

You can get many of the nutrients necessary for healthy nails from foods such as bananas, oranges, salmon or tuna, eggs,avocados, spinach, and whole grain bread.

Never cut or tear your cuticles

The cuticle's job is to keep bacteria out of your body that would otherwise enter via the nail bed. The cuticle is your fingernails last line of defense. If your fingernails are perpetually broken or ragged, or your fingers suffer frequent infections, your cuticles may be to blame.

Take care of this very vital part of your finger. Never cut your cuticles. Only push cuticles back gently. And, skip the germicidal soap which can dry out cuticles, making them more likely to tear. For severely damaged cuticles, apply a drop or two of warm castor oil. This will get your fingernails in good shape.

Sanitize your home manicure kit utensils with alcohol (or other sanitizing agent) before and after each use, to remove potentially harmful bacteria.  Bacteria can live on nail clippers and get under nail beds and into minor cuts on your fingers, causing nail infections. These infections can damage your nails permanently. Just to be safe, you should clean everything thoroughly before use.

Invest into your own beauty supplies.

Carry your own nail polish and pedicure/manicure tools to the salon. Make sure the nail tech uses your manicure set instead of hers. Nail infections can often be picked up at the salon, so don't take any chances with your nail's health. Don't worry, she'll understand. And, if she doesn't understand your need for safety, find someone who will.

Wash your hands thoroughly after you touch your feet

Some types of toenail fungus can be passed to your fingernails on contact, causing them to become hard, unsightly and yellow. If you notice this condition, talk to your doctor right away. There are many treatments available.

Never use your fingernails as a household tool.

Fingernails can serve many useful purposes. And, it might be tempting to use them for the occasional odd job around the house.

But, these menial tasks put your nails at risk for chipping or breaking. Next time you're tempted to pop open a soda can with your fingernails, grab a can opener, instead!

Read labels. For your nail's sake, you should read the

ingredient label on any product you use on your fingernails. Some nail polish products still contain formaldehyde and other dangerous chemicals. Not only can these harm your nails, they can also be dangerous to your over all health.

Don't wear nail polish all the time

Fingernails are an organic substance and thrive best when left all natural. Give your nails a chance to breathe by taking off your nail polish on occasion. If you prefer, you can gently buff your nails for a healthy pink shine.