Nail Care Tips for Winters

To maintain healthy fingernails, avoid infections, and improve nail appearance, try the following tips:


1. Seasonal Pointers- Cold temperatures quite often bring craggy nails and cuticles. Since winter’s dry air is especially  rough on hands, it’s a good idea to have a weatherproofing plan right at your fingertips.

2. Apply moisturizer to your nails and cuticles every day that helps holding moisture in the skin. Look for lotions that  contain phospholipids, urea or lactic acid can help prevent cracking.

3. Avoid nail-biting and file your nails in one direction and round the tip slightly, rather than filing to a point.
4.Cleaning or removing the cuticles too deeply under nails can lead to infection. Don't dig out ingrown toe nails. See a  dermatologist if they become bothersome.

5. Harsh climate conditions are stressors such as hot showers which draws moisture from nails as it evaporates from skin and   drying products, like polish removers with acetone, alcohol-based hand sanitizers, and dishwashing liquid should be avoided   at large as these contain acetone or formaldehyde.

6. At night, rub a pinch of olive oil on cuticle. Soaking nails in lukewarm water for 10 minutes, then coating them with cuticle oil and slipping on cotton gloves for at least an hour will help in retaining the texture of nails.

7. Keep a manicure kit at home with all the instruments so that you don’t miss out on your Manicure sittings.

8. If you have artificial nails, check regularly for green discoloration as it is sign of bacterial infection.

9. Eat a balances diet and take vitamins containing biotin. Iron deficiency can cause the nail bed to be thin and concave and have raised ridges.

10.Washing dishes is just about the worst activity for nails in winters. Try to use rubber gloves while you do  that.

11.Intense hydration is the name of the game. Nails are made up of flattened dead cells containing keratin, but moisturizers can make them flexible, supple, and less likely to split and break. So when you reach for that rich winter hand cream, apply it after every hand washing, get in the habit of slathering your nails, too. If you have polish on, just massage the cream into the cuticles to help stimulate healthy nail growth.
Inputs from Nandita Suri, Director Levo Spalon, Gurgaon.