Extra care keeps nails in shape!
We are going to be looking our best for the holidays and New Year, right! So, let’s keep these little protectors looking healthy and strong. I think that is a concern for a lot of us. We can tell a lot about your diet by looking at your nails. If they are too brittle, if they have calcium white spots on them, it they are paper thin, the list goes on and on.
To keep them strong, eat plenty of protein. Eggs, fish, lean poultry, and soy. Eggs contain a beautifying amino acid CYESTEINE. Sulfur rich cysteine binds the protein to keratin hardening the nails.
Also, essential fatty acids (flax seed, evening primrose, borage, and black current seed) and green foods (spirulina, kelp) strengthen the nails. Other nail friendly products include calcium, magnesium, and silica. Drinking herbal teas rich in silica such as horsetail, nettle, and oat straw helps the cuticles along with the nails.
If you are one who is having a little problem with splitting nails, try adding two TBSP a day of brewers yeast or wheat germ oil to your diet. You could also soak them in warm Olive oil or cider vinegar for 10 to 20 minutes a day.
In our nails are clues of a variety of medical issues. They can be indicators of something happening to alert us. Healthy nails are pink indicating there is a rich blood supply. These may be alerts to health problems.
• Chipping, peeling, splitting...indicates nutritional deficiency, a thyroid problem, and /or not enough hydrochloric acid in the body. What to do? Get plenty of good protein, Vitamin A, calcium, and iron.
• Horizontal ridges... Severe stress mentally and/or physically. What to do? Take B complex daily, with plenty of biotin.
• Spooning (upward curving of nails)... Anemia or problems with iron being able to be absorbed. What to do? Get Vitamin B12 as well as iron.
• Thick nails... Poor circulation, which may signal thyroid disease, Diabetes, and/or a fungal infection.
• Vertical ridges...indicate poor health, not enough fruit and vegetables are in the daily balance. What to do? Get plenty of protein, take a B complex, and increase raw fruits and vegetables.
• White spots... it not caused by an injury, may be a zinc deficiency. What to do? Consider adding 50 mg of zinc daily, but do not exceed 100 mg a day from food choices and supplements. For food choices contact me for more information.
Moisturizing is important for healthy and attractive nails. Pick a vitamin rich lotion to apply to unpolished nails and cuticles. Keep cuticles moisturized nightly by massaging jojoba or vitamin E oils into the nail of the bed.
Your nails are porous and able to absorb 20 to 25% their own weight in water. You can waterproof your nails before doing the dishes or other watery chores by rubbing a waxy lip balm over them.
When you file your nails be sure to follow the same design shape as your cuticle, round out if the cuticle is rounded, and box out a square shaped cuticle.
You can also do a little LIGHT buffing to add a little shine to the nail. If you chose to polish your nails try to pick a natural one that is without toxins.
Have a Healthy Holiday!!
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