BEAUTY | PIPPY LANE

Keeping Your Nails Healthy

by Kari Grady / July 2, 2019

I love nail care and pretty nails. Having nice nails can make you feel put together, pretty, feminine and more attractive. Nice nails can be an expression of who are. The color of polish, the designs you get put on the nails, the length and shape of your nails are all up to you. Having healthy nails that look good doesn’t have to time consuming and you can do it on a budget. I have always had nails that break unless I keep nail polish on them. It’s so frustrating but I am learning how to manage my nails and help them be stronger.

Did you know that if you are over cleaning and maintaining your nails, you could actually damage your normal, strong, healthy nails? The risk for your nails to get a bacterial or yeast infection increases. Crazy huh? I guess there’s is such a thing as being too clean. LOL.

There are things you can do to have healthy nails:

Keep polish on them. Polish won’t harm healthy nails, however, it might be good to give your nails a breather and leave polish off once in a while. Always use acetone- free nail polish remover.

Eat healthy, well balanced meals and take Biotin. Biotin is a B vitamin. Biotin is known for making nails stronger and growing faster.

Keep your nails trimmed and file them regularly. It is important to keep nails smooth from snags and breaking.

Wear gloves to clean and do dishes. When your hands are immersed into hot, soapy water, your nails can become weak because chemicals in cleaners and soaps dry out your nails and your hands.

Avoid acrylic nails. They can damage your nail bed and lead to infections as well. If you are going to get acrylic or gel nails, use sunscreen on your hands to protect them form the UV light that affixes the acrylic nails and gel polish. Skin cancer is a minimal possibility but it’s better to be safe than sorry.

I am the first to admit that I love a good manicure with gel nail polish. Gel polish stays on so much longer than if I used regular nail polish. And it is flawless if applied properly. I think that there can definitely be a balance with having healthy nails and getting manicures. I love the girl that does my manicures. Each time I go she checks my nails to see if they need a break. If they do, she will put a clear strengthening coat on them and tells me to wait at least four weeks to do anything else to them. We need to remember that chemicals are being used on our skin and nails. It’s important to not get too caught up in the fun of having a great manicure and do whats right for our nail health. Find a good nail salon and follow their guidelines. You won’t regret it at all. Good luck with your nails everyone! Remember, natural is beautiful too!

Help Your Hair Grow.

I have very fine, thin hair. I feel like I am always stuck with the same hairstyle because I don’t have enough hair to do different styles. Although I am limited on styles, I have found these things to help my hair grow.

Apply warmed coconut oil or conditioner your hair. Massage your scalp with the tips of your fingers in a circular motion for about five minutes. Rinse and blow dry. Because my hair is so thin and fine, I always use mousse in my hair for added volume. You can try gel but it doesn’t work very well in my hair.

Eat a healthy diet. Make sure you are getting vital vitamins and minerals along with eating plenty of protein. Also eat foods high in vitamin A, B, C and E, iron, magnesium, copper and selenium. Include a good mix and variety of foods. Our bodies need vitamins to come from food and not just supplements. It is important to drink milk and eat cheese, yogurt, eggs, peppers, avocado, fish, beans, fruits and as many veggies as possible. You can also enjoy fueling your body with fruit and vegetable juices. The list can go on and on. Get creative you would be surprised what you come up with.

I flip my hair upside down for a couple minutes a day to allow blood flow to improve circulation which is suppose to help hair growth. I also blow dry my hair upside down for that extra volume. Blow drying hair upside down doesn’t make it grow any faster but it does give it a lot of extra volume.

Try to stay stress-free if possible. I know, easier said than done right? From what I have read in many different articles and have heard from my daughter who is a cosmetologist, is that stress disrupts the normal hair cycle and sends hairs to enter what is the called the fall-out-stage. Get plenty or sleep, spend time with nature and God to keep stress away.

I haven’t tried this yet, but it’s next on my list. My friend told me that she uses aloe vera to help her hair grow. Yep! Just apply dress aloe vera gel mixed with lemon juice and leave on your hair for about twenty minutes. Shampoo as normal to remove aloe vera from hair. You can use aloe vera once a week.

If your hair is not growing or thinning, please speak with your doctor about it. There are some medical conditions and factors or medications that can play a role in hair loss and thinning. It never hurts to be sure that there is not a medical problem causing concern.

Please feel free to tell me your tricks to hair growth. I am always looking for fun, new ideas. Now go pamper yourself!