Features of pedicure: how to tidy up your feet and toenails

The problem of a hopelessly ruined manicure is known to every woman. Even with the best care, troubles happen: a broken nail, splitting of the nail plate or unsuccessful trimming. This is not to mention nail diseases and injuries. Sometimes speeding up nail growth becomes the most important goal.

The rapid growth of nails depends not only on the physiological characteristics of a person, but also on proper care of hands and nails. Now there are a huge number of means to strengthen nails and enhance their growth.

A balanced diet for healthy nails

To speed up the growth of nails, it is necessary to ensure that the following elements are present in sufficient quantities in food:

• Vitamins B and A contained in carrots, greens, liver, tomatoes, cabbage and sprouted wheat grains;
• Calcium contained in dairy products;
• Silicon found in seafood, onions and spinach.

Also, products that contain iron, sulfur and iodine accelerate and qualitatively complement the daily necessary diet, which promotes rapid nail growth.

Toe care

To keep your toes always well-groomed in appearance and healthy inside, walk barefoot on the grass

In order for your toes to always look well-groomed and healthy inside, you also need to look after them and pay attention to them. A few basic exercises can work wonders: When you have time, rotate your feet and move your toes.

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Sometimes roll a small ball with your feet, part of it between your toes.

Walk barefoot on the grass, in the sand.

Massage for nail growth

Massage is not only good for your hands, but also good for your nails. Firstly, after this procedure, blood microcirculation accelerates, which improves the condition of not only the nail plate, but also the cuticle. Secondly, nail massage allows you to clean the nail plate of dead cells.

The massage is done with a special soft nail brush or a very soft toothbrush. Here are the main stages of nail massage.

• Remove nail polish (even if it's just a base coat);
• Soak your fingers in a warm bath with sea salt (if you don’t have time, you can hold your palms under running warm water for 1-2 minutes);
• Lather your brush or apply a few drops of liquid soap;
• Using a brush, massage each nail with light circular movements;
• Then massage without soap, rinse with warm water and pat dry with a towel.

Nail care at home

Well, the most important part of the article is tips on nail care. They are very simple, but doing them daily will help maintain the health and beauty of your nails for many years.

You should wash your feet and nails every night before going to bed. It is also necessary to remove dirt from under the nails with a special stick made of wood or bone, so as not to damage the natural fat pad on the inner surface of the nail.

Do not cut off the corners of your toenails when trimming them. Firstly, it does not look very aesthetically pleasing, and secondly, it often causes nails to grow into the finger. Toenails also become ingrown due to wearing tight shoes and foot defects.

If your toenails are peeling, then simply lubricate them with iodine every evening using an ear stick soaked in this liquid. If you do not plan to paint your nails with different colored polishes, it is better to apply a clear protective polish.

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When trimming, always cut the cuticles with manicure accessories - this will give your nails a well-groomed appearance. But before that, it needs to be softened with a special agent.

It will help maintain the health and beauty of your nails.

If there are dark spots or a yellowish tint on the nails, this trouble can be removed with lemon juice, which is used during baths: 2 tbsp. spoons of lemon juice should be used per 1 liter of water.

As practice shows, proper nail care is not complicated. These are very simple and pleasant procedures for every day, but they will help maintain the health, youth and beauty of your feet for a long time! Nail care at home is pleasant, because the result is visible immediately.

Folk remedies for nail growth

Homemade recipes for nail growth are incredibly effective and healthy. The natural components that are included in their composition improve the health of the skin of the hands and the nail plate. They have a softening effect and normalize blood circulation. They need to be done regularly: first every 1-2 days, then once a week to maintain the effect.

• Sea salt baths will improve nail growth: 1 tbsp. a spoonful of sea salt and 250 ml of warm water (about 40 degrees). It is recommended to add chamomile, tea tree, rosemary or sandalwood essential oil. You first need to drop it onto the salt, and then dissolve the salt in water. Keep for 20 minutes.
• A soap bath perfectly softens rough skin and promotes nail growth. You will need 1 tbsp. salt, 1 glass of warm water, shower gel or liquid soap. First, dissolve the gel or soap in water, and then add regular table salt, or even better, sea salt. The duration of the procedure is about 20 minutes.
• Vitamin bath . You will need ¼ cup of warm sunflower oil, 3 drops of iodine tincture and 5 drops of vitamin A (you can buy it at the pharmacy). Mix all ingredients thoroughly and apply to nails for 15 minutes.
• Lemon bath . Lemon juice is good for nail growth. Add a few drops of lemon juice to sunflower oil, preheated in a water bath. The duration of the procedure is 15 minutes.
• The olive-tomato bath strengthens and enhances the elasticity of the nail plate, which is very useful for nail growth. To prepare, take ½ cup of tomato juice or chopped tomato pulp, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil heated in a water bath to 40 degrees. Time - 10-15 minutes. It is better to take baths before bed.

Stages of nail massage

A good manicure can transform your appearance, but quality polish alone is not enough; healthy nails are essential. In order to achieve the desired result, it is necessary to carry out an unusual procedure called nail massage.

Nails are constantly exposed to stress, prolonged exposure to water, the influence of household products, interaction with hard materials and surfaces, prolonged wearing of manicure - all this affects their health.

In addition, various diets lead to poor circulation and a lack of microelements, which causes nails to become dull, break, and split. Nail massage helps restore normal blood circulation and deliver nutrients, thereby giving your nails a healthy appearance.

Nail massage should be performed at least 2 times a day and carried out in several stages:

1. In a sitting position, the hands are placed on the surface of the table, and in a standing position, they are pressed against the stomach.
2. The free hand strokes the other hand from the phalanges of the fingers and towards the wrist. This procedure is done three times, then the hand is kneaded with the edge of the palm, moving from the phalanges to the wrist. This must be repeated at least 5 times. Then the hands change.
3. Next, the fingers are clenched into fists and the middle phalanges of one hand rub against the other in the direction from top to bottom. Afterwards, the fists are slightly unclenched and the same actions are performed with the end phalanges (the nails are located on them). Rubbing your hands back and forth continues.
4. The next step is to press the pad of your finger on each nail for 5 minutes.
5. After this, grab the nail plate with your fingers and gently gently pull the nail in the direction of its growth. This exercise is performed for each nail for 5 minutes.
6. Bend your fingers and drum on the edge of a table or other surface for several minutes.
7. The massage ends with alternate stroking of the hands.

The main thing in nail massage is that it must be performed with a certain systematicity, otherwise results will not be achieved.

The main advantage of this massage is that it can be performed in conjunction with other procedures such as hand baths, rubbing in nourishing oils and creams, applying medicinal varnish, and taking vitamins. If you follow these simple rules, then very soon you can forget about dull and flaking nails. They will look like you just visited a nail salon.

Source of dehydration of nails and skin around them

Before you start using various remedies, you need to determine why the problem occurred. The main causes of nail problems:

• use of chemicals in everyday life (washing dishes, hand washing);
• frequent use of an acetone-containing solution to remove nail polish;
• daily excess moisture when solving household tasks (dishes, wet cleaning);
• applying low-quality nail polish;
• use of an inappropriate file, incorrect filing procedure;
• deficiency of microelements necessary for the body;
• diseases of the endocrine system.

If the skin around the fingers and cuticles are also problematic, the following reasons are possible:

• improper care of hands and cuticles;
• using soap with alkaline or antibacterial substances;
• non-compliance with the principles of healthy eating;
• presence of fungal infection.

Brittle nails, cuticles with hangnails, or dry skin on the toes may indicate dangerous diseases such as fungus, psoriasis, eczema, reactions to medications, and the development of diabetes.

How to care?

Often girls complain that their nails have acquired a yellowish tint. This may be due to the fact that the plates were covered with a dark, dense varnish for a long time.

A bath will help whiten them and get rid of brittleness. Add half a glass of salt and a little lemon juice to a liter of warm water. After several procedures, a healthy appearance will return, they will become strong and shiny.

To prevent the plate from delaminating, make baths from oak bark. Prepare a weak decoction, add a spoonful of vegetable oil. Oak bark can be replaced with iodine. If the surface is ribbed, you can level it with a sanding block.

To prevent the plate from crumbling or peeling, it should be filed correctly. All movements should be directed from the edges to the center. You cannot use metal files - they damage the structure. It is better to give preference to a ceramic or glass instrument. If the nail is very long, cut it in a straight line without cutting off the corners.

Causes of peeling toenails

The lower limbs are a paired organ that experiences constant stress. It affects bones, joints, muscles, tendons. Those who, due to their professional activities, are forced to stand on their feet for a long time often experience problems with blood circulation. This is why plantar fasciitis develops, swelling, calluses, and corns appear. Because of this, nails lack nutrition, so they lose their shine, become dull and brittle. To restore health, you need to try to reduce the load on your legs. Useful for this:

• increase the number of sitting breaks,
• try to stand on different surfaces (switch to soft mats, then look for a hard, hard base),
• wear comfortable shoes; if you have varicose veins, be sure to wear compression stockings,
• use relieving therapy (relaxing baths, massage, orthopedic insoles),
• lose excess weight.

These measures are considered only as a preventative measure for delamination.

Causes of the defect associated with internal pathologies

If nail separation occurs constantly, if proper care of the plates does not allow achieving positive results, the cause of structural changes in the stratum corneum is dysfunction of the internal organs. Brittle nails can act as a symptom:

• diabetes mellitus,
• anemia,
• fungal infection,
• endocrine diseases,
• hormonal imbalances.

Without treating the underlying disease, it will not be possible to eliminate the separation of the nail plate.

Necessary treatment

What to do when plate degeneration occurs? If nail splitting is not associated with negative external influences, it is important to seek help from a dermatologist and together try to identify the provoking factor for splitting.

At the first consultation, a specialist uses a special instrument to examine the peeling nail, collect an anamnesis and take a scraping from the affected area. Biological material is sent for microscopic examination. It allows you to confirm or deny the presence of a fungal infection. To assess the general condition of the body, the patient receives a referral for a general blood test. In the presence of chronic diseases or detection of debut pathologies, specialists must be involved in consultation. In order to obtain objective data, a spectral analysis is carried out to determine the level of microelements and a blood test for hormones.

It is important at this stage to differentiate the dissection as a cosmetic defect from the symptomatic manifestations of psoriasis, eczema, and lichen planus. The treatment regimen is developed on a strictly individual basis, taking into account the results of the examinations performed.

Professional treatment and traditional medicine recipes

If a lack of vitamins is detected, you can replenish their supply by taking vitamin-mineral complexes and dietary supplements. It is important to make sure to adjust your diet. The lack of calcium and phosphorus can be compensated by eating eggs, cottage cheese, nuts, seafood, soy, and dried fruits. The lack of chromium is compensated by including a large amount of dried dates, fresh cherries and fried seeds in the diet. Zinc can appear in the body by eating shrimp, seaweed, soy, garlic, seasonal berries and ginger. The silicon level is leveled by eating dishes made from beans. Bananas, parsley, any green salad and currants are also useful.

To eliminate anemia, the patient should take iron-containing medications, eat more beef liver, spinach, dried fruits and chicken yolks.

When a fungal infection is detected, complex therapy is carried out aimed at destroying the pathogenic microorganism. For these purposes, systemic and local antifungal drugs are prescribed, and vitamin therapy is carried out to strengthen the immune system. If diseases of internal organs are detected, etiotropic treatment is carried out. Any patient receives general recommendations.

Doctors advise:

1. Avoid contact with any chemical reagents (household chemicals, decorative varnishes and solvents).
2. Eat properly.
3. Get a good night's sleep.
4. Avoid stress and strong feelings.
5. Care for peeling plates daily. For these purposes, actively use traditional medicine.

Rubbing a solution made from sea buckthorn oil and lemon juice helps a lot. The ingredients are mixed in equal quantities, the product is washed into plates. It's better to do this at night. To obtain lasting results, it is enough to carry out the procedure three times a week.

Glycerin therapy demonstrates high effectiveness. A mask is prepared from 20 grams of this component, 70 grams of water and 5 grams of alum. The prepared mixture is applied in a thick layer to the affected nail plate and left for half an hour. After it is washed off, the stratum corneum is generously lubricated with nourishing cream. Oat decoction perfectly strengthens nails. It is prepared simply: a spoonful of raw materials is poured with a liter of boiling water and infused for half an hour. The finished product is used for baths.

Lotions of the solution, which contains the juice of kombucha, lemon, fresh currants and cranberries, have a strengthening effect. The ingredients are mixed in equal proportions.

To prevent relapses, it is important to try to exclude exposure to external irritants, regularly take soda or salt baths, and lubricate the plates with beeswax before going to bed once a week. Before using traditional medicine, be sure to test for allergies.

First aid

If the free edge delaminates, it is necessary to carry out manicure treatment:

1. Steam your nails in a bath with sea salt.
2. Trim the soft edge with sharp scissors.
3. File the new cut with a fine-grained file.
4. Lubricate the plate generously with any vegetable oil (preferably olive oil).

If possible, you need to visit a beauty salon and have the peeling nail sealed. To do this, first a spa pedicure is performed, then medicinal products are applied to the nails, which contain all the necessary vitamins and minerals. From above, all this is covered with a special protective coating (acrylic, biogel) and, at the client’s request, with decorative varnish. Some salons may offer to “repair” a split nail using fiberglass.