How to grow strong, healthy nails: photo, look and color of healthy nails, recipes for beautiful nails
Like hair, strong and healthy nails testify to the good condition of the body, the smooth operation of all its organs and systems. The nails of a healthy person always have a flat surface, they are moderately flexible and strong.
What does a healthy person's nails look like?
On each of our 20 fingers there is a nail – a modified surface layer of the epidermis in the form of a dense translucent flexible plate containing a large amount of keratin.
In addition to protecting the surface of the fingers, nails help us hold small objects and scratch. Nails do not stop growing all their lives, on average growing by 3-4 mm per month. Fingernails grow much faster than toenails.
Unfortunately, nails are prone to various diseases, especially mycosis (fungal infection).
What do healthy adult nails look like? The nail plate rests on the connective tissue of the nail bed. The part of the nail hanging over the finger, cut off or filed during manicure, is called the nail edge, and the part of the nail, as it were, glued to the phalanx of the finger, is called the nail body. The body of the nail has a root, which is located under the nail fold and is attached to the nail bed. At the base of the nail root is a matrix – an actively growing tissue with a developed network of lymphatic and blood vessels. In the matrix, cells are formed that ensure the growth of the nail and its density. The growth of the nail plate depends on the entry of all the necessary nutrients into the matrix.
An intact nail has a smooth even surface, moderate hardness and flexibility. Healthy nail color is uniformly pink.
At the base of each nail is a crescent-shaped lunula, usually white or pale pink.
In the lower part, the nail plate is surrounded by a dense leathery roller – the cuticle (eponchium), which plays a protective role, preventing foreign bodies and bacteria from penetrating to the matrix. The edge of the cuticle is dead cells. When this edge dries and peels off, barbs form. The cuticle needs constant and proper care.
As you can see in the photo, healthy nails can be of various shapes:
The shape of the nails is purely individual and depends on natural genetic factors. There are four main shapes of nails: trapezoidal, rectangular, square and round. A rectangular shape is sometimes called an oval, and a trapezoidal shape is sometimes called pointed or triangular.
Rectangular nails indicate that a person is an optimist, constantly striving for development, and does not get hung up on failures.
Square-shaped nails for lovers of order. Such a person is disciplined, attentive to loved ones, imperturbable, in any situation retains self-control, prudence, his main features are sanity and practicality.
Nails of a trapezoid (triangular) shape are most often in people who are self-confident, firmly moving towards their intended goal.
Round nails are sentimental, dreamy, very romantic people.
Changing the healthy appearance of a nail can say a lot about health problems. For example, the cause of a purple nail plate may be an insufficient level of oxygen in the blood (respiratory failure). Pale nails and fingers are a sign of anemia or poor circulation (Raynaud's disease), while deformed nails are a sign of chronic heart or lung disease. Yellowness of the nails is characteristic of infectious diseases, hepatitis. When affected by a microscopic fungus (onychomycosis), the nail may turn yellow and thicken, and in some cases, the nail infection begins with the appearance of white spots on its surface.
Exfoliation of the nail plate is a symptom of impaired peripheral blood supply, vascular disease in diabetes mellitus.
If the nails do not grow well, you need to contact an endocrinologist, as this fact may indicate thyroid diseases.
Fingerprints are a pattern formed by skin furrows on the fingertips. It is believed that thanks to it, a better grip on objects is provided, something like a tread on tires or the sole of a boot. Since each person has a unique and unique pattern, fingerprints are used in criminology as evidence of guilt in a crime.
How to make nails healthy: healthy foods
The first thing you need to get used to before growing strong and healthy nails is washing your hands with water at room temperature. From cold water, the skin on the hands peels off and becomes hard, hot water degreases the skin, making it rough.
The health and appearance of nails are closely related to nutrition: it must be balanced. For the strength of nails, cottage cheese and dairy products must be present in your menu. Also useful foods for healthy nails are fresh vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, greens), fruits (especially citrus fruits rich in vitamin C), dried fruits, seafood. In addition, the growth and strengthening of nails is facilitated by the use of gelatin-containing dishes – jellies, jellies, aspics.
If you do not know how to make your nails strong and healthy, to keep their attractive appearance for a long time, follow the simple rules listed below.
How to make nails strong, healthy and beautiful
Manicure is one of the most important points on how to grow healthy nails: moreover, it is recommended to resort to this procedure at least once every two weeks. If hangnails form quickly after a manicure, special tools should be used daily to soften the cuticles around the nail. It is advisable to do a professional pedicure once a month. This will help to avoid some problems (the formation of corns, hard calluses) and to identify ingrown nails or fungal diseases in time.
When doing a manicure at home, it is important to remember that you should always file your nails in one direction, you should not drive the nail file back and forth, as this makes the nail plate more brittle and easily delaminates.
The issue of cutting the cuticle during manicure and pedicure is decided individually and, most likely, is a matter of habit. However, an unedged manicure is considered safer, since the cuticle is not damaged and the risk of infection is eliminated. After cutting, the cuticle becomes rougher, thicker and grows faster. However, cuticles still need to be removed from time to time.
It is best to remove the cuticle using an unedged (European) manicure, during which a special agent is applied to the cuticle, which contains fruit and lactic acids, which softens the cuticle. Then the dead cells are removed with an orange stick, and the living ones are pushed aside.
An alternative to classic manicure and pedicure are hardware nail care procedures.
Another rule on how to make your nails healthy: use an acetone-free liquid to wash off the varnish. This aggressive substance greatly dries out the nail plate and can cause inflammation of the cuticle.
At night, it is recommended to apply a nourishing cream on the nails.
In the process of growing healthy nails, do not forget that nails need rest from time to time – do not use manicure and pedicure polish all the time.
Recipes for healthy nails
A common cause of stratification of nails is a lack of calcium, which can be compensated both with the help of food and pharmacy products.
How to make nails healthy and beautiful, saving them from excessive brittleness? For weakened nails, warm olive oil baths are useful, to which a few drops of vitamin A and lemon juice are added. They should be done 1-2 times a week.
To strengthen exfoliating nails, baths are shown with the addition of sea salt, which does not contain aromatic and coloring additives. After pouring warm water into a bowl and dissolving salt in it (1 teaspoon of salt per glass of water), dip your fingertips into the solution and hold for 20 minutes. At the end of the procedure, blot your hands with a paper towel and apply a nourishing cream to the skin of your hands and nails. Treatment is carried out daily for two weeks, a second course – in a month. For prevention, it is enough to use this recipe for healthy nails once a week.