Treat your Nails like Jewels not Tools
Firstly, be reassured that with patience, time and some TLC, most nail problems can be solved.
I'm sharing a couple of common nail problems and some thoughts about how you can treat them:
Hard skin - whilst you can get hard skin on hands, particularly if you do a lot of manual work such as gardening, this tends to be more prevalent on feet. Not only can it look unsightly, but it can snag on tights, socks and bed sheets, and also become very sore if the skin starts to crack. My advice is to tackle it as soon as possible.
Use a decent pedicure file to abrade the rough skin - the rougher side to start with and then the second smoother side, to catch any last bits. Check out my video on pedicures for a demo on how to do this - Pedicures by Jackie.
Follow up with some nice rich moisturising cream and then sit in cotton socks - or, if you don't get too hot in bed (is that just me?), put the cream on and wear the socks at night - a lovely treat for your feet.
You could also try exfoliating socks - Footner gets very good reviews. You need to soak your feet first for best results then wear the socks for 60 minutes. They are one time use, so make sure you throw them away afterwards. You won't see immediate results, but in 7-10 days the outer layer of your skin will start peeling. Don't moisturise at all during this time, until the shedding has stopped. A lot of people have reported very good results - but this does contain alcohol so if you have thin skin, are diabetic or pregnant, please don't try these.
Fungal nail infection - this is very unsightly, and infectious, so it can spread to other nails. It is not uncommon to loose all or part of the nail, and when the new nail grows it can be distorted. It used to be that you would have to wait for anything between 6 and 12 months to get rid of this problem - as that's how long the average nail takes to grow out.
One of my ladies has reported good results with Scholl Fungal Nail Treatment. You paint it on, and can even paint your nails afterwards - which she particularly liked. You can start seeing an improvement after 3-4 weeks, but it does take time to resolve completely.
Another recommendation from more than one client is to use Vicks Vapour Rub. I know - it does sound daft doesn't it? But, not only does it help with getting rid of the infection, it is also nourishing and naturally antibacterial. Put a layer on your feet, paying particular attention to your toenails, if you have a fungal infection, and then add socks, and let it do its magic overnight. It goes without saying you should wash your hands thoroughly afterwards - not only to reduce the risk of infection, but the eucalyptus in Vicks can sting if you should rub your eyes.
I will talk about other nail challenges another time and share more tips for you to try. But if you suffer with either of these problems, do let me know how you get on trying out these ideas.
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