Fashion manicure

The manicure executed up to the mark - not less important accessory in the celebratory order, than a handbag or a scarf. That nails became your true ornament, masters of manicure advise to consider any trifle: length of clothes, height of a heel, is shorter - all your style.

Not one season in nail-design is in the lead the French manicure. Being classics of a genre, it constantly varies and changes depending on solemnity of event and even a season. Variant for a party - the French manicure with spangle. Will approach for a holiday and a marble french manicure (one more name of the French manicure) where tips of nails are formed of acryle or gel of different colors. The French manicure "Chameleon" approaches girls who love changes. The edge of a nail is modelled from transparent gel or acryle, and from a underside becomes covered by a varnish-chameleon. Nails will please you with the novelty because colors can be changed though every day.
If up to a banquet you should be in office, pertinent manicure - the turned French. For example, a black tip and a white nail plate. Or a black nail and a white tip. Colors can choose any, but are most beautiful - contrast combinations.

Time to Smile :)

Nowday you don't have to put up with your bad nails any more! Beautiful fake nails are available to everybody. All you have to do is to chose the most suitable color, shape and ornamental pattern. Look at this merry, amusing picture! Return in childhood!

Caring For Your Cuticles & Nails

Cuticles
Your nail's cuticles (the skin that surrounds the hard part of your nail) keeps your nails healthy and protects them from fungal infections. Cuticles are quite sensitive to injury. Do not cut them or pick at them; this may damage them permanently. Instead, after a shower, bath, or after soaking your nails, use a soft wooden stick to gently push back the cuticle. Overgrooming cuticles may cause them to thicken so be sure to use gentle care when grooming.


Nails
· Cleaning - If nails are dirty, use a bristled nail brush to remove debris from around cuticles or from under fingernails. Remove all polish with nail polish remover; do not pick at polish as that can damage the surface of nails.
· Shaping - Nails should be gently filed with a fine emery board, never with a metal file that can cause damage. File in gentle, long strokes from corner to center; do not "saw away" at nails. Keep the emery board poised at a 45 degree angle in relation to the fingertip to prevent damaging the nail layers. Do not file deep into corners of the nail; this weakens the nail. In general, shorter nails are easier to maintain.
· Protecting - Do not use your nails to scrape or lift anything, or to pull anything open. Wear gloves when washing dishes and use nail and hand lotion daily to keep hands and nails moisturized.
· Polishing - You may wish to use only a ridge-filling colorless coat on your nails to give them extra shine and strength. If you polish your nails, use a ridge-filling base coat followed by color and then a protective top coat for the best results. Give your nails at least an hour to dry before using your hands.

Original posted by Miss Fashion

Nail Troubleshooting.

The most widespread nails problem and how to fight them.

• Dry, brittle nails - Moisturize often with a hand cream or oil. Eat more foods with essential fatty acids, such as eggs, meat, seeds, whole grains, and fish. Also, avoid overusing nail polish removers which contains acetone which can dry the nails and wear gloves when washing dishes.

• Chipping nail polish - Use quality nail polish; cheap nail polish chips more easily. When you polish your nails, be sure to use a ridge-filling base coat, two coats of colored polish, and a protective top coat. These coats keep polish from chipping and help protect nails.

• Nail infections - Nail infections may cause itchy, dry nails, blisters, and a loosening of nails. See your doctor for anti-fungal cream or tips.

• Bitten nails - Biting or picking at nails can damage them permanently. If you bite nails, coating them with anti-biting liquid can make you think twice about biting.

• Hangnails - These bits of dead skin next to the fingernail can be very painful. Trim the hangnail carefully, moisturize nails, and take Vitamin B and C supplements or eat more foods such as green leafy vegetables, peppers and citrus fruits.

• Ingrown nails - This painful condition occurs when the nail grows into the skin on the side of the toe. Soak nails in water. Run a soft rosewood stick between the nail and skin to separate. Trim carefully if needed. If nail does not improve, see a podiatrist.

Nail Care. Make your nails healthier.

Anyone can have strong, healthy, and well-groomed nails by following just a few simple rules. Your nails, like your hair, are made of the protein keratin, and consist of dead cells. They grow quickly (about .1 millimeter per day) and protect the skin at the ends of your fingertips and toes. Nails can also be an indicator of certain health conditions or vitamin deficiencies.

· White lines or spots can be a sign of a zinc or iron deficiency or protein deficiency. More rarely, these white patches or lines can signal liver, heart or kidney disorders.

· Thin, flat nails may indicate a Vitamin B-12 deficiency.

· Ridged nails may indicate an iron deficiency.

· Brittle, dry nails may indicate a calcium deficiency.

· Frequent hangnails may indicate a Vitamin C deficiency.

· Yellowish or discolored nails may indicate a Vitamin B-12 deficiency, or may indicate diabetes, allergies, liver problems, or poor health.

· Greenish nails may indicate infections in the nail bed.

· Bluish nail beds may indicate breathing problems or severe malnutrition.

Otherwise, healthy and well-manicured nails, short or long, should be smooth, without spots, hollows, or ridges. If they are unpolished they should be pinkish and clean. If they are long the ends, they should be curved and filed smooth.

Nails grow faster in young people. With age, nails may become thicker, harder, and may develop ridges. This is why caring for your nails becomes more important as you grow older.

A Couple of Words About Toenail Tips

Toenail Tips

Toenails are usually easier to care for than fingernails, since they're never used as tools and thus don't crack or break as often. However, here are some tips on how to care for them:


1. Avoid walking barefoot in wet areas like public showers or pools to avoid fungal infections.
2. Change shoes, socks, and pantyhose daily.
3. Avoid very tight shoes and hose.
4. Avoid sharing towels, even with members of your family, to reduce the risk of sharing infections.

Nails Care. Avoiding Skin & Nail Allergies.

Applying cosmetics can be a problem for women with sensitive skin when some cosmetic products can cause skin irritation and unsightly breakouts. Many of these women respond to the problem by avoiding make-up altogether.
But a leading dermatologist says some simple cosmetic suggestions and reminders can help protect women with sensitive skin.

There are some recommendatuions how to avoid Skin Allergies:

1. Choose powder when possible. Powder cosmetics are not only great at removing shine, they have very few preservatives and contain minimal ingredients that can cause skin and nail irritation. This means powder cosmetics are much less likely to cause problems for women with sensitive skin than their liquid counterparts.

2. Check sunscreen ingredients. Dermatologists recommend daily use of a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor 15 or higher. For women with sensitive skin and nails, this sunscreen should only contain the physical sunscreen ingredients zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. Unlike chemical sunscreen agents which absorb UV rays, it is impossible to be allergic to physical sunscreen ingredients since they deflect the rays rather than absorb them.

3. Use products that contain no more than ten ingredients. Simply stated, the fewer ingredients in a product, the less likely it is that the product will cause a problem.

4. Avoid nail polishes. In addition to being easily smudged and chipped, wet nail polish can be transferred to a person's eyes and face before it dries. This casual transfer can cause problems for women with sensitive skin if they find the polish irritating or have an allergic reaction to any of the components of the polish.

5. Use foundations based on silicone. While powder is preferred to protect sensitive skin, women choosing a liquid foundation should look for one with a silicone base. Liquid facial foundations based on silicone do not cause acne, and silicone has a very low incidence of skin irritation.

Posted by Beauty Girl

Some Quick Nails Care Advices

• Removing Fake Nails In order to get rid of fake nails, you have to soak your nails in an acitone based nail polish remover until the fake nails peel off. If you try to get rid of them other ways, you may ruin your nails. Using fake nails will damage your nails but removing them incorrectly will make the damage much worse. Soaking is the only solution!
• Removing Fake Nails
• Ii is always suggested to go to a nail salon and have them soak the artificial nails off. They use acetone or a nail polish remover that has acetone in it. The technician can watch to make sure that you don’t soak too long and help you remove the nails. If you must do it yourself, then I suggest you purchase a polish remover that has acetone and a conditioner. You will need to soak them for a while and then gently peak the product off your nails.
• Artificial Nail Help
  If you consistently wear artificial nails it is recommended that you remove them and let your real nails breathe every three to six months. Your real nail is damaged and experts agree that they need at least one week to breathe.
• Feet Pampering
  After a long day on your feet they can ache. An inexpensive at home remedy is to soak your feet in a specially formulated foot soak. You can purchase this item almost anywhere. From Wal-Mart to your cosmetic store. Bath and Body Works has some excellent scents to choose from and they often have coordinating products to compliment your choice of foot soak.
• Quick Fix For Torn Nail
• Occasionally I will get a small tear in my natural nail and until recently I thought there was nothing I could do but kiss my nail goodbye. I found a quick fix brush on nail glue specifically to mend and repair small tears in nails. It is applied like nail polish and can not be seen under even clear nail polish or over nail polish either. It bonds the tear so your nail can keep growing without tearing off. This is a nail kit must.
• Dry Hands
  If you have dry hands try this moisturizing trick. You will need a pair of inexpensive rubber gloves and a creamy rich lotion (glycerine based are very good). Cover your hands in lotion (don´t be stingy), rubbing it in and put the gloves on. The gloves will make your hands slightly warmer and the longer you wear the gloves the more moisture your hands receive. I usually leave them on for thirty minutes then rub in what lotion I can and remove the rest with a towel.
• Applying Multiple Coats
  When you apply multiple coats of polish it is a good idea to wait thirty minutes for each coat to dry before applying the next coat. Even if it is advertised as a 2 minute dry time polish. This allows each coat to set and bond with the previous coat. It is especially important for the first coat to bond to your nail.
• Fill In Tip
  When you go to have your fill-ins, while your nail technician has your polish off it is a good idea for you to look and see if there is any discoloration under the artificial nail. There have been many cases where women did not know that there was a nail fungus underneath their fingernails until serious damage had been done. Always check, nail fungus can cause serious problems and cause infections in your nail bed if left untreated.
• Stregthening Nails
  To strengthen your nails, there are a couple of products out there: SCIENTIFIQUE and Natural NailTM Protein Treatment. You apply it to your nail tips and it helps bond nails and strengthens them. I haven’t tried them personally but I have heard good reports.

Some more of useful advices

Biting Your Nails Makes The Grow Faster

Nails Tip
Not that this will help with your nail biting problem, but I thought that I would share this little bit of information out of interest if nothing else... Apparently biting your nails makes them grow faster. You don't realize this obviously as the biting seems to ruin the effect...

A Few Things That Will Help
*Short Nail Beds

We are born with the nails that we have, there is nothing you can do about it... to a point. I happen to have short nail beds and the best colors for my nails are soft colors. Lavender makes them look longer, so be sure to stock up on this gorgeous color.

*Removing Polish

First of all, look for an acetone-free polish remover, which by the way, will not dry out your nails. Saturate a cotton pad and then press onto the polished nail.
several seconds and then draw the pad to the tip of the nail. Polish should come off with one stroke. The few seconds we give the polish remover is long enough to dissolve the polish and you are done in half the time.

*Saving The Nails

It is really easy to pick up some bad beauty habits and some of them might be costing you pretty nails. For a day, keep track of how often you use your nails as tools. Chances are you do so more often than you realize. Keep your list in front of you so that you will slowly begin to break the habits. It can be done... but you have to know about them first.

*Is This What Your Nails Are Craving?

If your nails are weak, splitting, fragile etc, the problem could be traced back to an inadequate water intake. Most people don't drink nearly enough. How much water do you really drink over the course of a day?

Trimming Your Baby's Nails

Although cutting your baby's nails can be a bit unnerving, especially at first, keeping nails short is important to your little one's safety. Because they lack muscle control, infants can easily scratch and cut their own delicate skin while happily waving their hands and feet. It's especially important to keep babies' nails trimmed once they start interacting and playing with other children who could be scratched, especially in child care.

Even though many babies are born with long nails, it's best to wait until they've hardened a bit before trimming them for the first time. Some parents find it easier to accomplish the nail-trimming task with a partner: one person holding the baby to keep the little one from squirming and the other trimming the nails. First, find a good position that allows you easy access to your baby's hands. This may mean placing your child in your lap, sitting with him or her in a rocker, or even waiting until your baby's asleep.

Hold your baby's palm and finger steady with one hand and cut with the other. You should cut your baby's nails with special baby nail scissors, which have rounded tips for safety, or baby clippers. Many baby nail-care kits also come with nail files or emery boards, but if you cut your baby's nails short enough and make sure to keep the nail edges rounded instead of jagged, it isn't necessary to use these. However, if you're hesitant to try baby nail scissors or clippers and your baby will sit long enough to cooperate, you can use an emery board to file the nails down without the risk of giving your little bundle any nicks.

If you accidentally draw blood a common occurrence with fussy, fidgeting babies, don't worry. Using a sterile gauze pad, gently apply pressure to stop the bleeding. But don't put a bandage around the tiny cut - babies will inevitably put their fingers in their mouths and can dislodge the bandage and choke on it.

Because babies' nails tend to grow quickly from infancy to toddlerhood, they may need to be trimmed as often as once a week.

SOME INTERESTING POINTS ABOUT NAILS

• White Spots on the Nails
  If you have white spots appearing on your nails, they are more than likely, the result of a trauma to the nail and are very common. Occasionally they may indicate a zinc deficiency or in some cases they can also indicate liver or kidney disease. In most cases, you simply injured the nail and it will disappear as the nail grows out.
• How to Do a French Manicure
  Paint the naturally white tip of the nail with an opaque white or beige polish. In traditional French manicures, this white strip is straight across the nail, however, if you let the polish curve with your natural nail, your nails will appear longer
• Color of Your Nails
  Did you know that the color of your nails can indicate health problems? If your nails are:
  -half pink and half white... it could indicate kidney failure
  -yellow... could point to diabetes, fungal infection or even heart disease
  -black flecks... an injury to the nail or a blood clotting disorder
  -black or blue spots... an injury to the nail
  -green... fungal or bacterial infection
  -white... anemia
  -white spots... trauma to the nail bed
  -Be sure to stop by tomorrow for a new tip!!
• Oil Those Nails
  Nails take quite a beating all winter long so here is a little tip for keeping them at their best. Every few days, brush them with cuticle/ nail oil. There are several on the market today and some are even scented.
• Nail Growth and Diet
  Nail Growth TipThe speed of nail growth is increased if you enjoy a healthy diet. It's a proven fact. Illness however, can slow it down.
  I'm including some foods that can easily be worked into your diet.
  -An egg salad sandwich that has lots of spinach in place of lettuce and just a little salad dressing.
  -A veggie salad complete with dressing that contains lots of chopped garlic.
  -A wholesome cereal (not the sugary stuff, sorry) along with two slices of whole wheat toast with natural peanut butter. Did you know that there are peanut butters on the market with no added sugar or salt!
  -An omelette with cheese and tomatoes.
  -Grilled chicken on a whole wheat bun.

Toes Nails Care

Caring for the nails on your toes is much the same as caring for those on your fingers, says Hansen. Again, she recommends keeping cuticles soft and well-moisturized. She suggests getting into the habit of gently pushing the cuticle back (a cotton swab should do the trick) after showering and applying a penetrating oil at this time.

She does note that extra attention have to be paid to cleanliness of toe-nails. This is because when feet are trapped in the dark, moist environment of shoes all day, or, if you're wearing sandals, exposed to dirt, etc., they may be more susceptible to fungus. Thus, it is important to wash feet and dry them thoroughly daily. When choosing socks, cotton/polyester or polypropylene choices are best. (One-hundred percent cotton socks absorb too much moisture to be effective.)

A treatment for toenail fungus is to, after washing and drying the feet, apply tea tree oil or a combination of it and lavender oil on the affected area two to three times a day. If direct tea tree oil is too strong, then dilute it in a base of jojoba oil or another carrier oil. In addition to tea tree oil, James A. Duke, Ph.D., in his book, The Green Pharmacy, recommends these antifungal herbs for preventing, or treating, athlete's foot: garlic, lemongrass, arrowroot, licorice, chamomile, echinacea, goldenseal, cinnamon, ginger and turmeric.

Hair and nails are an indicator of our health, just as our skin is. They are also an important part of our appearance. Taking the time to maintain healthy hair and nails and ensuring adequate rest and nutrition will not only reflect in the way we look, but also in the way we feel about ourselves.

How to get great hair & nails - naturally - includes list of 20 top supplements for hair and nails - Health & Beauty Aids

As with skin, the beauty of nails and hair begins with good nutrition, adequate rest, and good personal grooming habits. And, although a beautiful head of hair and well-manicured nails are not necessarily essential to good health, when they look good, we feel good.

Sometimes, in our efforts to beautify our hair and nails, we may do more damage than good. Here, let us take a look at how we can make our tresses and tips look great, gently.

In an interview with Better Nutrition, Karen Hansen, a cosmetic-marketing consultant to the natural products industry, said that if you choose to paint your nails, it's especially important to keep your cuticles well moisturized. Both nail polishes and removers are very drying, so she recommends applying natural, penetrating types of oils which are thin in consistency to keep your cuticles moist.

As far as fake nails are concerned, Hansen's recommendation is to avoid them. "They're horrible. Not only do they weaken your own nail bed, but they can cause fungus infections to develop in many people, as well."

Basic nail care is the same for both men and women, according to Hansen. She advises investing in a few basic "tools" to keep nails looking good:

1) A good nail brush: First and foremost, nails should be kept clean.
2) Moisturize: Use a good hand cream and/or oil to keep your hands and cuticles moist.
3) File, emery board, scissors, clippers: Use one or a combination of these tools to trim and smooth nails. Just as the ends of hair need to be trimmed, overly long nails can look "scraggly," too.

Nails Art

Click on the pic to see its full size. Very beautiful art!!!

Nails Health diet

I take a cocktail of drugs for a heart condition and for this reason I can’t take ginkgo biloba, even though it apparently can help to improve poor circulation (my hands and feet are a particular problem). I eat healthily and drink a glass of red wine every day, but wonder whether there are any specific foods that I should eat more of, or indeed cut out.


You’re right to avoid ginkgo biloba, because it cannot be taken with heart medication (it is always advisable to check with your doctor before taking any remedies and to make sure that any unusual symptoms are not related to your medication).
I just wonder if your circulation problems are linked to your arteries being a little clogged up with fat? If so, there are foods that may help to reduce this damage and, indeed, to protect the other blood vessels from hardening. Red wine is a good start, even if you are allowed only one glass a day, as it is rich in antioxidants such as flavonols and athocyanins, which help to reduce the likelihood of fat depositing in your blood vessels; you are better off being a drinker of one glass a day than of none at all.

Fresh garlic, which is in the shops and markets now, is rich in allicin, an antioxidant that can prevent fat from being deposited in the blood vessels. I’d include as much fresh garlic (it’s even better for you raw) in your diet as possible — the alternative, if your partner demands one, is to take a garlic supplement. The only really effective garlic supplements on the market are those known as real allicin products; look for brands such as Alliforce and Allimax (recommended dose about 180mg of allicin powder, usually one capsule per day). I think that garlic oil, aged garlic extract and garlic powders are inferior products with few healing properties.

All fresh fruits and vegetables are rich in antioxidants (including vitamin C, beta-carotene and selenium), which keep the arteries healthy, so make sure that you have your five portions a day. Your diet should be high in wholegrains (so plenty of muesli, porridge and wholegrain bread), as these are good for your heart. But you don’t need highly processed cereals; I’d choose a plainer, less salty and sugary option such as Weetabix, Shredded Wheat, porridge or a simple no-added-sugar muesli.

Include up to four portions of oily fish a week (a portion is 140g of the fish). Oily fish contain omega oils, which are great for helping to keep our blood fat levels in check (they increase the production of good high-density lipoprotein — HDL — which in turn keeps the bad low-density lipoprotein down, the end result being that our hearts and blood vessels are happy). Choose from herring, mackerel, sardines, salmon and fresh tuna.
You should really avoid fatty meats such as sausages and bacon, unless these are exceptionally lean and you grill them. Cheese, butter and creams, along with pastries and baked foods containing butter and other saturated fats, aren’t great for the arteries, but a little treat now and then is fine, I’m sure.

Vitamin E may help to maintain a healthy circulation but there is no need to take supplements — studies show that vitamin E in the diet is more effective. So take olive, safflower, corn and wheatgerm oil (watch the quantities if your weight is high, as these are also high in calories). Sun-dried tomatoes, almonds, hazelnuts and avocados are other good sources of Vitamin E.

A diet for weak nails

A lack of zinc and iron can make them brittle, says the nutritionist.

If one has terrible nails — they peel constantly, break and are quite soft. Nothing you have ever done has helped, not even a pregnancy. You try to eat as healthily as possible and include lots of dairy in your diet as well as lean meat, chicken and fish. What could you do that will improve their condition?

Brittle nails are often thought to be the result of calcium deficiency, but in fact the nail contains very little calcium and the problem is more likely to be caused by lack of zinc. Meat, shellfish, fish,crumbly cheese and eggs are all good sources of this mineral. While wholemeal bread, wholegrain cereals, nuts, seeds like pumpkin, and certain vegetables, eg, courgettes, marrow and asparagus, also contain zinc, these foods unfortunately also contain phytates, which reduce zinc absorption. Many women are unaware that taking the Pill can also affect the amount of zinc taken in by the body. As a lack of zinc can lower your libido, this may explain why some women say that they lose interest when they are on the Pill. (The same effect on zinc levels and libido can be observed with long-term use of the antibiotic tetracycline, which is used as a treatment for acne.) So the first step is to boost your intake of zinc-rich foods. It is also worth finding out if you have an iron deficiency. This can be pretty common after pregnancy, as your baby will have been draining your reserves. A lack of iron can cause iron deficiency anaemia: the symptoms include feeling tired (although with a baby, who doesn’t?), looking pale and brittle nails. Your doctor can do a simple blood test to check your levels of haemoglobin (the pigment in the blood that carries iron around the body) and your body’s store of iron, or ferritin levels. Incidentally, low ferritin levels also account for many women losing their hair. Increase the amount of iron-rich foods in your diet — this means lean red meat,liver,eggs, green leafy vegetables, pulses, lentils and dried apricots. Eating vitamin C-rich foods at the same time will help to ensure that your body absorbs plenty of iron (good sources of vitamin C include berries, oranges and kiwi fruit).Caffeine interferes with iron absorption, so try to avoid having it with meals. Also avoid excess alcohol, as brittle nails may, in extreme cases, be a sign of an unhealthy liver — though I doubt that this is true for you. I think that the main problem is that your pregnancy has drained you of your zinc and iron stores. And finally, many people have little white flecks on their nails — this can be a sign that the nail has received a knock, but it may be worth looking at your zinc intake, too.

Nails beauty. Winter care.

In the winter, especially, nails become brittle, rough, ridged and seem to peel. Does this mean I have a vitamin deficiency? What should we do to solve this problem?

Diets often change during the winter,and marginal deficiencies may show up. Insufficient protein seems to be high on the list,though the often-recommended use of gelatin does not seem to be adequate. However, I find that improving the digestion overall is the best single thing that can be done.

Consider a really good supplement of digestive enzymes, like Super Enzyme, by Twinlab, or something equivalent (read labels). Try one right after every meal (not before), and go to two if there's no problem (it's rare that there would be).

Eat slowly, chew thoroughly, and add high-protein foods like fish, meat, and especially whole eggs, which are high in sulfur amino acids. Cholesterol is almost never a problem as long as you don't break the yolk during cooking.

Keep your hands in good condition from the very beginning, and you will not have any problem with them in future!

Fake Nails Or No Fake Nails. Some questions and answers.

If you recently got fake nails, and you wanted to know what is the best why to get them off?

The best option to remove your nails if you had them put on at a salon or even at home is to visit a salon for proper removal. This may not be an option, the best way to remove your nails at home is to soak your fingers in acetone or acetone-containing nail polish remover for 12 minutes and then proceed to remove your nails gently from the cuticle up. You can use a clean fingernail file to do this. But be careful that you soak your nails long enough to loosen them and be careful when removing them. After removing them consider soaking your nails in rubbing alcohol for 5-10 minutes to clean the nail bed area and don't forget to apply lotion to your nails, to keep the skin around your cuticle healthy.It is very important to keep our nails in good condition. Nail infections are very common and often overlooked. Artificial nails can be a source of bacterial and/or fungal infection. To avoid this, wash your hands regularly. It is best to trim your nails weekly, but be careful to not trim them too short which may traumatize the skin around the nails. If you do have artificial nails, be even more careful to wash your hands. If your fake nail starts separating from your natural nail, soak your nails in alcohol before reapplying your artificial nail. This will help ward off germs which can cause infection. If you do have your artificial nails put on at a salon, it might be worth the time to inquire about the sanitation standards of the salon. How do they clean their equipment and how often? Have they had problems with customers getting nail infections? If you get pedicures, how often do they change the filters in their foot massagers?Toenails should also be kept trimmed and clean. If you use a locker room/gym facility, it is best to wear shoes at all times to avoid contact with the floor. Keep feet clean and dry and wear cotton socks. Nail infections can manifest as yellow nails or black discoloration of the nail area. If this occurs, schedule an appointment with your doctor because you may need to be put on medicine to avoid spread of the infection.

Many women tried to put on fake nails themselves and when they take them off they take the whole top layer and then some of the nail with it!!! How is it possible to properly take off a fake nail without it taking the real nail with it? Or should they just go to a professional? Or should they just buy some nail growing and strengthening polish?

This is an excellent question as there are so many people wearing fake nails. You have seen that having fake nails can cause damage to the cuticles, as well as your real nails if they are not properly taken care of. If they are left on too long without cleaning they may cause fungal growth between the fake nail and your own nail. Also, they can be painful to get off as you have noted. You can get them off by soaking them in an acetone remover that can be found in most cosmetic sections of supermarkets and drug stores. Soak your nails in the solution and then remove them rather than trying to pull them off or clip them. Be careful as some people have thinner or more sensitive nails than other people do so the removal process may cause pain or irritation.It might be a good idea to go to a professional who can give you pointers as to what products are best and show you the proper way to remove the nails. The last suggestion about the nail strengthening polish is excellent - there will be less wear and tear on your real nails, it's more convenient and definitely cheaper. It might take some time but if you take care of your real nails they will be just as beautiful.

FAKE NAILS A REAL THREAT

Woman who gets fake nails could be getting something else in the bargain - a dangerous dose of poison.
A toxin eradicated from the beauty industry 25 years ago has made a quiet comeback in nail salons nationwide, including New York - and nobody's doing anything for stopping it.
Methyl methacrylate (MMA) can rip nails off fingers, cause nerve problems and severe rashes - and over the long term hurt kidneys, livers fetuses and livers.
"It's being sold openly. You can buy it all over the place," said California beauty-industry chemist Douglas Schoon, who studied the problem.
MMA is found mostly at discount salons because it costs $20 to $60 a gallon, compared to about $200 for top-of-the-line, safer products.
Manicurists combine liquid MMA with a powder to build so-called sculptured, or acrylic, nails. It is also sometimes used in acrylic "wraps" of artificial nail tips.
The super-cheap chemical isn't supposed to be used by manicurists.
But Post reporters easily bought MMA products from two Queens beauty-supply stores - and during a random check of 13 nail salons found the toxin in two of them. Two wouldn't say what they used, and two more didn't know.
Employees at both supply stores said they had no idea MMA shouldn't be used on nails.
Almost no information about the acrylic is available in Korean or Vietnamese - two groups that have cornered the cut-rate salon market.
Competition is so tough, some salon owners get the cheapest product they can find, said Michael Limb, head of the Asian American Advisory Council and member of the state board that licenses manicurists.
"Everybody's got it. Everybody's selling it," said Kevin Bae, a salesman at Hi-Fashion Beauty Supplies in Sunnyside, Queens, one store where The Post bought the chemical.
"If they tell us not to sell it, we'll follow the law," he said.
Federal Food and Drug Administration officials ruled in the early 1970s that MMA is poisonous when used on nails.
The agency seized products - a move that held up in court and effectively killed the market. But the FDA never actually banned it.
"The use seems to be coming back," said Dr. John Bailey, head of the FDA's Office of Cosmetics and Colors. "Our position is still that it's unsafe."
In some people, MMA causes a poison-ivy-like rash and in extremely rare cases causes permanent damage, say Manhattan nail specialists.
The super-glue chemical bonds so strongly to the natural nail that it can rip the nail right off if it's accidentally bumped, Schoon said.
Workers who breathe MMA for years can suffer kidney and liver lesions, reproductive problems and possibly lung and cardiovascular damage, according to the federal Environmental Protection Agency.
The chemical is manufactured by a handful of mega-corporations that sell it legally to the construction- and dental-supply companies - who are probably diverting it to the beauty industry, Bailey said.
The FDA lacks the manpower to launch a full-blown investigation, he said.
The state, which licenses manicurists and regulates salons, has no rules about its use - although the Health Department is "reviewing" the issue, a spokeswoman said.
Without tight federal or state control, MMA is flourishing again.
When a Post reporter was shopping for acrylic liquids in Queens, a Bronx manicurist whispered she would sell the reporter a gallon for just $35. It turned out to be MMA.