You should moisturize your nails more often –

The face need hydration, body skin too… but what about your nails? Have you ever stopped to think that they also need to be hydrated from time to time?

The nail is formed, essentially, by layers of keratin that form a blade that protects this region of fingers from possible trauma.

And, according to Dr. Karine Okamotodermatologist at Clínica Vanité, for nails to be healthy it is essential that there is good hydration – this applies both to water intake in adequate amounts for your weight and height, and to the application of specific products.

HOW TO HYDRATE THE NAILS CORRECTLY?

“Nail hydration can be done with moisturizers for the hands, but also with specific moisturizers for nails and cuticles”, he explains. “It is recommended to massage these actives well into the nails, once or twice a day. However, if there is a need, it is okay to repeat it more often.”

Also, some ideas worth implementing are:

Wear gloves whenever you do the dishes or clean the house, and pass a moisturizer on your hands as soon as you finish these tasks or right after putting your hands in contact with water.
try the nail slugging: if moisturizing your hands several times a day seems difficult, using specific products, such as vaseline, can be interesting. The trick is to apply it to your nails before bed.

“Hydration not only of the nails but also of the cuticles maintains healthy nail growth, preventing the entry of microorganisms, such as fungi and bacteria that can cause disease”, says Dr. Karine.

WHAT LEAVES NAILS WEAK AND DEHYDRATED?

By the way, hydration is more important than thinking about, for example, “hardening” nails that are fragile. According to the doctor, these cosmetics should be avoided, as they can weaken the nail plate, since they have formaldehyde in the composition.

“In addition, the cuticle has the function of protecting against the entry of bacteria and fungi and if there is excessive manipulation of the cuticles, and the consequent entry of these microorganisms into this area, this can cause inflammation and damage to nail growth”, continues the doctor.

Alcohol, cleaning products and nail polish are other factors that greatly weaken nails – which results in brittle nails, with ridges, slow growth and uneven texture.