Hand and Nail Loving Care
June 23, 2008

Our hands and nails take a beating. The chlorine in our water, along with the drying properties of the cleaning products we use, and the lack of biotin in our diets, creates problems with our skin and nails. When our nails and cuticles lose moisture, they can become brittle and peel.

If your hands are very dry and your nails split, chip or peel, then consider these ways to improve the suppleness of your hands and strength of your nails:

• Minimize the exposure of your skin (hands, in this instance) to chlorinated water.
  If you're getting your water from public sources, then your water is chlorinated. Chlorinated water dries your skin excessively---for example, look at how your skin looks and feels when you get out of a pool. To remove chlorine from your household water, you can use a water filtration system.
   
• Use natural cleansers to wash your hands, rather than harsh soaps with artificial colors and detergents.
   
• Avoid petrolatum-based products on your hands (or body), including petroleum jelly products or any product that has mineral oil in it. Use oils, such as olive and sweet almond. Or use butters, like shea or cocoa butter, which have heavy moisturizing properties. Also, keep this in mind when using cuticle creams.
   
• Use natural detergents, when performing your household cleaning. With many natural cleaning alternatives on the market, you should be able to find natural cleansers for your dishes, baths, and floors. You can also make your own cleansers by using baking soda, vinegar, borax, etc.
   
• Cover your hands with gloves while cleaning.
   
• Eat foods rich in biotin, which is a part of the B-vitamin complex and directly linked to your nails, skin, and hair. Excellent sources of biotin include chard, tomatoes, romaine lettuce, and carrots. Very good sources include almonds, eggs, onions, cabbage, cucumber, and cauliflower. Good sources include goat's milk, cow's milk, raspberries, strawberries, halibut, oats, and walnuts.
   
• If you're not getting enough biotin naturally, then you can strengthen your nails with a product like Appearex Once Daily Supplement. Appearex® provides large quantities of the biotin your body needs to help produce stronger, healthier nails from the inside out. It stimulates epidermal cells and affects the protein structure called keratin found in skin, nails and hair. As a side note, people also report stronger, thicker hair when taking this biotin supplement.

Dry hands and weak nails are a sign that environmental and nutritional improvements need to be made in our lives. Our bodies always show us what's needed for us to function at a greater level of efficiency. Implementing a few of these good daily habits will improve the look and feel of your hands and nails.