Hand and Foot Care Tips

3.  If you work with water protect your hands with gloves. In the nights use hand creams containing lactic acid and urea. Go up to your arms. Cover with plastic gloves and keep on for 10 to 15 minutes, before removing plastic. Let the creams stay on overnight on the hands.

4.  Soften nails with a nourishing cream, too, because they tend to get brittle. Pay special attention to the cuticles. Soak your fingers in tolerably hot olive oil for 10 to 15 minutes. Use remover infrequently, but a good nail polish is protective.

Questions and Answers

Q. What are hang nails?

A. Hang nails are tears in the cuticle or in the skin along the side of a fingernail. Never bite or tug at them. Instead remove with  clean sharp cuticle scissors and apply a dab of antibiotic ointment to prevent infections.

Q. How can I get rid of the dry skin on my elbows?

A. First exfoliate and then use a fruit acid based moisturizer. A good one to use is

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Sandal worthy Feet

To get sexy sandal worthy feet. Do a home pedicure. First you will need the right instruments.

• Quality nippers
• exfoliators 
• cuticle pushers
• An electric foot bath (optional).
• A toenail brush to clean both the tops and undersides of the nails, as well as the feet.
• An abrasive pedicure file (wand exfoliator) or pumice stone to get rid of dry, flaky skin.  
• Toenail clippers made to cut thick, hard nails without tearing them.
• Fine-grained nail files or emery boards for shaping and smoothing nails.
• Foam toe dividers (or cotton balls) to separate toes when applying base, polish and top coats to prevent smudging.
• A nail buffer to shine the tops of nails before you polish them or to give bare ones a natural, healthy look.
• Once you have the right tools, set aside about an hour to get your feet and toes worthy of being in the limelight.

  Not only can you use these instruments at home, but you can bring them to the salon if you elect for professional treatment--this will help prevent bacterial infections that can develop when professionals use poorly sanitized tools. Here's everything that you will need.
  
  1 Soak
  
  The first thing you should do is soak your feet in warm (not hot) water in A small foot tub or foot spa for five to 10 minutes. "Add a few drops of essential oils like rosemary and peppermint to invigorate your feet during an early morning pedicure, or add drops of lavender or rose to help relax them after a long day. A few drops of tea tree oil or clove oil in your foot bath can also help treat fungal infections. Then, as your feet are soaking, use a toenail brush to clean your nails and feet.
  
  2 Scrub
  
  Once the warm water has softened the skin on your feet, gently scrub the bottoms concentrating on the heels with an exfoliating scrub and pumice stone or an abrasive pedicure file. Be careful not to exfoliate too much of the outer skin away. This thick layer acts as the body's protection.
  
  3 Cuticles
  
  Dry your feet, making sure to get between the toes, an area that can become a breeding ground for bacteria and cause infection if not dried properly. Then massage a cuticle cream into the cuticles, or use almond oil or olive oil around the base of your toenails. Gently push back the cuticles with an orange stick, but don't cut them since they provide protection between your nail and nail bed, the whole piece of skin that the nail is attached to. It runs from the bottom of the white tip of the nail to the base of the cuticle.
  
  Finally, place a tiny drop of one of the cuticle oils onto each nail, and buff them to increase their strength and shine.
  
  4 Rubbing the lotion on
  
  Using small, circular motions, massage your feet and ankles with a moisturizer mixed with a touch of your favorite essential oil (like rosemary, peppermint or eucalyptus), or just massage a little almond oil mixed with other essential oils into your feet, and then slip on a pair of moisture slippers for about 15 minutes to help your feet absorb the moisturizer.
  
  5 Cut them short
  
  It's much easier to cut thick toenails after moisturizing (which is why this step comes now). Cut them with a Straigtedge Toenail Clipper, leaving the nail length closer to the tips of your toes than to the nail bed. (If you cut them too short, they're more likely to grow into the skin, causing painful ingrown toenails.) Then file and shape your nails, making sure to file them in one direction. Sawing back and forth will weaken nails, causing them to split or break.
  
  6 Prepare for polish
  
  Clean the oil and debris from both the tops of your nails and beneath them with a piece of cotton wrapped around an orange stick that you dip into a non-ace-tone nail polish remover (it will be stated on the label). Be sure to separate your toes with foam toe separators to keep them from rubbing against one another and smudging the polish.
  
  7 Polish
  
  Apply a clear base coat of polish. Then apply two coats of color and finish with a top coat, which will help set the polish. For natural-looking toenails, give them a French pedicure. First buff them to a nice luster,  paint a white stripe over the top of the nail tips and finally paint a pale pink polish on the surface. No matter what type you use, polish takes at least 15 minutes to dry. Use the time to put your feet up and relax.
  
  8 Tools
  
  Clean your instruments with soap and water each time you use them so your nails don't get infected. Then twice a month you should sterilize them by rinsing them with 90 percent isopropyl rubbing alcohol. Store your tools in a clean plastic container or a zip-lock bag.
  
  A full pedicure takes about 60 minutes: 40 minutes to prep the feet and apply polish and 20 minutes to dry. If you don't have the time, simply wash your feet while you're in the shower and give them a quick rub with a pumice stone or foot file. Then, after you dry off, slather your toes and nails with a moisturizer. Do this at least once a week so your skin doesn't become flaky.

  A few more useful tips
  Use a foot file each time you shower/bath.
  • At least once a week, use a scrub for both your hands and feet.
  • Put lotion on every day.
  • Also get insoles for your shoes.
  • Soften your hands while you do the dishes. Add a little almond oil (about a teaspoon) to dishwater. The water will soften rough skin while the oil seals the moisture.

  
  For rough feet and heels. Before bedtime, wash feet and then rub them with a good AHA based cream or lotion, the put on clean socks to let feet soften over night.