Beautiful hands...

We often forget to pay proper attention to our hands and nails. Here are a few tips to keep your hands and nails healthy....

Starting from exfoliation to massage give yourself a manicure...

1. Salt exfoliator:
6 tablespoons sea salt (use normal salt if sea salt is not available)
2 tablespoons cooked oatmeal
3 pinches baking soda
few drops of tea-tree oil

Mix all the ingredients, add enough water to make thick paste. Rub this on your hands gently. Massage for 5 min and wash off with warm water.

2. Cuticle cream:
1 teaspoon any natural clay like Fuller's earth (Multani mitti)
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 drops of lemon oil (optional)

Mix all the ingredients and make a paste. Store in a clean jar. Apply this on nails before you soak your hands in water.

3. Milky hand soak:
1 cup milk
4 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons moisturizing lotion or olive/vitamin e/ almond oil
1/2 cup water

Heat water, bring to boil then add milk. Boil milk for 5 min then add moisturizing lotion or any oil. Stir it well. Add sugar. Make a thick consistency, allow it to cool. Put this mixture in a large bowl of warm water. Soak your hands in this soak for 15 min.

4. Nail hardener:
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon rose water

Mix all the ingredients together. Apply it on your nails after you soak your hands. Leave it for 5 min and massage your nails. Wash off with warm water. Use this twice in a week.

5. Nail whitener:
1 tablespoon whitening tooth paste
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
3 drops lemon oil (optional)


Mix all the ingredients and make a paste. Apply this on your nails. Leave it for 5 min. Wash off with warm water.

6. Massage oil:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon almond oil or vitamin e oil
2 drops lavender oil and lemon oil

Blend all oils together. Warm it up little bit and massage your hands for 5 min.

Some tips of manicure:

1. Remove old nail polish.
2. Apply exfoliator (see no.1) and scrub your hands. Wash off with water.
3. Apply cuticle cream (see no.2). Push back the cuticles and cut them properly with a cuticle cutter.
4. Soak your hands in warm water (see no.3) for 15 min. Wash off with warm water.
5. Apply nail whitener (see no.4). Brush nails with a soft nail brush. Wash off with warm water.
6. Apply nail hardener (see no.5) Wash off with warm water.
7. Shape your nails with a filer or emery board. Do not file in a sea-saw motion. Buff your nails with buffer.
8. Massage your hands with massage oil (see no.6).
9. Cover your hands with a warm towel.
10. Apply the nail color you desire.

You can apply same procedure to do pedicure as well.