What Causes Dents in Fingernails?

Well manicured nails attract eye balls and leave good impression. But, what causes dents in fingernails? Can you ignore them?

Similar to hair and skin, nails are made of many layers of keratin. This hardened protein isn’t just for nail polish; it also protects nerves and nail bed.

As they say, “fingernails are mirror to your health”. Black lines, dents and ridges on fingernails denote unhealthiness.

Dents in fingernails are caused by physical trauma, injury, nail biting, ailments or due to low vitamin intake.

Minor or major injury over nails may result in ridged nail plate. Apart from that, eating habits and dehydration can affect your nail color. Increase your vitamin intake and drink enough water to overcome this issue.

dents-in-fingernails

According to MedlinePlus, major injuries leave permanent dent. Only through surgery normal fingernail can obtained.

Immersing fingernails in water for longer period can result in ridged and weak nails. Experts recommend wearing rubber gloves while doing domestic works.

Long manicure or pedicure can weaken nail plate and results in brittle or uneven nails.

Psoriasis

Often a dent is formed over fingernails due to this chronic skin ailment. Your skin turns scaly with dry patches. It also affects on nails and scalp.

These dents are small and can be recovered to normal state, if you treat psoriasis. However, you can’t permanently treat psoriasis. Medication by physician and home remedies can reduce its signs and symptoms.

Incontinentia Pigmenti

A wart like rash can be appeared over the skin. This inherited disorder isn’t common and researcher are going on.

People with this ailment will experience skin discoloration patches or hyperpigmentation in childhood, while they reach adulthood wart like rashes are formed. Also dents on fingernails and abnormality of eyes can be experienced. (1)

Alopecia Areata

It’s a spot baldness disorder affecting hair. If this auto immune disease is mild, then you can expect hair in few months. Else, the ailment can process to alopecia areata totalis.

As nails and hair are formed by kertain, person will experience dent or ridged nails. (2)

Apart from this, diabetes, cancer and other ailments may result in dent fingernails. You must check with your physician for diagnosis.

How to Use Cuticle Pusher?

Let’s accept it; you don’t pay much attention to nails.

Like skin and hair, nails are made of identical protein. A thin sensitive skin covers the pint where nail plate meets finger.

If you’re nice to them, they will benefit your nails. Cuticle shed dead cells and a layer of dead cells are formed due to external factors.

Dry or ragged cuticles overshadow your beautiful nails. But, never try to peeling or bite cuticles, it isn’t good for nails.

cuticle-pusher

Apart from moisturizing them, you must push using cuticle pusher.

Peeling the dry cuticles will leave the gap between nail plate, which allows bacteria to invade and trigger infection.

How to Use Cuticle Pusher?

cuticle-pusher

No need to worry, there are huge list of cuticle pusher made of different materials.

Steel cuticle pusher is preferred by most manicurists.

Before you proceed to push them, hydrate dry cuticles with cuticle oil. Without moisturizing, you may tear cuticle with the pusher.

You can try coconut oil or jojoba oil, as they are available in every house.

  1. Wash your nails and cuticles to remove impurities.
  2. Moisturize cuticles with coconut oil and leave for few minutes.
  3. Wash cuticles to remove excess oiliness and pat dry with a cloth.
  4. Take steel cuticle pusher and gently push cuticles towards nails base.

Well designed cuticle pusher allows you to push cuticles around the nails.

Cuticle Care Tips

In ancient time, red nail polish is denoted as the symbol of social status. This defensive layer over the nail guards from bacteria and fungi.

So, unhealthy cuticles may result in ailments.

You don’t have to visit a spa for manicure or pedicure. Just take care of them and pamper them if possible. After all, they are one of the sensitive parts of your nails.

  • Regularly moisturize cuticles using olive oil or coconut oil. While massaging your hair with coconut oil, apply it over cuticles.
  • Avoid cutting, biting and rough manicure.
  • Longer exposure to water results in bacterial infection and makes your fingers prune.
  • Include vitamin rich diet and drink enough water.

For strong dead cells, use steel cuticle pusher.

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How to Remove Gel Nail Polish Without Acetone

remove gel nail polish without acetone

Your beauty can’t be accomplished without healthy nails. Like you pamper your skin and hair, nails deserve equal care. You may think am talking about polishing nails with gel paint to make it gorgeous. No, I don’t recommend that chemical filled ingredient on your sensitive nails.

However, in this article I’ll discuss on how to remove gel nail polish without acetone. In other words, you can get rid of gel polish using simple home available items.

Though acetone included nail polish remover is effective, its chemical nature may irritate your skin. Or you don’t have acetone and you must remove peeling nail polish instantly.

Normally nail polish spans up to 2 weeks, then peeling starts giving your nails unsightly appearance. Apart from making nails weak, other downsides are that you can’t readily put your nails in mouth because of chemical substances in it, and when you want to get rid of them it’s not easy.

Luckily, there are various ways to remove gel nail polish at home.

  • You may peel the gel nail polish completely, but your natural nail may come along with the polish. So it’s not safe.
  • Reach experts; salon or spa technicians can easily remove nail polish but that may exceed your budget.
  • Third method is to try yourself with expert’s advice, which I’ll discuss with you in this post.

Must read: 7 Remedies for Nail Discoloration

How to Remove Gel Nail Polish at Home without Acetone?

Researchers say that acetone is not safe for everyone. If you’re trying nail polish remover with acetone, then I highly recommend reaching manicurist because you may damage nails.

Things you’ll need:

  • Nail polish remover (Acetone free)
  • Bowl
  • A cloth or mat to spread on the surface
  • Nail buffer
  • Moisturizer
  • Orange stick
  • Bowl
  • Vaseline

After spreading cloth on the surface, apply Vaseline on fingernails and soak them in nail polish remover bowl for 20 minutes. Use wooden stick to push gel nail polish and apply nail polish remover solution if needed.

Using nail buffer remove traces of gel nail polish and wash your hands including nails. When you’re sure that gel nail polish is removed, apply moisturizer like olive oil on cuticles and hands.

During this process, make sure you don’t scrape your natural nails. Fingernails will become brittle and weak if you don’t take care.

Alternate Method:

Try to find a spot on nails where gel nail polish is loose. Using your fingernails lift it; pour water to make it easy or apply olive oil or cuticle oil. It’s better to use orange wooden stick to remove nail polish layer.

Use nail buffer to remove gel nail polish residue. Make sure you don’t file natural nails, or it will damage them. When you’re done with removing gel polish, apply natural moisturizer like olive oil.

  • You can apply new coat of nail polish and rub immediately with cotton ball to remove gel nail polish.
  • Take vinegar dipped cotton ball and rub on nails. Optionally, you can mix lemon drops to vinegar.
  • Or just use lemon juice on fingernails and rub with cotton ball.

Let us know in which way you’d like to remove gel nails polish? Next time make sure you don’t try this chemical filled nail polish.

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How to Use Cornstarch for Athlete’s Foot

athletes foot

Unhygienic habits leads to various issues, athlete’s foot is one among them. This ailment is triggered by fungus, which grows rapidly in moist environment. You can reduce the state of infection by using cornstarch for athlete’s foot.

Most people misunderstand that only athlete gets athlete’s foot. This uncomfortable condition is often accompanied by itchiness, peeling of skin and redness. Tight shoes and most environments help fungus to spread the infection. Men get affected more than women.

To get rid of athlete’s foot and to stay away from chemical filled creams, experts recommend cornstarch mask. There are bunch of home available remedies to thwart this infection, however I’ll be discussing about this particular remedy in this post.

Cornstarch is prominent for its culinary purposes, I too love chicken coated with cornstarch. Indeed, there is a long list of uses apart from cooking. Its absorbing property makes it easy to wipe impurities and absorb excess oil over the skin.

Rub cornstarch between toes and over the feet. To be creative experts recommend excellent procedure to use cornstarch for athlete’s foot.

  • Preheat oven for 325 degrees.
  • Take 6-8 tablespoon of cornstarch in a plate.
  • Place this cornstarch container in the preheated oven for few minutes.
  • Alternatively, you can heat the cornstarch over stove.
  • Rub the heated cornstarch over feet and toes.
  • Leave it for 15-20 minutes and the brush with towel.

Dry the feet if you want to wash them. Remember to clean your hands with mild soap.

Moist and warm places attract fungi. You must take utmost care to keep the moist away from your feet. Don’t share your partner’s socks or shoes. Wash your socks & shoes regularly.

When you wash your feet or after bath, dry the feet completely using towel. Another simple yet effective remedy is to sprinkle some baking soda in your shoes, so that anti-fungal agents kill fungi and restrain infection. To remove odor wash your feet in lemon water mixture.

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Why Are My Fingernails Blue – Cyanosis?

home remedies for nail discoloration

Nails are like windows for your health. Blue, brittle, discoloration and dark lines on fingernails show that your body is facing some deficiency or ailments.

Pink nails are a sign of healthy and well hydrated nails. As most we know that pink color is the reflection of blood flow, similarly fingernails with blue color indicate lack of oxygen in the blood. Apart from being associated with serious health disorder, blue fingernails can embarrass.

Red blood cells in your body supply oxygen to tissues, because of which the cells are bright red and your skin appears pinkish. But, low oxygen in blood tissues results in bluish color also known as cyanosis. Experts say that it mostly happens due to climate change, which makes it difficult for blood to circulate.

In winter rubbing hands and body may help to improve circulation, but if the problem persists you must consult the doctor. According to Dr. Weil there are various factors that cause bluish or purple fingernails. Low hemoglobin may also one of the reasons for your blue fingernails.

Your skin color is the combination of melanin and blood color. Due to low oxygen blood turn blue-red. Further Dr. Weil states that cyanosis can be sign of heart problem, asthma, lung problem, breathing difficultly, bronchitis and other respiratory related issues. Other ailments related with this nail disorder are listed here.

If you’ve blue fingernails, then I recommend you to check with doctor to identify the mere cause of this change.