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Dietician Sheela Seharawat

How to remove germs completely off your nails?

Our hands says a lot about our personality, and hence how we care for them is very important. Untidy and dirty nails on our hands is what is not only unhealthy, but also does not reflects any good on our personality and can dent our reputation. With dirt and mug under our nails, even a welcoming gesture like shaking hand or waving to someone might seem unwelcoming and make others turn off.

While at a glance it might seem that you have more important things to do, rather than sit down and waste time cleaning your nails and worry health-wise keeping your fingernails trimmed and clean. Believe, it’s not just an aesthetic things, proper care and hygiene of nails can ward off some serious infections. If pick under your nails has become a subconscious habit, it’s time to get back to a routine of cleaning your nails completely.
According to research, scientists and health practitioners says that the space between the skin and nail creates a perfect environment for the growth and development of numerous minute life forms – providing the physical protection by the nail and the moisture. There are significant numbers of bacteria in this region and this hand region may be relatively inaccessible to antimicrobial agents during a normal hand-wash procedure.

Dirty fingernails can do more harm than you might think off
Dirty under nails are a host for millions of germs that lurk and these germs can easily enter our body through the food that we eat or can be transmitted to other on touching them, which further leads to allergic reactions and infections in the body.
More risky are long nails, as they are difficult to maintain and clean. They become the perfect place for germs to develop and even worm eggs have been sited under them. In cases of foot or to nail fungus, there are easy chances to spread across the whole body as we touch our feet and do not properly wash our hands before we eat.

How to clean and maintain your fingernails the correct way?
There is nothing to worry, whether your nails are dirty from work or some cleaning job done or you just want a regular routine cleaning of your nails, here’s how to go about with it:
The essentials:

• Hand Soap
• A pointed emery paper or similar tool like orange stick.
• Warm and running water.
• A nailbrush or even a clean toothbrush can do.
• Hand towel.
• A shallow bowl
• Some moisturizing lotion.

Now follow the steps as mentioned below:
1. Clean the hard dirt under your nails with the pointed emery paper. Go slowly and attend each nail to completely scrap the dirt under each of the nails. Be attentive and patient as in a hurry you might leave traces of dirt inside.
2. After you are done with step one, under running warm water, scrub the nails with a tooth or nail brush properly but gently. Ensure that you not only scrub it under the nails, but also the cuticles and the top of the nails.
3. Wash hand with hand soap properly to remove all dirt, then rinse thoroughly and pat dry with a towel.
4. In a shallow bowl, prepare some warm soapy water and soak your nails for about five minutes.
5. Once more rinse your hands with soap and water thoroughly.
6. Finally pat dry with a towel, and apply some moisturizer. Cut nail with a clipper as desired.

Some additional tips to keep your nails clean and safe:

• If you do not have so much time regularly for the upkeep of your nails, ensure that they are properly trimmed and short. Shorter nails keep clean by themselves. You can shape them up for a better and polishes look.
• As mentioned above keep your toe nails short and trim them regularly also. Follow the same procedure of cleaning them as you do for your hands.
• If you regularly apply nail polishes give a break atleast once a month. This will help your nails the yellow discoloration and as well allow them to breathe and become stronger.
• Always choose to apply some light moisturizer or oil on the hand and toes. Heavy and greasy creams and oils encourages more build up under the nails making them more prone to infections and germ development.
• If you have the habit of biting your nails, take up steps to avoid it and let it go. Biting nails makes them look unkempt and germs enter the body through the mouth.

As a piece of advice changes in the appearance of our fingernails or toenails – alike ridges or discolorations – could indicate a serious underlying condition. Our nail abnormalities can tell us a lot about our overall health.