There are many TEENagers who tend to neglect their nails with frivolous excuses like there is not enough time or it’s too expensive to care for nails. Too often, proper nail care is downgraded to a category of luxury rather than seen as one of need.

The importance of proper nail care goes far beyond personal appeal. Yes, it says a lot about your attention to personal grooming, but it is also important in order to prevent painful problems in the future as well as the fact that the appearance, condition and colourisation of your natural nails can be used as an indicator of possibly underlying health problems.

Proper nail care is not exclusive to only females but males need to pay keen attention to the health of their nails as well. So how then do you achieve healthy and attractive nails? Here are a few essential tips to keeping your nails looking healthy day in and day out.

1 To get rid of brittle nails, soak it in a bowl of warm water with few drops of lemon juice added to it. Do it for 15 minutes twice a week to have healthy long nails.

2 Drink lots of water and include lot of fresh vegetables and salad in the diet to have shiny and healthy nails.

3 Choose the right kind of filer to shape your nails. Avoid using metal nail filers as it can rip nails. Lay your hands on wood nail filer or emery boards that are inexpensive and would need frequent replacing. You can also use crystal glass filers that can shape both natural and artificial nails. Moreover, it can be easily be sterilised with hot water.

4 Harden your soft nails by soaking them in warm oil for about 20 minutes every alternate day.

5 Don’t remove cuticle from the nail as it will make them susceptible to infections. Instead it can be pushed backward using good quality cuticle oil or orangewood stick.

6 Try using non-acetone polish removers to remove the nail polish and avoid using it for more than once a week. You can also go for pee off nail paint that can be removed whenever you want a change.

7 Always dry the nails after bath or washing the hands and apply lotion as the soap makes it dry and easy to break.

8 Wearing darker shades of nail paint often discolor the natural nail colour. So always apply the base coat that would prepare the nails for coloured polish.

9 Let your nails breathe by giving them break from nail paint from time to time as an unattractive, yellow tint will develop on the nails.

10 Apply and rub petroleum jelly to the nails and then rub it again with a soft cloth. This will make them shiny and look healthy.

11 If you binge on biting your nails every now and then, stop it immediately as it will not only damage your nails and cuticle, but will also grip you in the clutches of many diseases.

12 Wear a sunscreen during the day on your hands and cuticles to prevent sun damage, which can hurt your nails. Reapply every time you wash your hands.

13 Meticulously clean all nail implements and change nail files often. Bacteria and other microbes can get transferred by the nail tools you use, causing infection or harm to the matrix.

14 Disinfect any tears or cuts to the cuticle, and treat ingrown nails as soon as possible. Nail infections are not only unsightly, but also can cause long-lasting damage to the nail. Any drugstore antibacterial ointment, such as Polysporin, Neosporin or Bacitracin, will do.

15 Don’t soak nails for long periods, and never use any kind of soap or detergent when soaking. Nails and cuticles that become engorged with water weaken, and the longer soap or detergent is in contact with skin and nails (despite the advertisements for dishwashig liquids) the greater the potential for damaging the nail and cuticle structure.

Remember your hands speak a lot about you. Hands speak a lot about you. They tell how much you care about yourselves, how you live your life and love your body.