The appearance of our hands and fingernails can contribute to improving or worsening our personal image. Their virtues or defects are not as obvious as those of the skin or figure, but a lot of people acknowledge it is one of the first things they notice in other people and feel seduced or disappointed by what they see. This few centimeters of the body give away what we do for a living, our lifestyle and the importance we assign to taking care of our body. Although it is impossible to change the body's makeup and look, and not everyone has hands with long fingers and narrow palms, with a little bit of dedication you make them look decent, at the very least. �

Our hands and fingernails suffer many external aggressions: from cold, water, detergents or manual labor that deteriorates them. So the first step is to try to protect your hands with a pair of good gloves. For domestic chores it is essential to wear rubber gloves. They might make it harder to work because the rubber reduces the hand's sensitivity. But you can get used to it, and gain agility little by little. It is also true that hands sweat a lot inside rubber gloves. In this case, a good trick is to wear cotton gloves under the rubber ones.�

Another important factor is hygiene. You should wash your hands with a mild soap that has moisturizers and is low alkaline to keep skin from drying out. To clean your fingernails use a small brush with flexible bristles that are not too hard, so as to avoid damaging the nails. Although you should always keep your hands clean, not just for aesthetic reasons but also for health motives, don't forget that washing them too often is not good either. Water is an irritant and will dry them out.�

This latter aspect is a key bone of contention. There are myriad moisturizing creams available on the market with a variety of formulas and contents for treating hands. As the skin of the hands is very fine and does jobs from the skin of other parts of the body, it is best to use a cosmetic product recommended specifically for hands. The cream should be applied from the fingers upward so the movement will help activate circulation and prevent appearance of wrinkles. It is a good idea to moisturize your hands at least twice a day.

A clear sign of aging is spots on the hands. Once they appear they are hard to fight, but there are exfoliant creams that improve them and help renew skin cells. For general care of the hands, you can also apply homemade remedies. One well-known way to restore damaged hand skin is to wash with lemon juice and olive oil.

Fingernails, besides helping to make hands more attractive or more unattractive, need special treatment. Their appearance reveals the state of the organism because many ailments are reflected in them. In the first place, in order to keep your fingernails strong and healthy you must follow a varied and balanced diet, rich in minerals such as silicon, zinc and sulfur. The latter has a role in the formation of keratin the substance of which fingernails are made. Also essential is vitamin B2. These micro-nutrients are found in whole grains (zinc), green-leaf vegetables (silicon), legumes and walnuts (sulfur). Good sources of vitamin B2 are dairy products and beer yeast. In any case, see a doctor if you observe changes in color, stains or excessive fragility.

As for essential care, fingernails should be trimmed around so that the corners are eliminated. File them with a nail file made of cardboard rather than metal. Be careful when removing cuticles. It is best to soften them a bit first by soaking them in warm water, oil or moisturizing cream and pushing them back with small rod. It is not a good idea to cut them. This has no effect on whether they grow back or not. Rather, cuticles have a protective role that we must respect. Putting polish on the fingernails is a question of personal taste and does not hurt the fingernails. But it is a good idea to use quality enamel that is not aggressive. Also, remove the polish completely before applying a different one. Under it, you should apply a coat of nail-hardener.