There are a number of factors that come into play when you are creating a superb hairstyle. You should go with a hairstyle that matches your personality, rather than one that is classic. Certain hairstyles tend to complement individual facial shapes better than others do. So you should start experimenting with different hairstyles a few months before the prom. If you don't already use hair care products on a regular basis you should start using them, and you should schedule regular hair trims to keep those split ends in check months before prom night. Whatever you do, don't make any drastic hairstyle changes prior to the prom.

The nail is made of a hard protein called keratin. A protein is one of the building blocks which make up the body. The nail care help protect the ends of the fingers and toes from trauma and also help us pick up small objects.

Over the last hundred years, the nails have become more important for cosmetic reasons and less important for protection.

Manicuring is the care of the hands and nails. Basic manicuring should be done once a week. Every 4-6 weeks it is a good idea to seek the services of a professional manicure. A professional manicurist best knows how to keep your nails looking healthy and beautiful. Obviously much of what you will find in these pages applies to anyone who wants to maintain health, beautiful and long nails.

Keeping your hands looking clean, feminine, and polished does not require weekly trips to the manicurist! Find easy nail care tips to get the perfect nails you have always wanted..

Grime
No need for grimy mitts. Just give your hands a scrub with mild soap and warm water before you go out, using a nailbrush to get the gunge out from under your nails. Oil on hands and under nails can be got rid of with a bit of swarfega, or other cleansing agents.

Infections
If your nails go crumbly and whitish or yellowish and separate slightly from the nail bed then it could be a nail fungus infection. Speak to your doctor, who can prescribe an anti-fungal paint to get rid of it. If you get hangnails or loose skin down the side of the nail, trim it off with sharp scissors to reduce the risk of the skin tearing or infections getting into the skin.

Basic Nail Care

* Wash hands with mild soap, using a nailbrush.
* Soak the hands in warm water for a few minutes to soften the cuticles (the bits of skin at the bottom of the nails).
* Very gently push back the cuticles if they are long and ragged.
* Trim the nails to the same length, cutting off any snaggy or spiky bits.
* File the ends of the nails to smooth them off.
* If your hands are dry, apply some hand cream (it doesn't have to be the girly stuff that stinks of flowers, lads).

Don't Bite!
Nail bitting isn't exactly seductive, try an anti-biting nail paint. Tastes absolutely disgusting, but will stop you putting your fingers in your mouth so often.

Source: www.nailcareguide.com

Take a look at your fingernails. Are they strong and healthy-looking? Or do you see ridges, or areas of unusual color or shape? The condition of your nails may offer clues to your general health. Illness can cause changes in your nails that your doctor can use to develop diagnose. Here are a few nail disorders that may be linked with illnesses:

• Beau's lines — Indentations that run across your nail. This can appear when growth at the matrix (nail root) is disturbed by severe illness such as a heart attack, measles, or pneumonia.
  
• Clubbing — Your fingertips widen and become round while the nails curve around your fingertips. Caused by enlargement in connective tissue as compensation for a chronic lack of oxygen. Lung disease is present in 80 percent of people who have clubbed fingers.
  
• Half-and-Half (Lindsay's nails) — Look for an arc of brownish discoloration. May appear in a small percentage of people who have a kidney disorder.
  
• Onycholysis — The nail separates from the nail bed. Most of the time, this problem is associated with physical injury (trauma), psoriasis, drug reactions, fungal disease or contact dermatitis from using nail hardeners. Sometimes onycholysis can be related to an over - or under-active thyroid gland, iron deficiency, or syphilis.
  
• Spoon nails — Soft nails that look scooped out. Depression is usually large enough to hold a drop of liquid. This condition often indicates iron deficiency.
  
• Terry's nails — The nail looks opaque and white, but the nail tip has a dark pink to brown band. This can be a symptom of cirrhosis, congestive heart failure, adult-onset diabetes, cancer, or aging.

*Remember that the nail conditions described above are in no way definitive proof of a bigger health problem. Please consult with a medical professional for a reliable diagnosis.

Frustrated by fragile fingernails? Try this.

Many women are plagued by fingernails that split and crack. What's causing this? Like body shape, skin tone, and hair texture, our nails' ability to grow is largely hereditary -- so if your mom had weak nails, you're likely to have them, too. That said, there are things you can do to avoid much of the splitting:

Protect your nails from water. Keep your hands out of H2O, since water can actually dry out nails, causing them to split. Be sure to wear gloves when doing dishes or cleaning.

Apply hand cream religiously. Look for a rich formula, which will seal moisture into nails, making them stronger and more flexible. And be sure to slather on cream every time you wash your hands. Dermatologists often recommend Elon Lanolin-Rich Nail Conditioner.

Limit use of nail polish remover. It contains alcohol and other chemicals which make nails brittle. Use remover no more than once a week.

Buff instead of polish. Nail polish can have a drying effect on weak nails. To get a shiny, polished effect, try a buffer. The friction it creates actually stimulates nail growth.

Keep nail length manageable. Go for no more than a quarter-inch beyond the tip of your finger, and keep nails filed into resilient soft ovals.

If you try the above with no success, consult a dermatologist.

An ingrown toenail is caused by pressure of the nail against the skin on the side of the nail. Prolonged periods of pressure can cause irritation of the skin, swelling, infection, and pain. Ingrown nails are seen mainly in the big toes of people in industrialized nations. People in cultures that don't wear shoes rarely get ingrown nails.

Causes of Ingrown Toenails

There are several factors that can lead to an ingrown toenail. The first is an abnormality of the soft tissue on the side of the nail. Certain rare diseases can cause a laxity of the skin, but the most common soft tissue abnormality is that seen with tight-fitting shoes. The shoes cause overcrowding of the toes pushing the soft tissue against the edge of the nail. Another common factor that can lead to ingrown toenails is nail abnormalities.

Improperly cutting the toenail, cutting it short and curved, can cause the nail edges to turn in. Certain conditions such as lung disease, advancing age, and poor circulation in the extremities from blocked blood vessels can cause the nail to curve. Other less common factors that can lead to ingrown nails are bone spurs under the nail, trauma to the nail, multiple infections, and drugs such as indinavir.

Appearance of Ingrown Toenails

There are three stages of ingrown toenails. In the first stage the skin on either side of the nail is red and painful to the touch. This is due to inflammation or irritation only - not infection. In the second stage the skin is infected and may bulge over the side of the nail. The affected area may ooze clear fluid or pus. In the third stage the skin has been infected for a prolonged time and is trying to heal itself. The skin does this by forming granulation tissue. This is heaped up extra red tissue that bleeds easily and migrates over the nail edge.

Diagnosis of Ingrown Toenails

Ingrown toenails are diagnosed clinically by their appearance. If pus is present, it may be cultured to determine the bacteria involved, but this is not always necessary. Infections that involve the bone or joint space may need to be ruled out with an X-ray, but this extent of infection is rare.

Treatment of Ingrown Toenails

Ingrown toenails are treated based on the stage involved. Toenails in stage 1 can be treated with warm soaks, a cutout shoe, and by elevating the nail with a cotton swab. Symptoms improve after a couple of days, but may not resolve for 2 to 3 weeks. Toenails in stage 2 can be treated with warm soaks and oral antibiotics. Closed-toed shoes and hosiery should not be worn for at least 1 week. If the toenail is especially painful, a portion of the toenail may need to be removed. This is done in the office under local anesthesia. Toenails in stage 3 need to be treated with partial or full toenail removal. For recurrent instances of ingrown nails, the nail bed can be ablated. This is done by placing phenol on a cotton swab and inserting it under the cuticle remaining after the nail has been removed. The phenol kills the matrix cells that make the nail plate.

Diabetics and Ingrown Toenails

People with diabetes must pay close attention to their feet. Diabetics can develop peripheral neuropathies and loose the sensation in their feet. They are also predisposed to getting unusual infections because of the changes in their immune systems. Finally, diabetes can cause the toenails to thicken and curve under leading to ingrown toenails. For all of these reasons, people with diabetes should report any redness around the toenails to their health care provider even if they don't have pain. Diabetics with thickened toenails should see a podiatrist to have their nails trimmed under antiseptic conditions.

By Lee Joo-hee

SEOUL: Song Ji-youn, a 27-year-old office worker, has only one thing on her mind after a gruelling day at work.

Taking off to a trendy street in Apgujeong, Song enters her haven — a shop where she can get her nails done.

Professional nailcarhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gife business was first introduced here in the late 1990s and began rapidly booming recently. It has now become one of the fastest spreading industries across the country.

“Good evening,” familiar artists call out in unison as Song enters the door of her favourite nailcare shop “Bennett”. It is among more than five nailcare salons lined up on the same street opposite the Galleria Department Store.

She finds her nail technician and sits down, clunks her hands forward and immediately starts chatting away about how her boss has been giving her a hard time. The artist smiles and nods, quickly moving her hands to tend to Song’s chipped nails.

read more ...

There are several types of artificial nails. No matter which nail type you choose, the first session will always take some time, since the manicurist must file the whole natural nail and lay some adhesive to tighten the wrapper or the artificial nail tips to the size and the shape of the nail. Then, in both cases maintenance is needed, although acrylic ones are more durable. The following items explain their main features and differences:

Wraps: These are basically a tissue that wraps the nail with very strong resins. The most common ones are called silk or fiberglass. They just differ in the type of tissue used - silk nails show the texture of the material, so they must always be varnished in color, covering or disguising them properly. In general terms, after wrapping the nail, artificial nail tips are added to enlarge them.

read more ..

By Lee Joo-hee

SEOUL: Song Ji-youn, a 27-year-old office worker, has only one thing on her mind after a gruelling day at work.

Taking off to a trendy street in Apgujeong, Song enters her haven — a shop where she can get her nails done.

Professional nailcare business was first introduced here in the late 1990s and began rapidly booming recently. It has now become one of the fastest spreading industries across the country.

“Good evening,” familiar artists call out in unison as Song enters the door of her favourite nailcare shop “Bennett”. It is among more than five nailcare salons lined up on the same street opposite the Galleria Department Store.

She finds her nail technician and sits down, clunks her hands forward and immediately starts chatting away about how her boss has been giving her a hard time. The artist smiles and nods, quickly moving her hands to tend to Song’s chipped nails.

read more ...