How To Clean Under Nails: 7 Common Mistakes People Make

Since no matter how much you wash your hands, it seems your fingernails still have some dingy dirt, that's insignificant to be ashamed off. Let's dive deeper into what's that yucky stuff that infects your nails and how you can eradicate it entirely.

What Is That Stuff?

Your fingernails contain a protein called keratin. Keratin debris and skin cells accumulate underneath your nail and turn grayish when they come into contact with dirt and oil. It is also common for remnants of personal care products such as lotions, makeup, and soaps to accumulate underneath your nail. How many times have you dipped your fingers into a bag of chips?

Is It Harmful?

If the gunk changes to a green tinge, this may indicate the growth of bacterial cells. This can happen to people who wear artificial nails, such as acrylic or gel nails. Gel and acrylic nails that are long and carry bit openings provide the perfect habitat for bacteria growth.

Tips For Keeping It Clean

Nail care is important both for your nails and your skin, so here are a few tips on keeping your nails clean.

• Keep it short: If you give your nail clippers away, they will distribute germs. Never share nail clippers with others to prevent the spread of germs.
• Lather up: Wash your hands often with warm, soapy water to retain your digits clean and germ-free. It may be enticing to switch the soap and water for antibacterial hand gel, but nothing is better than the old-fashioned soap and warm water. Washing away the germs is the function of soap, while rinsing them away is the function of water.
• Stay dry: Be sure to thoroughly dry your hands after washing them. Keeping your hands adequately dry reduces the risk that your fingernails may soften from moisture, reducing the likelihood of infection and breakage.
• Trim it: If you have a hangnail, trim it as soon as you can with nail clippers. Avoid using your teeth (ew, remember!) on your nails because this may cause infection and damage to your set of teeth.
• Go for the bar: Take your nails to the bar of fresh, white soap. It may sound odd, but this action will pull the dirt out from under your nails as well as whiten the undersurface.
• Mind your moisturizer: Thick creams trap oil and dirt, making them more likely to slide right underneath your nails with the cream. Opt for a thinner lotion rather than a thick hand cream.
• Stick to it: Nail clippers can harbor bacteria when not cleaned properly. Research performed on brushes and nails reinforces that they're not necessary. Rather than an orange stick, a broom can thoroughly clean up the visible dirt.
• Take a breather: Give your fingernails a break from nail polish, overlays, and other artificial nail treatments. Once a year for three to four weeks is sufficient for fingernails to recover their strength. Gel nail wearers should take a break once every eight weeks for one week.

Five Steps for a Nail Deep Cleaning

If you simply need to occasionally deep clean under your nails, this is a straightforward five-stage process that will leave you with soft and squeaky hands.

1. Clean your nails with an orangewood stick at first to remove any dirt on them. It is generally easier to clean your nails when they are dried than when they are wet. Trim your nails with a nail clipper if necessary.
2. Next, wash your hands with soap and warm water for 20 seconds.
3. Soak your nails in a bowl filled with water and apple cider vinegar for 20 minutes. These acids are known for their antifungal and cleansing properties and, therefore, help whiten your nails and prevent infection.
4. After soaking the apple cider vinegar, wash your hands in hot, soapy water.
5. Feed your nails moisture by massaging cuticle oil or coconut cream into each nail. Many nutrient-rich preparations are highly viscous, so moisturize your hands thoroughly before applying.

7 Common Nail Cleaning Mistakes

Avoiding nail hygiene is unwise, yet you may be unintentionally doing it. Here are seven of the more typical nail-cleaning errors you'll observe. Don't overlook the nail cleaning mistakes of the following list.

1. Not cleaning your tools: It's easy to forget to clean your nail tools on your way to work, but not doing so will allow bacteria to propagate. Clean your nail tools using warm, soapy water, rinsing them well, and wiping them with 100 percent pure isopropyl alcohol.
2. Buffing too often: Buffing your nails is fine, but too much buffing can lead to thin, weak nails.
3. Picking your polish: One of the worst things you can do to your nails is peel off your polish. When you pick and peel your polish, you risk the potential of peeling layers of your nails with it.
4. Sawing back and forth: We’re not referencing a terrifying movie when we say the act wherein a back-and-forth sawing motion is used to file your nails leads to brittleness and nail breakage. Opt for filing in one direction only in order to prevent nail damage.
5. Ignoring your cuticles: Well-behaved nails are as important as well-groomed skin. Apply cuticle oil to your nails to keep them happy and healthy.
6. Skipping base coat: Being an essential part of your nail polish regimen, a base coat is often skipped. Nonetheless, it's crucial, as it fills in ridges so that the polish stays on the nails, strengthening them in the meantime.
7. Using chemical-laden polishes: Formaldehyde and toluene pose serious health risks. Unfortunately, they are present in many nail polishes today. Read the polish labels prior to deciding to dip your nails in their color.

Conclusion

Keeping your nails clean is important not only for good hygiene, but also for overall health. Cleansing your hands daily, removing dirt and oil from beneath your nails, and protecting your hands from drying out are just as important to your health as they are to your appearance.

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