#WomenSpeak | Taking Care of Your Hands by Jennifer Odinikaeze

The hands, our trusty friends whom we can do almost nothing without. Have you seen such beautiful well-manicured hands on some guys and you admire them, even as a guy? Yes, sometimes you have so many things on your mind to think about indulging in a manicure session even at home, all by yourself.

Hold on, did you repeat, “manicure” with raised eyebrows? Yes, manicure sessions aren’t only for ladies, you know? It is best if you keep your hands clean, nice, without peeling nails, and well-moisturized all the time, especially as you also do not like dirty, scruffy, peeling nails on ladies. No one wants to shake sweaty palms or dirty hands; neither would you want to receive anything handled with such hands.

Here are a few hygiene tips to keep your hands healthy.

Keep your nails clean

Like earlier said, dirty hands are a no-no, and that includes your nails too! You cannot be bothered most times, except when going on a date. This shouldn’t be the case. Your nails should be clean at all times, except you are fixing you car, gardening or have to do dirty work, after which your hands and nails should come out nice and clean after being washed. Soak them in hot/warm water if the dirt proves too tough to come out.

Clip/trim and file your nails

Long nails aren’t really nice on men, even though certain guys like keeping the last two fingernails really long. I have a friend whom I asked why he kept that fourth nail long. He had no tangible reason, only that he liked that one long, plus it looked nice. In actual fact it did, when I looked at it. It was fresh and clean. No dirt underneath. That doesn’t mean you should keep long fingernails, though. It is best to clip each nail across or cut with a pair of scissors and then file nicely to give it a nice rounded finish. It isn’t vanity. If you don’t have the time, clip them after taking a shower or doing laundry or the dishes. Your nails would be soft and easy to clip/trim. When doing this, try as much as possible not to cut too close to your skin. Your hands don’t look too nice this way.

Use Vaseline

Always have Vaseline around you. Vaseline helps to moisturize the hands, not only during the dry and harmattan seasons, but whenever you have cracked skin/knuckles as a result of being in an environment that is too cold. It helps soften your palm as well. Do you have rough palms which never seem to get smooth no matter what you do? Soak your hands in warm water for a few minutes (this softens the skin like earlier mentioned), and then rub gently with a pumice stone the way you would scrooge off dead skin on your sole (if you have had any). After this, moisturize with Vaseline or any other moisturizer you have.

Avoid using alcohol-based soaps and hand-washes

Soaps with an alcohol base cause the skin to dry faster. Avoid them like the plague as they hurt your skin more than you can imagine. The more your wash, the drier your hands get, and this isn’t what you want, right? You want soft, well-manicured nails which is worth a warm handshake, and which you are comfortable with.

Taking care of your nails isn’t vanity. It is plain hygiene. Your hands take things to your face- eyes, mouth, ears, etc, handles a lot of things including other people’s hands and properties… They should be kept clean always. Endeavour to keep them that way – always clean!