Mainly clear skies. Low near 60F. Winds light and variable..

Mainly clear skies. Low near 60F. Winds light and variable.

The owner of Head to Toe Salon, Denise Beaston, said moisturizing hand and feet can be done to prevent dryness and potential hangnails.

The owner of Head to Toe Salon, Denise Beaston, said moisturizing hand and feet can be done to prevent dryness and potential hangnails.

Moisturizing is an important part of nail care for both feet and hands, especially for older individuals.

“Moisturizing is the biggest thing [for nail care,] especially for women who wash dishes all the time and their hands are in water,” said Denise Beaston, the owner of Head to Toe Salon. “It makes a big difference if their hands are moisturized.”

When using products such as acetone, applying cuticle oil or lotion to moisturize should be the next step to help prevent dryness from setting in.

Beaston said her shop normally focuses on nail care by pushing back cuticles around the nails and either clipping or using a certain lotion to slough off the cuticles. Cuticles are pushed back because the skin grows onto the nail bed, Beaston said, and the extra skin needs to be forced back to prevent future pain.

“It gets really dry and crusty and a lot of the time, especially on your fingernails; you get hangnails and those hurt,” said Beaston.

Once hangnails appear, the only solution is to clip off the extra skin and moisturize the nail bed and cuticles afterward, she said.

Pedicures and regular nail care are important for older people, as they tend to struggle with toenail fungus or a buildup forming on their toenails and on the bottoms of their feet.

“A lot of them can’t reach their toes. If they can’t reach their toes, they’re not able to clip them or anything,” said Beaston.

Individuals who can't reach their feet or are dealing with issues such as neuropathy can suffer prolonged fungus, as they can’t feel the issues taking place.

When cutting nails, individuals need to be wary of cutting too far down into the quick, or damaging the sensitive area of skin under the nails. Beaston said to prevent cutting too far into the quick, do not clip past the white part of the nail.

People sometimes have a tendency to peel back their nails with their teeth, which leads to germs making their way into the mouth and potentially causing further problems, Beaston said.

For those wanting to take care of their nails at home, useful tools are nail clippers, a file, and a cuticle pusher.

When using tools such as a nail file, Beaston advises figuring out which type of coarseness to use. The coarseness is dependent on the individual and should be selected to prevent any injury, especially if the person has diseases that cause a slow healing process.

“Your coarser files are going to be for your thicker nails, or even artificial nails,” said Beaston. “If your fingernails are really soft and they bend, you are going to want to use a softer file on the nails.”

To prevent an infection from taking place due to substances under the nails, Beaston recommends cleaning instruments with an alcohol solution after every use.

Beaston said those seeking nail care in a salon should mainly take the business's cleanliness into account. Fungus or infection can take place if nail care tools are not properly sterilized or if a foot bath is not properly drained or cleaned.

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