It's not enough to dress up your face…often it's your hands and feet that let you down when you want to look your best. A little care is all you need.
If we look at out beauty shelves at home, most of us are likely to find a well-stocked menagerie of face creams, face masks, toners, moisturisers… However, a nail cream, a manicure set and hand and foot lotions are rare. In fact, most women end up paying sole attention to their faces and let hands and feet languish in dusty sandals and unhealthy environs. The result - gleaming faces but coarse hands and callous-ridden feet. A simple 10-minute-a day regime results in softer hands, shining nails and beautiful feet.
HAND CARE
Our hands do most of our work. They reach out, touch, grasp, feel… and for all that, end up being ignored often. This leads to a multitude of niggling problems that irritate.
Coarse And Dry Skin
Frequent washing, dryness and changing weather generally lead to coarse, rough hands. Rub a mixture of three tablespoons of sugar and one tablespoon of olive or almond oil onto the hands and follow with a warm water rinse. This ritual should be observed daily or at least on alternate days. The routine helps scrub off dead skin and soften hands.
Calluses
Most women engaged in work that involves frequent use of hands - be it housewives or artists - tend to develop hard and roughened areas on the hand, called calluses. To remedy, take one teaspoon oil (vegetable oils, olive oil or almond oil), one teaspoon lemon juice and one tablespoon rose water. Mix together. Rub over crusty knuckles and hardened areas. Massage for 5-7 minutes; rinse off. This nourishes and softens the skin, making it supple.
Dark And Tanned Hands
Most of us forget to apply sunscreen on our hands which results in tanned skin. Try this - take two potatoes, peel and grate. Extract the juice. Apply all over your hands, especially over the knuckles and finger joints. Potato juice may also be applied over scars. If used regularly, it helps to eliminate scars and lighten dark, patchy areas. Sunscreen prevents further darkening.
FOOT CARE
The human foot is a remarkable piece of engineering. Unfortunately, most people don't give their feet much thought until there's a problem. Most of the pain our feet suffer is self-inflicted-such as forcing them into shoes that do not fit, or wearing ill-fitting socks or stockings.
Daily Foot Care
Feet are often forgotten in the shower. Scrub your feet each time you bathe. For crusty feet, use a pumice stone or a firm brush to exfoliate dead skin. Keep your toenails clipped in a square shape. Be careful not to cut nails too short, or they become ingrown.
Thoroughly dry each foot and follow up with a gentle massage with a moisturising lotion. Wear shoes that fit and take care of foot pain.
Corns And Calluses
Corns and calluses are usually minor problems. Calluses are thick layers of dry, hard skin that usually form on heels and the ball of the foot. These can be scrubbed off with a foot file. Corns are the thickening of skin around a core, whose highest point grows inwards. Friction and pressure from shoes and day-to-day walking may cause these formations.
To soften skin, soak feet for 15 minutes in warm, soapy water. Using a pumice stone or wet wash-cloth, gently rub the hardened area. Regular care will reduce the thickness of calloused skin. Repeat over several days until skin feels normal. Protect sore areas with a corn pad or bandage to avoid pain while walking.
Ingrown Toenail
The sharp end of the nail growing down into the toe results in an ingrown toe nail. This often happens with the big toe. Curved toenails cut too short and /or tight shoes, socks and stockings may be the root cause of this painful problem. If the area is infected, see a doctor. If not, let the nail grow out, then cut it straight across. Avoid pressure on the toe by wearing shoes with a wide toe box. Narrow or tapered shoes are best avoided - you should be able to wiggle your toes inside the shoe. If you cannot move your toes, your shoes are too tight.
NAIL CARE WEEKLY TIPS
(15-20 minutes)
1. Remove old nail polish. Moisten cotton with nail polish remover and press over the nail for a few seconds to soften the polish. Then with a firm movement, bring the cotton from the base of the nail to the tip. Repeat this process until the polish is gone.
2. Shape the nail, using a file or emery board. File each nail tip from corner to centre; do not file in a see-saw motion with the emery board because doing so can cause ridges and nail splitting.
3. Soak the hand in warm soapy water for a few minutes to remove dirt. Clean under free edge of nail with a soft brush.
4. The cuticle is the skin that grows from the finger onto the base of the nail (nail root). Do not push back the cuticle as leaving it intact helps to prevent infection of the nail-growing tissue.
5. Now apply clear nail polish. There is no reason to buy different kinds of clear polishes such as a ridge-filler, base coat, top coat or nail strengthener as they all do the same job. After the clear polish dries, apply a colour polish of your choice if you wish. Let dry. You may then reapply the clear polish as a top coat. This will help strengthen the nail and prevent chipping of the nail polish.
(After the nails have been well cared for - do not forget to apply moisturiser to your hands).
