Baths for nails: benefits, harms and recipes

Well-groomed hands with neat and healthy nails are one of the main attributes of a modern person. Unfortunately, not everyone can boast of the perfect nail plate. Lack of vitamins, bad habits, constant exposure to aggressive agents - all this spoils her appearance. In addition, with age, even the healthiest nails fade, begin to exfoliate and break.

Warm water with useful additives dissolved in it turns into a real healing agent. Depending on the ingredients in this mixture, this procedure solves many problems.

• Healing baths can help with various fungal diseases. Some components are able to quickly heal scratches and cracks left after a trim manicure by a non-professional craftsman.
• Nourishing baths infuse tissues with beneficial vitamins and minerals. With a regular procedure, the color and structure of the nail is leveled, it becomes smoother and more shiny.
• Some mixtures can significantly accelerate the growth of the nail plate. Beautiful long nails will grow in a couple of three weeks. You can use this remedy before major holidays or celebrations, in this case you will not need artificial build-up.

• The thickness of the nail is determined by human genetics.However, many factors influencing it contribute to a decrease in this value. With the help of the restoring components of home baths, you can restore the thickness of the nails to their original values.
• The color of the nail plate also changes with age. White or dark spots appear, the shade instead of natural pink becomes unpleasant yellow. Special bleaching baths can help solve this problem.

In addition to the benefits for the nail plates themselves, the baths have a positive effect on the skin of the hands. It becomes softer, tissues are saturated with nutrients and moisture. It helps to smooth wrinkles and reduce age spots.

For all its positive qualities, nail baths can turn from a healing procedure into a real danger. Most often, such a transformation is associated with violations of the rules for the use of funds or with the wrong selection of components. Each of them in excess can greatly harm even the strongest and healthiest nails. This happens especially often with an overabundance of active ingredients.

• Salt. Too much salt is safe for the nails themselves, but can dry out and worsen the skin on the hands.
• Iodine. A large amount of iodine will not only stain the skin and nails an unpleasant brownish-yellow color, but also make the nails brittle.
• Lemon. In small doses, such a bath is practically useless. It is much more effective to wipe your nails with a slice of this fruit. And in large quantities, lemon juice is harmful to the skin. It eats away at it and causes severe pain, getting into small wounds or scratches.
• Potassium permanganate. With a large amount of this agent, it is not difficult to get a real chemical burn.

In addition, the temperature of the water also matters. Of course, no one will immerse their hands in boiling water, risking severe burns. But even just hot water, which a person is quite capable of withstanding, can greatly harm the nails. Sensitive to temperatures, from excessive heat, they quickly expand, and after the procedure, they narrow just as quickly. Such differences are fraught with delamination and even cracks in the nail plate. To avoid this result, do not pour too hot water into the bowl or basin.

There are several basic rules to follow, so that the nail baths give a good result and do not harm your health.

• Prepare. You need to choose the time in advance so as not to be distracted by extraneous matters. It is best to carry out the procedure before bed, so as not to have contact with the aggressive environment after the bath. It can also be done on painted nails, but nails that are not covered with varnish or gel absorb the beneficial substances best. Immediately you need to prepare a towel to dry your hands after the procedure or if you receive an urgent call on the phone.
• Regularity. Do not expect stunning effects from one procedure. Nails did not lose their appearance and health in one day, so it is worth working hard before beauty and strength return to them. The optimal schedule of procedures is every other day. If the rhythm of life does not allow you to allocate so much time for the procedure, it is worth repeating it at least 2 times a week.
• Duration. There is no point in soaking for less than 5-10 minutes. For the full effect and to get maximum benefit, it is better to leave your hands in the water mixture for at least 15–20 minutes. It is recommended to put a kettle of hot water next to it to add it as the bath cools down.

• A set of measures. It is worth treating and strengthening nails not only with trays. If you combine this care with masks, wraps or special commercial products that can be purchased at a pharmacy or store, the desired result will be obtained much faster.
• Accounting for individual allergies. Each person may have an intolerance to one or another ingredient that is used in the baths. Even if there are many admiring reviews about an allergen mask on the network, you should not risk your health for this.
• Periodic change of components. Nails quickly get used to the substances that make up one or another component of the bath, so once a month it is worth changing the recipe.

There are many different recipes for doing this at home. First, it is necessary to decide what specific effect is expected from the procedure. If the nails need to be strengthened, then it is worth choosing some products, and if they are bleached, then others. Secondly, for 3-4 weeks you can try different baths, and then decide which one is most effective. Thirdly, you can study various reviews or ask for advice from professional manicurists or dermatologists.

Herbal, iodine and oil baths are perfect for strengthening nails. For example, you can mix 100 ml of linseed oil with 5-6 drops of iodine. This bath will give your nails a shine and a natural, even color. Another recipe can be prepared without even leaving your own kitchen. To do this, you need to take 50 ml of vegetable oil and 50 ml of weak apple cider vinegar. Mix the ingredients thoroughly and dip your nails in them for 10-15 minutes, and then grease with any nourishing cream.

When you go to the pharmacy, you can buy dry herbs and make a very useful firming bath for brittle and weakened nails. To do this, mix 4 teaspoons of burdock root, chamomile and St. John's wort. Boil the mixture with boiling water and let it brew for about 2 hours. After that, you can dilute the strong infusion with warm water and start treating your nails.

The most popular version of the bath, which enhances the growth of nails and additionally strengthens them, are all kinds of solutions with salt. Especially useful in this case is sea salt, rich in natural iodine. To prepare such a product, it is enough to take 0.5 liters of warm water and add 4-5 tbsp. tablespoons of coarse sea salt. Stir the mixture thoroughly and dip your nails into it for 20-30 minutes.

Gelatin baths will also help to enhance the growth of nails. To do this, you need to prepare 200 ml of a weak chamomile infusion, which will additionally strengthen the nail plate. Add 2-3 teaspoons of gelatin to it and stir thoroughly. In the resulting jelly-like mass, lower the fingertips for 20-30 minutes.

In order to nourish the nail plate with useful vitamins and minerals, citric acid is perfect. It is enough to mix it in a ratio of 1 to 2 with any fatty oil and heat the mixture in a water bath. As soon as all the acid crystals dissolve in the oil, you can start the procedure, which will last about 15–20 minutes until the mixture has completely cooled down.

Also, a mixture of essential oils will be an excellent nutrition for the tissues of the nail and skin. For example, you can mix 2 drops each of tea tree oil, rose oil and myrrh oil with 10 ml jojoba oil. Heat the mixture in a water bath and dip your nails into it for 10-15 minutes.

To restore the nail plate after damage or build-up, you can use plain olive oil. It is enough to heat it up and place your nails in a warm thick liquid for 15–20 minutes. In addition to restoring nails, the product nourishes the skin of the hands, making it smoother and softer.

To restore healthy shine to your nails, you can use the orange in the refrigerator. To prepare the bath, dissolve 2 teaspoons of ordinary table salt in 1/3 cup of orange juice mixed with 1/3 cup of water. To enhance the effect, you can add 3-4 drops of iodine to the solution.You need to immerse your nails in a fragrant liquid for no more than 15 minutes, after which you need to apply a nourishing cream or a special tool to them.

Not only to whiten nails, but also to soften the cuticle before a manicure, ordinary soda baths can. To do this, mix 1 teaspoon of baking soda with 2 teaspoons of hydrogen peroxide in a small glass, dip your nails into it and hold in the mixture for about 10-15 minutes.

Also, a honey-lemon mixture for nails has a whitening effect. For the bath, you will need 2 tbsp. spoons of honey, juice of 1 medium lemon and 2 tbsp. tablespoons of olive oil. You need to immerse your nails in the mixture for 10-15 minutes, then rinse your hands thoroughly with cool water.

On various forums and sites on the network, you can find many different reviews about certain recipes for baths to restore and strengthen nails. Such a home procedure becomes a real salvation for those who regularly and in compliance with the rules prepare an aqueous solution of active substances. Users note rapid growth, greater strength and evenness of the nail plate. “Simple”, “effective”, “reasonable” - all this refers to the simplest formulations that can restore the health of nails in a few weeks.

In the next video, the best recipes for nail baths are waiting for you.