How to Have Beautiful Hands and Nails

Beauty isn't just about your face. True beauty isn't about our appearance at all, but I'll leave that to writers who are waxing philosophical. The one thing that can make you look truly old isn't your face - it's your hands.

My hands look like my mother's. That's not a compliment. I'm not nearly as old as she was when she passed away, but my hands look like hers, only older. I know why; I spent years doing archaeology and environmental monitoring, outdoors all day, digging in the dirt (generally without gloves) and I still garden without gloves. While I never fail to apply sunscreen to my face, the back of my neck and whatever is exposed in the front, repeatedly throughout the day, I neglect my hands. And it shows.

In the "olden days" if you were wealthy, you had someone to do your laundry, cooking, and pot-scrubbing. You might have even had someone to carry things for you. You would always wear gloves outside, and apply whitening cream to them at night. Those days are gone. Our hands work hard, and if we're not careful, it shows. Young women can consider this a warning, and start taking better care of their hands now - and make it a habit. Older women, consider these some tips for making your hands look softer, healthier, prettier, and yes, younger.

If you search the web, you'll find lists of "tips" everywhere. But what it comes down to is fairly simple: cleanse, exfoliate, moisturize, wear gloves, keep your hands warm, protect your hands from sun, never cut your cuticles, and buff your nails regularly.

Most of the cleansers you'll encounter during the day are bad for your pretty hands; they'll strip them of moisture. Stick to old-fashioned Castile or oatmeal soaps that moisturize as they clean. Some websites suggest using Apt.5 Soap-to-Go, a product that provides 10 soap "sheets" or "petals" in a purse-perfect pouch, but good luck finding it unless you live in New York City, where you may be able to get it at Duane Reade stores. Soap "petals" or baby wipes are easy to carry, and generally not as harsh as the soap in public restrooms.

There are tons of facial exfoliators on the market, but searching for hand exfoliators can be a little more difficult. My personal favorite is Crabtree & Evelyn's La Source Hand Recovery (it's the white tube in the first photo). Apply it to dry hands, rub it into your hands for at least 60 seconds, then rinse off. Your hands will instantly feel indescribably softer and younger. Some of the ingredients include sea salt, shea butter, and lavender, and the scent is described on their website as "relaxing sea air fragrance." Maybe. Anyway, it's light, fresh, and doesn't linger.

Follow exfoliation with moisturizer. Good hand moisturizers are everywhere. One rule to follow in winter or if your hands are very dry is to use a cream rather than a lotion. Although "old wives" tell you to slather moisturizer on your hands before bed then cover them with cotton (or wool - itchy!) gloves, that's not necessary. Apply moisturizer frequently throughout the day (carry a small container in your purse or backpack, have one in your office, and spread a few throughout your home), then apply a good one heavily about two hours before you go to bed. Two uninterrupted hours is enough time to get moisture through the outer layer of skin and down to where it's needed. It's probably no surprise that my favorite hand moisturizer is also in Crabtree & Evelyn's La Source line; it's called hand therapy and the name says it all. I use it several times a day (see first photo; blue tube).

Wear gloves when you garden, do dishes, do laundry, or go outside in the winter. Besides protecting your lovely hands, gloves can also help preserve a manicure! Keep your hands warm in the winter; wear mittens or gloves when you go outside, and consider wrist warmers if you work on a computer. Periodically shake your hands to get the blood flowing through them. Protect your hands from the sun by applying just as much sunscreen as you do on your face. If you've managed to acquire a few "age" spots or freckles during your life, products like Murad's Age Spot and Pigment Lightening Gel or their Accelerated Spot Removal set can help - for a price, as will Clinique's Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Removal. If you'd rather try to make your own, check here for some recipes. You'll save money and it will probably work just as well.

The final step for beautiful hands is proper nail care. Some women obsess over this, and get weekly manicures, and try not to do anything that might damage their beautiful nails. That's not a bad thing, by any means; it's just a bit much for many of us. The opposite, a group to which I confess I belong, ignores their nails other than using a clipper on them when they get too long or break a little. I'm trying to do better. For healthy nails, you should use a (non-metal) file to smooth them and to shorten them. This does require some patience and some easily learned skill. Use a cuticle oil daily (see photo 2), or you can use olive or almond oil, or even Vaseline. Once you've softened the cuticle, push it back with a rosewood or birchwood stick (they're really cheap at places like Target or Walgreens). Never ever cut your cuticles. You risk cutting too deeply and getting an infection. Don't let your manicurist, should you visit one, cut your cuticles either. Pushing them back is all you need to do. Get a four-sided buffer (see photo 2 - this one is from Sephora but was still just $5), and follow the instructions on the sides. Side 1 - file the top of the nail; side 2 - buff the nail bed (the part you'd put polish on); side 3 - polish the nail bed; and side 4 - polish. I did this to three of the four fingers of my left hand. Look at the third photo and see if you can tell which one I didn't do!

You can also beautify your nails and skin with a healthy diet (and no, sadly, gelatin capsules don't necessarily strengthen your nails, nor does Vitamin E, which you should only take if your doctor says you need it), and by drinking plenty of water. Few things make you look older than dehydrated skin. Wait until your nails are strong and healthy before using nail polish, and avoid false nails if possible, since their glue can destroy your own nails. Nail polishes can harm your nails, and traditional nail polish removers do even more damage. Newer "natural" renewers like this one from OPI for Sephora might take longer to clear off old polish, but they won't dry out your nails like traditional polish removers with acetone. Read labels on everything you use for your hands and nails, and get advice from a good manicurist. The fourth photo shows the hand of a woman older than I am who has always taken good care of her hands. The differences between her hand and mine speak for themselves. Young women, take heed!

Finally, give yourself a head start on beautiful hands and nails by treating yourself to a manicure. While most of us probably don't have the time or money to do it weekly, doing it once can get you off on the right - well, hand!

(In case you couldn't tell which of my fingers was un-buffed, it's the second or "bad" finger!)

(Sources: http://www.free-beauty-tips.com/handsoft.html,http://free-beauty-tips.glam.com/quick.html, http://womenshomeremedies.com/hands/how-to-have-soft-white-and-beautiful-hands, http://womenshomeremedies.com/category/hands,http://whatscookingamerica.net/HealthBeauty/YoungerHands.htm,http://blisstree.com/live/three-tips-for-beautiful-hands/,http://allwomenstalk.com/sexy-beautiful-hands/,http://www.beautysherpa.com/skincare/beautiful-hands.html, http://www.ivillage.com/quick-tips-pretty-hands/5-a-146808 )