Unattractive and Unhealthy Nails: The Importance, Causes, and Solutions

A person's hair, skin, and overall figure might be the first things you notice when you meet them, but what about their nails? Sure the obvious areas to maintain would be your hair, skin, and figure because you think these are the first things people will notice about you. Think about all of the time and effort you put into your appearance; it can be very easy to overlook you nails. When you go on a job interview and you hand over your resume, the hiring manager notices your dirty, split, maybe even discolored nails, suddenly your new hairstyle and squeaky clean face don't matter so much.

There are several reasons why one's nails might become unhealthy looking. The nervous habit of biting your nails can become a big problem. It can lead to splitting and uneven, jagged edges that can be very unsightly. Jagged nails can snag on things, causing the nail to strip more and more until it becomes painful. When you feel you are becoming nervous, instead of biting you nails down to nubs, chew some sugar free gum. You won't want to chew nails with gum in your mouth, and soon enough you'll break the habit, allowing your nails to grow to their full potential. Also, when you notice that your nails are becoming jagged and uneven, the best thing to do is to file them until even so that they will not snag and strip.

Another cause of unattractive nails might, but should not, come as a surprise to you. According to Tracy Ahrens, the director of the environmental health division stated that there aren't enough resources to allow for the proper inspection of nail salons. After providing service to hundreds of people, imagine the amount of bacteria and dead skin that accumulates on the utensils used for a manicure. If not cleaned properly, these utensils can introduce bacteria and fungus into your nail bed, thus changing the color under the nails to white, brown, or even green. There are not many things that could be less attractive than green nails. It is also easy to imagine why one would not want to hire a person, who would be representing their company, that also has green, brown, or white nails. If a person's nails are unhealthy, it might make an employer wonder if that person is just unclean and does not pay attention to details. In conclusion, it's the whole picture that counts when making a first impression, including the condition of your nails.

Sources:
Ahrens, T. (2007). Beautytech.info. beautytech.info. Retrieved from http://www.beautytech.info/articles/nailrisks.htm