Table of Contents
hand care
From instant peeling to nail care balm: these two really need it.
Hands have to cope with extreme loads. We immerse them in warm water several times a day and expose them to moisture, cold, sun, cleaning agents and friction with almost no protection. So protect them often. That starts with cleaning.
No soap opera When washing your hands, avoid using strong foam whippers with surfactants such as sodium laureth sulfate or sodium lauryl sulfate. Either rely on gentle surfactants made from vegetable oils or sugars, or use hand wash oils (e.g. from Eucerin, Rituals), which immediately replace the lost lipids in the skin with new ones.
Gross-Putz Rough areas with cracked cuticles do not look pretty and appear unkempt. Therefore treat your hands once per peeling. Combination products that clean, exfoliate and care for the hands with valuable vegetable oils in one go are particularly practical. Important: massage in for a minute, then rinse off with lukewarm water and gently pat the skin dry.
Hand flatterers Hands need a protective coat – in the form of a hand cream. This means that the skin appears smooth and plump and dry zones don’t stand a chance. If sun protection filters are included, they prevent premature wrinkles and pigment spots . The icing on the cake is a rich nail cream, which is best massaged into the cuticles in the evening before going to sleep. Also good: pure shea butter (e.g. from Yves Rocher L’Occitane).
manicure helper
They bring the nails into shape and shine
After a short hand bath, it’s time for the nails. And they are anything but tough, but react extremely sensitively.
Push gently You can push back the cuticles with a so-called horse’s foot (stick with a soft rubber tip). Stronger calluses around the nail loosen cuticle remover. Spread on, wait a minute and scrub with a nail brush under warm water. Carefully (!) cut off thicker pieces of skin with nail scissors.
File smooth File the nails only when they are completely dry. Glass, crystal or ceramic files work gently. Important: Always file in one direction only.
Polishing nails with a natural look gives them a super shine with a polishing file: simply run back and forth on each nail for a few seconds.
Handlesen
What do the shape and lines of the hands say about us?
Supposedly , the lines of the hand depict our destiny. Some believe that , some don’t. The doctor and naturopath Ruediger Dahlke goes even further and says that the shape of the hand also reveals something about a person’s character. He divides hands according to the four elements:
The earth hand is square and has short fingers. According to Dahlke, this suggests a practical, down-to-earth person who likes to take things into his own hands.
The air hand also has a square shape, but unlike the earth hand, it has relatively long fingers. People with such hands are considered witty, inquisitive – and sometimes restless.
The water hand has an elongated palm and long fingers. It belongs to a very sensitive, creative person who, however, is also quickly at the mercy of his feelings and moods.
The Fire Hand has a similarly long palm to the Water Hand, but comparatively short fingers. This indicates a very passionate, adventurous person who can easily sweep those around them with their positive outlook on life.
Grooves & dents
What the nails are trying to tell us.
From time to time, the nails give us signs that something is wrong in the body. Often that doesn’t mean anything bad, but sometimes there’s more to it than that.
White spots These usually occur after tiny injuries to the cuticles during a manicure.
Grooves Transverse grooves form as a result of aggressive nail care and are rarely related to kidney problems. Longitudinal grooves increase with age and are mostly harmless.
Dark Discoloration Pinching your finger creates a bruise under the nail that slowly fades and grows out. If the dark spot persists for a long time, it may be a birthmark. As a precaution, have it checked by a dermatologist.
Yellow nails Dark colored nail polishes can discolour the nails. Base coat only provides limited protection. Rarely do they indicate lung disease.
Brittle, yellowish nails This can indicate athlete’s foot, which is often associated with nail fungus. Best to show it to a dermatologist.
Dents or dimples Often harmless and genetic. A lot of dimples can indicate psoriasis.
Nail polish
It stands out and can sometimes catch the eye.
Hardly any woman who paints her nails suspects that this can cause allergic reactions in the eyes. The bad guys in nail polish are formaldehyde (a preservative ), toluene (a solvent) and especially colophony, a natural resin from pine trees. Because we very often unconsciously touch our eyes with our fingers during the day and the skin there is thinner and more susceptible to allergies than on the hands, for example, the symptoms often only show up in the eyes. This is prevented by nail polishes that do not contain these three allergens (e.g. from La Roche-Posay, Sante, Butter, Scotch Naturals).
Blitz Gymnastics
Tricks for a relaxed sensitivity.
W hen you strum on your computer, tablet and smartphone all day long, you will notice that your hands become tense. With these small exercises, you can give your fingers and body a soothing break.
Fingers crossed: Press each finger, starting with the index finger up to the little finger, with the nail on the tip of the thumb and let them snap upwards with momentum. Then proceed in reverse order. Repeat 10 times per hand alternately.
Finger stroke: In Asia, massage rings are an insider tipfor relaxing the body with your fingers . Two rings of different diameters are rolled over the fingers up to 20 times. Depending on the finger, this should help against headaches, neck problems, nervousness and back problems. Yin-Yang ring set, for example, at www.geheimshop.de.
