6 D-I-Y Steps to Fabulous Hands and Nails

Our hands are perhaps the most highly utilized and abused but taken for granted body parts. We always subject them to great physical exertion and stress. Doing household chores alone can torture our hands and nails. And not giving them enough time to rest, or proper care, can really make them look and feel old, stressed out and rough.

So you look at your hands and nails with frustration and you agree that they indeed need special care. But you're too busy to go to a beauty salon for a hand spa and manicure. Or even if you're not, you may consider it impractical to spend a few dollars for these beauty treatments. So you'd rather do it at home if you can.

If you prefer a do-it-yourself hand and nail treatment which can be done in the comfort of your home, then by all means do so. Just follow the simple quick steps below. This regimen is not only effective, but very easy to do as well.

Soften your hands. Remove any trace of old and cracked nail polish. Using an acetone-free nail polish remover would be best as acetone has the tendency to be rough on the surface of your nails causing it to weaken. Then soak your hands in a basin of warm water for about 5 minutes. For best results, you may add a cup of fresh milk and/or 3 to 5 tablespoons of honey.

Exfoliate dead skin cells.You may do this using a very gentle hand stone which you can buy from your local drugstores. To avoid cutting your skin, use only one direction in sloughing off dead skin cells. Be extra careful with those edges behind your knuckles. You may enhance this step by putting a pinch of sugar on your palm and adding a few drops of baby oil or olive oil. Then rub the sugar and oil mixture all over your hands paying extra attention to your knuckles, fingertips and areas between your fingers.

Cleanse your hands.Wash your hands in warm soapy water and rinse. If you have a peel-off facial mask (especially one with cucumber and green tea extracts), you may apply it on your hands too. Then wrap them with a warm towel for 5 minutes to suck out deeply embedded dirt from within your skin pores.