If you're an outdoorsy person or if you're playing a lot of sports you can still have beautiful nails, provided you give them good care and see that they are well protected from injury. You can take care of your nails yourself, you can go to a manicurist or, best of all, you can combine the two, but there are certain care techniques not to forget. Personally, one of my hobbies is playing sport and relaxing with my best Bluetooth workout headphones. The felling is really great.

For one thing, include weekly buffing in your nail regime. Buffing preferably with a chamois buffer increases the blood circulation to the nail's growth center and increases the strength of your nails.

Want To Give Your Nails A Durable Shape?

According to a nail expert, use a diamond or sapphire dust file to get the smoothest finish. The best shape is straight-sided and slightly rounded on top. Oval, almond, and pointed shapes won't last as long. They lack support since the sides are filed down too thin, resulting in tears or splits near the fingertips.

• Filing correctly is critical to the nail's strength and durability. File each nail from the corner to the center, going from right to left, then left to right. Filing with the growth prevents splitting. Two short quick strokes and one long sweeping stroke on each side of the nail will give you good results.
• After filing, soften your nails and cuticles by immersing them in a finger bowl soap bath. After soaking each hand from three to five minutes, dry your nails and gently push back the cuticle on each of them with your thumb.
• Next, apply cuticle remover with a thin layer of cotton or an orangewood stick. It's very important that you loosen the cuticle adhering to the nail without scratching the nail itself. You can damage your nails by applying too much pressure. Massage the cuticle cream using your thumb in a rotary movement (this also helps improve the nail's circulation). Be sure to wash off all creams thoroughly before applying polish; otherwise, the polish won't adhere to the nails.

The secret to growing your nails is to use a base coat and sealer. Apply at least two coats as a base and allow it to dry thoroughly. Then apply two coats of polish and one more coat (or whatever product you use) as your sealer. It's a good idea to re-apply the sealer during the next day or two. Your nail polish won't chip and your nails will be protected.

If you are planning some strenuous outdoor activities or if you are gardening, be sure to apply a coat of sealer and allow it to dry thoroughly.

What Happens If You Get A Dreaded Split In Your Nail?

Don't panic. At your drugstore or beauty supply store, you can buy some fiberglass patches and nail glue. Mystery Lace glue is one of the best. Combined with the fiberglass patches, it's possible to save even a badly torn nail. Just follow the instructions. The beauty of using fiberglass patches is that you can get away with wearing clear polish because the patch is invisible if you file it down properly. Remember when using glue that less is best.


Excessive moisture can cause your nails to become soft or brittle, and applying a barrier will help them, but extremely soft or brittle nails could also be the result of a medical problem such as anemia or thyroid disease. Also, if you have persistent white spots on your nails and they're not the result of the nail being knocked you may have any number of nail diseases. A trip to the dermatologist would be wise.

By the way, acrylic nails are fast becoming a thing of the past, mainly because you can have beautiful, strong, healthy, and natural nails without destroying them with acrylics. And there are other problems. Artificial nails can cause infections, allergic reactions, and other problems. Aside from being expensive to apply, you need to keep them up by frequent costly trips to the salon for refills. Also, the glue and other nail products are often flammable and care must be taken to keep them away from flames. There is no reason why active women should have anything less than healthy, sensational-looking nails.