NATURAL MANICURES IN 8 SIMPLE STEPS
Treat your hands with a natural manicure once a week. It takes only fifteen minutes of your time and is a great alternative to chemical-laden nail salons where you inhale acetone and formaldehyde vapors while being treated to “professional quality” nail products loaded with artificial dyes, fragrances, and preservatives.
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To begin with, remove nail polish (if you wear it) with acetone free polish remover. Then, rinse your nails with cold water to remove all traces of the chemicals.
Prepare a nail bath by immersing 2–3 packets of green or herbal teas in a bowl of very hot water. Allow the herbs to infuse while the water cools down, and when the water is warm, add 2–3 drops lavender, rosemary, or chamomile essential oil.
Soak your fingertips in the water for five to seven minutes. Rub your cuticles with a slice of lemon and allow the juice to sit on your fingertips for three to five minutes.
Gently push your cuticles back with a wooden stick with a little cotton moistened with vegetable oil. Do not cut your cuticles. If there’s a bit of overgrowth, you can gently file them off with a glass file.
File your nails in the desired shape using strokes, aiming from nail corners toward the center of the nail.
Instead of a paraffin treatment, the healing power of honey can be used for your weekly hand wrap. If the skin on your hands tends to crack—these cracks can be extremely painful when they occur around fingernails—cover your hands with honey whisked with an egg yolk, and cover with plastic gloves, then warm mittens.
Leave the honey on your hands for at least thirty minutes or overnight, if you can, then rinse off and apply a hand cream or cuticle oil.
If you are not in the mood for nail polish, buff your nails and massage a little nail oil into the surface. If you do wear nail polish, choose toluene-free, formaldehyde-free brands. There are many mainstream brands that remove toxic nasties from their nail polishes, so it’s worth checking the label of your favorite nail products in case they have turned for better. And when you paint your nails, stay near the open window if you can so that you don’t inhale too much solvent vapors.
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