Health tips for better life

If you have an ingrown toenail, you can relate when I say the pain and discomfort is beyond aggravating. Trying to find comfortable shoes is sometime impossible. But what do you do about an ingrown toenail? Do you try to cut it out with a toenail clipper? Will it be there forever?

Some people are scared to seek medical attention because they think they will have to get their nail removed. Though sometimes this is necessary, it is rare that it one will have to lose their entire nail. An ingrown toenail is a nail that digs into the skin and cause pain, swelling, redness, and sometimes infections. It can be cause by genetics, trauma, or improper trimming. Stubbing your toe or dropping an object on your toe may result in an ingrown toenail.

Many people cut their nails too short. This encourages the skin to surround the nail and the nail can then pinch the close confiding skin.

When you first notice the problem, there are some at home treatments to reduce the inflammation and pain. Soaking your foot in lukewarm water with Epson salt may reduce some of the symptoms. Wearing wider shoes that decreases the pressure applied to the area will also help with the pain.

It is highly discouraged to try to remove the ingrown portion of the nail yourself. Continuously cutting the nail inappropriately will worsen the condition. These areas are highly susceptible to infection. Thus at-home surgeries of the nail can be very dangerous.

If you continuously feel discomfort from your toenail, it is recommended to see a foot and ankle doctor, also referred to as a podiatrist. A podiatric physician can do a simple in office procedure to remove the offending nail border.

The nail will continuously grow to be ingrown unless the matrix or the root of the nail is destroyed. When only the outside border is causing problems, the doctor can remove that portion of the nail and only kill the root of that area of the nail. Thus you will still have a nail but a small portion will be removed and will not grow back.

Those concerned with cosmetics will be happy to know that the removal of the border of a nail often goes unnoticed by others when the condition is minor. If there is a serious infection present, the root of the nail will not be killed due to the reaction of the chemicals used with the infectious tissue. The nail boarder is removed and the injury is allowed to heal until the tissue is healthy to undergo chemical insult. Though some need to undergo more invasive surgeries to remove the matrix, most have their problems solved by a simple 15 minute visit to the doctor.

The most important thing to do is to keep your hands off your toenails. Do not try to pick at it or cut it because a small problem can become a big problem if you do not remove of it correctly.

Are you going to have perfectly manicured nails in your close-up photos holding your groom’s hand, showing off your new wedding band? You should!

Many new brides can’t wait for the day trip with their maids/matrons of honor and the bridesmaids and do the whole beauty salon scene – hair, nails, feet, facials. But depending on where you live, that may cost a fortune.

And unless you get your nails done with an acrylic or gel overlay on a consistent basis and you’re used to long or even active length nails, you may want to skip the expense of the nail tips at the salon and invite your ladies over for an afternoon of home manicures.

Here’s your basic manicure kit to get those perfectly manicured nails. These items can be found at just about any department store or beauty supply store like Sally’s Beauty Supply, if you don’t already have them at home.

Non-acetone polish remover
Cotton balls or Gauze pads (I actually prefer the gauze squares to cotton balls)
Cuticle oil with vitamin E
Cuticle sticks/pushers (which can also be used to remove polish from the skin)
Emery board/nail shaper
Nail Buffer Block
Clear base/top coat
Nail polish/lacquer in your choice of colors
Tip ~ Use a nail lacquer instead of a nail polish. Lacquers last twice as long and resist chipping and wear better than an ordinary Polish.

# Nail polish dryer fan

Tip ~ Battery operated nail polish dryers are very inexpensive and a great investment for the home manicurist. Just put your fingers under the dryer for 60 seconds between each coat and you’ll be sure not to smudge the polish.

Now on with the manicure!

If you already have nail polish on, use a non-acetone polish remover and either cotton balls or gauze pads to remove the polish.
Wash your hands in lukewarm water with a mild soap then dry completely with a soft towel.
Massage cuticles with cuticle oil to soften and moisturize.
Use a wooden cuticle stick and gently push cuticles back – do not cut the cuticles but simply push them back away from the nail bed. Wipe excess cuticle oil off your nails.
Wash your hands again with warm soapy water to remove the oils, and dry thoroughly.
Use the emery board to trim and shape your nails, then buff smooth with the buffer.
For the perfect manicured nail look, apply a base coat first. Let dry for at least 60 seconds before applying the first color coat of polish.
Apply two coats of color polish, drying for at least 60 seconds between each coat.
Use a clear topcoat to prevent chipping and wear to the color.
Finish with either a finishing spray or OPI Drip Dry oil to speed up the drying process followed by at least a final 60 to 90 seconds under the dryer or longer.

Quick fixes: Keep your perfectly manicured nails while fixing any mistakes to your manicure, like polish on the skin around your nail, by dipping a wooden cuticle stick in nail polish remover then gently rubbing the skin until the polish is removed.

You can even do this carefully as you polish, provided you don’t miss and swipe the cuticle stick across the polished nail!

You can also buy purchase a nail polish corrector pen which uses the same process of gently rubbing the skin until the polish is removed.

I would advise against using any type of cotton swab on a fresh manicure as you might end up with cotton pieces stuck to your skin or fresh nail polish.

Suggestions:
Perfectly manicured nails look best with nail lacquers. The best nail lacquers I’ve found on the market are OPI and China Glaze, available at most beauty supply stores like Sally’s and also on eBay, where I’ve actually gotten my best deals.

OPI has a bridal line called ” Fairytale Bride SoftShades by OPI” which has an array of beautiful soft shades to compliment almost any bride’s colors.

China Glaze’s Romantique line is also full of lovely bridal colors.

Cleaning silk is surprisingly easy if you read the steps carefully and do what is told. The best way to clean silk is to hand wash it, we do not recommend putting it into the washing machine because it can damage and get ruined. Follow the steps below in order to keep that silk looking clean and new.

If you have hard water, you should first add a spoonful of borax to the washing water. Then, use lukewarm water and a mild, non-alkaline soap or baby shampoo to mix in the water. While rinsing the silk, you can add a few tablespoons of distilled white vinegar to the rinse water to dissolve any soap residue. You should make sure you only soak the silk in this water product for about one to two minutes. Any longer can result in damage to the silk and will not turn out how you wanted it clean.

Lastly, keep in mind that you should not twist or wring out the silk fabric because it can damage.

After washing, you should hang to dry. Avoid putting it into the dryer because the fabric can shrink and also harm it. Never use direct sunlight to dry silk, this will damage it and also fade the color of the silk. If you do not want to go through the hassle or hand washing the silk and waiting for it to dry, you can always take it to a dry cleaning company, they will do the best work for you.

Make sure you clean your silk as often as you can to avoid harming it or ruining it. Take caution when cleaning because you should always hand wash it or take it to your nearest dry cleaning place.

Soft, velvety and shiny satin makes you feel out of world and gives you the feeling of elegance. Satin is used in various home furnishing fabrics these days. It was originally made from silk but now it is also manufactured from rayon, cotton, nylon and polyester. So while buying satin make sure to learn about how to care for satin fabric. For this the manufacturers attach the satin fabric care instructions. Here washing, drying and ironing instructions are given that must be followed for long life of the fabric.

Care for Satin Fabric

Washing

For the best satin fabric care make sure that you read all the instruction written on the label and work according to that only. Because every satin is different so demands for different care. Like acetate and silk satin can only be dry cleaned whereas other satins can be washed in the lukewarm water by using normal detergent with hand or in machine. Instead of dry cleaning you can also purchase the dry cleaning solution and use it. If you are using it for the first time then make sure to test it on the small portion first. If you are satisfied then you can work on the entire satin. Again if you are not going for the dry cleaning then you can purchase the mild detergent. Some of the detergents are specially meant for the satin care. So you can purchase these. You can then take warm or cool water in the bucket and put some detergent in it. Put your satin product here. Rub it gently and keep it in detergent water for about half an hour. Remove it and wash it properly in the running water to remove detergent. Although you can go for the machine wash but hand wash is the safest way for satin fabric care as machine sometimes stretch the fibers of the satin fabric.
Drying

Place the washed satin on the plain surface and remove any excess water with the dry soft cloth. Keep it there for proper drying.

Ironing

Always iron satin on low setting and use iron only if it is required. Furthermore for satin fabric care use iron on the reverse side rather than front shinny surface. After all these store it in cool dry place. You can also keep it in airtight containers. But never place it is a humid and area where you have excess of heat and sunlight.