REVIEW: Fingernail types & traditional chinese medicine!

Emily Wang – beauty journalist in London – wrote an interesting article about various aspects of fingernails, including: beauty tips, a basic review of the nail structure, changes in nail color & texture,  and… the meaning of fingernail types according traditional Chinese medicine!

A short impression from the article:

‘The Truth about Your Nails‘:

“Interestingly enough- according to Traditional Chinese Medicine,
our nails are also able to portray our innate constitutions.

If your nail shape is naturally:

Oblong – You are harmonious and well-balanced.
Stock and square – You are earthy and balanced but mentally rigid.
Long – You are artistic and creative but lack physical strength.
Oval – You are sensitive and have a weak digestive system.

I found this to be shockingly accurate!
Some interesting reads here.

I used to have artificial nails, acrylic nails and gel nails consistently for two years that I never got to see my natural nails until I decided to take them off for good. My nails became so weak that they felt and bended like paper. At some point they became sensitive to touch, and were unable to grow to a normal standard length before it eventually chipped away.

It therefore took a good year before they even came close to regaining to a healthy state. During this time I had to be mentally aware of what I ate, and made sure that I had substantial amount of vitamins and nutrients that were essential for healthy nail growth.

I am writing from experience. I know what it is like to have that moment where at the time, having fake nails is beautiful. Going to a nail salon, and getting your nails done feels like luxury.
But think about it. Can you really have fake nails for the rest of your life?

The answer is no. And that is why I had decided to be more natural and love my nails as they are. I have learnt to take really good care of my nails, and as my grandmother has always said to me – that “a woman’s fortune depends on her hands and feet.”

Not that I believe in it, but at least now my fingernails look and feel healthy- without needing to spend money doing it up

A little side note…. my younger sister had a “cheese on toast” addiction for a couple of months where she ate it for breakfast before going to school almost everyday. Luckily, because of our family genes, she did not gain any weight from it whatsoever, however we all noticed that her nails improved drastically. She is the only person I know that has the strongest, healthiest looking nails. Extremely envious! I don’t think I could eat cheese on toast everyday…… maybe jacket potatoes!

FURTHER SUGGESTIONS:

Fingernails & diseases , fingernails & disorders & fingernail art

Megan Fox has a clubbed thumb, Hrithik Roshan has a double thumb – not a clubbing fingernail!

Megan Fox has clubbed thumb & Hrithik Roshan has a double thumb – not to be confussed with a ‘clubbing fingernail’! Earlier this summer Megan Fox’s right thumb became news after new photos of her indicated that the beauty has a rather misshapen thumb – which by the way had been observed as early as 2007 already. While scientists have described that thumb length has played a major role in the evolution of human kind, what do we really know about this rather remarkable type of thumb abnormality? Having your thumb in the form of a club, which is called brachydactyly – type D (BDD), which is a minor affliction that can be found in 1 out of every 1,000 people. Local hand surgeons know everything about it there is to know. Dr. Steven Bendner, a leading hand surgery expert at Beth Israel Medical Center, explains that the case of the thumb that looks a bit flattened and therefore shorter, is often a peculiarity that comes down in the family: “The nail of the thumb in this condition is often very short and wide. It is usually hereditary, although it could also have been caused by frostbite, or it could have been an injury to the growth plate in childhood. While one is young, the thumb often looks more or less ordinary, but with the passing of time its shortened condition begins to stand out more and more.” So, contrary to ‘fingernail clubbing‘ (a nail disorder which is associated with various medical problems – often related to lungs), a ‘clubbed thumb’ is usually nothing to worry about at all! Dr. Richard Kim, director of congenital hand surgery at Hackensack Medical Center, warns us not to play down the importance of the thumb.: “You need it to be able to touch the other fingers and it is important for pinching. In Megan Fox’s case, it appears that only the last bone of the thumb is affected and that it does not involve the joint. For her, it looks like it’s just a cosmetic deficit.” Hopefully, knowing about Megan Fox’s little imperfection will help other people to realize that – when not overplayed by the owner – a small cosmetic defect might only add to the charms of a person. Now, maybe you would like to hear more about the ‘double thumb’ (in his case a combination of ‘polydactyly‘ & ‘syndactyly‘) of the famous Indian Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan??? SUGGESTION FOR FURTHER READING: • Fingernail clubbing might signal various medical problems! • An ‘Ode to the thumb’ – by French sculptor César Baldaccini! • Join the brachydactyly type D Facebook club! • Brachydactyly: a club for people with club thumbs

10 Tips for growing beautiful fingernails!

If you’re female long fingernails enhance your appeal! People recognize long fingernails as a sign of beauty and vitality and many feel that long finger nails are sexy as well. But most important is that your fingernails should be kept hygenically wisely. So, before you start any experiment with your fingernails, you should know what might not be best for your nails’ health. Polished fingernails might help your looks, but actually the process will make the nails become thinner and fragile. In short: when it comes to the health of your finger nails, you should always try to take deep care!!

Msn lifestyle recommends only 4 tools that benefit the health of your fingernails: the nail brush, a nail file, a moisturiser, and strengthening products. - Tip 1 - “Be careful when trimming or filing them. When your nails get damaged, you’ll have to wait for months before you can re-grow regular nails again. A nail drill can file your nails faster than the typical nail file but they can also damage your cuticles.” - Tip 2 - “Make sure you are checking the length of your nails. As much as you want to look like those sexy nail care models, you also don’t want your nails to break or crack.” - Tip 3 - “Clean them regularly. Often this can be accomplished by washing your hands. After doing any work that involves dirt getting under your nails, be sure to clean them as soon possible by using a nail brush dipped into soap and water and gently scrubbing under and on top of your nails.” - Tip 4 - “Avoid nail biting by rubbing something bad tasting on them to help prevent you from biting, like mustard or nail polish.” - Tip 5 - “The most important mineral for your nails is Silicon. A good herbal combination for you nails is horsetail, rosemary, hyssop, aloe vera(juice), ginkgo biloba and kelp. Other nutrients that are important for healthy nails are Zinc, vitamin E, C and calcium/magnesium with vitamin D.” - Tip 6 - “Drink lots of water. This will keep your hands, cuticles, and fingernails hydrated. Fingernails absorb water 100 time faster than skin, so they lose water just as fast.” - Tip 7 - “Let your nails breathe. If you wear nail polish a lot, it doesn’t allow for your nails to breathe. So for a few days a week, get rid of the nail polish.” - Tip 8 - “Find a good moisturizer for your nails. This goes along with keeping your nails hydrated. Not only does it work on your cuticles, but your nails too.” - Tip 9 - “Stop cutting your nails. When you use a fingernail clipper, it causes tiny fracture in your nails that make your fingernails more prone to chipping and peeling. Instead, file your nails down. Filing once a week should keep them down nicely. Of course if your nail tears, cutting it down until there’s no tear is needed.” - Tip 10 - “Cut your nails while they are wet if you must cut them. This will make breakage and damage less of a problem.” SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING: • Popular nail products! • The medical cause of brittle fingernails • Find the cause of your nail disorder in 3 steps!