What are hangnails and how can you prevent them?
Unfortunately, even the best of us get hangnails. So what are they? They're the small, torn piece of skin you often find near a fingernail (or toenail). They can be painful at times, especially when caught between something (such as a loose thread in your clothes) or when it comes into contact with nail polish remover, or even water depending on how big or deep the hangnail is.
There are a few ways in which you can avoid getting hangnails though. Firstly, as tempting as it can be to pick at cuticles, this will only make it worse, contributing to hangnails! So refrain from doing so as best you can.
What's more, dry cuticles do nothing for hangnails and can actually encourage them so ensure that you keep your cuticles moisturised whenever possible. A good cuticle oil (such as one containing Vitamin E to help heal the hangnail quicker) or even simple moisturising cream can help to keep the skin around the nails supple so give it a go!
You can also help to minimise the affects of hangnails by snipping it off (with a pair of nail cutters/scissors) as soon as you notice one appear- do be careful though! As always, sleep is a great remedy- there's a reason why they call it 'beauty sleep'! So before bed, massage a bit of lip balm (or cuticle oil or moisturiser as mentioned before) into the affected area (or into your cuticles before a hangnail even pops up)- this will work wonders while you sleep! Wearing cotton gloves at night will also help speed up the process but we at Candy Nails understand how uncomfortable that can actually be!
You might also want to use Vaseline to do the job. You see, the fats in the petroleum jelly penetrate the layers of skin while the jelly forms a film preventing air bubbles from drying out the skin- simple, but effective!
So make sure you take care of your cuticles, keeping them well-moisturised to prevent those nasty little hangnails!
