Take Care of Your Hands and Nails..

Having gorgeous hands and nails says a lot about your style. Unfortunately, your hands do everything for you—cleaning, typing, writing...everything. So it's very easy for them to become covered in dry, flaky skin with chipped nails.  So if you're ready to get those hands you've been dying for, follow these simple steps.

1. Clean your hands. There's no use in painting your nails and rubbing in lotion if your hands and nails are dirty. Get a toothbrush and squirt some soap on it, then rub it in. Wash your hands in warm water. Use a good quality soap. Rub the soap everywhere: your wrists, in between your fingers, and the area around your nails. Wash the soap off, and then use the soapy toothbrush to scrub the actual nail and the dirt under it. Then make small circular movements around your whole hand with the toothbrush. This gets the hand really clean and makes dead skin disappear. If you have nail polish on, remove it before washing your hands.

2. Gently pat your hands dry,  Use a clean dry towel, try and leave a little moisture on your hands.

3. Massage your hands.  Almost anything will do: massaging lotion, olive oil, yogurt, even lemon juice. Rub a little on your palms and use it to massage the whole hand. Rinse off with warm water. If you used olive oil or something that can be rubbed in, just leave it in—it'll treat your skin. Don't scrub your hands or wash them thoroughly, completely washing away what you used to massage your hands will make them feel tight and dry.

4. Rub in some lotion. There are some great lotions around at the moment that also smell lovely.  Do it properly: don't use lots of the lotion, but use enough to really get deep down.

Hemp Hand Protector 30ml - £5 from The Body Shop	Soft Hands Kind Heart Hand Cream 75ml - £3.50 from The Body Shop	Royal Jelly & Pure Honey Moisturising Hand & Nail Cream - £2.00 from Marks & Spencer

5. Trim your nails. Thoroughly clean the undersides of your nails before clipping the nails: make sure that there isn't any dirt left. It's best to keep them short, which looks neat and is easier to manage. Try to cut all your nails the same length and shape. If you need to, file them afterward. Rub in some cuticle cream on each nail. If you don't have any cuticle cream, use lip balm instead. Leave the cream in for twenty minutes.

Boots 4 Way Buffer Block - £2.20 from Boots	Tweezerman LTD Deluxe Nail Scissors - £10.00 from Boots	17 Nail File & Buffer Fan - £1.50 from Boots

6. Paint your nails. Grab your favourite colour if you're going out. If you're not going out or doing anything special, just use a clear gloss. Your nails really need a break from strong nail polish, or they may get weak or turn yellow. Some nice colours for your hands would be a pearly pink, deep red, or a natural colour. Metallic, glittery and shiny nail polish is very cool too. If you're painting your nails using an actual colour, make sure to sandwich the colours between a thick coat of clear polish, to protect and add shine. How many layers you paint is totally up to you, and depends on the thickness of the polish. Once you're done, wait for your nails to dry. Be careful. If you can, slip on a pair of gloves to lock in all the moisture and protect your hands for a little while. Do this repeatedly if necessary for best results.

Collection 2000 Hotlooks Fast Dry Nail Polish - £1.79 each from Boots	Sally Hansen Diamond Shine Top & Base Coat £7.99 from Boots	Collection 2000 Maxiflex Nail Polish 12ml - £2.49 from Boots

There are some great colours around at the moment why not experiment and go for something you wouldn't normally go for.