While the nation is facing a pandemic Covid-19 (Coronavirus disease), many of you are dealing with the beauty regime yourselves at home. Lockdown has made it a challenging task, as manicure and nail treatments are mostly salon-dependent activities. 

Though everything came to a standstill scenario, you can still be thankful for the fact that you have enough food, water, and proper shelter. Because of this coronavirus fear, frequent hand washing and sanitizing are taking a toll on your skin.

Men are shaving their heads as a part of unusual self-care solutions in lockdown. But for women, a little professional pampering is missed by almost everyone. Well-kept hands with clean and well-maintained manicured nails are necessary to protect your hands from dirt, germs, cracks, and open sores.

Why do you need a manicure?

Behind the clean-cut look, the significant benefit is to keep your nails and hands healthy and beautiful.

• Manicure helps in eliminating tans from your hands. Though you must be staying at home nowadays, you can utilize this time for removing your tan that was there from before. It removes the stubborn tan marks and gifts you a perfectly glowing skin.
• Your nails and hands face the maximum exposure to dirt, germs, moisture, and pollutants. All these accumulate under your fingernails and arise various other problems. Manicure provides an extensive cleaning under your nails to diminish the chance of getting infected.
• Manicure helps to keep your nails healthy while skin softer and smoother. The exfoliation process helps in deep cleansing and results in soft and supple skin.
• A gentle scrub helps in exfoliating the dead skin cells from the hard skin areas. Removal of dead cells helps in bringing out the smooth and glowing skin.
• When you use warm water for soaking your hands and nails into it, followed by a stimulating massage, it leads to better blood circulation in the hands. This major part of the skincare routine rejuvenates your skin.

Few hand-care tips

1. Try to wash your hands instead of using sanitizer.

Maintaining hand hygiene is either by using a hand sanitizer or washing it with soap and water. The sanitizer contains 70% of alcohol which is drying and harsh on your skin. So washing your hands is a better option than sanitizing.

Washing it with soap for 20 seconds also kills the virus. So whenever possible, opt for washing your hands and save your sanitizer for cleaning other items like grocery packets, doorknobs, and medical runs.

2. While going out, try to wear gloves.

Instead of sanitizing your hands frequently, it is better to wear gloves whenever going out. Try to get latex gloves and keep them sanitized.

It helps your hands from all the harsh chemicals present in the soap as well as in the sanitizer. Once you open your gloves after reaching home, you can clean your hands.

3. Use a sugar scrub to exfoliate.

Too much drying can make the skin of your hands hardened. Scrubbing helps wonderfully to remove the dead skin cells. Try to make a scrub with oatmeal, brown sugar,  and olive oil and use it for a weekly scrub routine.

It is a cost-effective yet easy method that you can try in this lockdown period.

4. Use a rich in ingredients moisturizing cream for hands.

Because of repeated hand washing, you will need a layer of cream for your hands. Try to get a good moisturizing cream to provide the essential nourishment to your hands.

Few extra-care tips for your fingernails

1. Try keeping your nails short and clean.

Long nails are superbly stylish, but right now, it is the time for short and clean nails. Short nails can prevent catching the virus under your nails. Presently, the scenario demands you to do various house-hold works, so keeping your nails short will help in the proper execution of those.

2. Try scrubbing your nails with a brush.

If you want, you can build a habit of brushing your nails daily once. That will help you to keep them clean and avoid accumulating hidden dirt.

3. Use a nail polish remover to remove nail colour.

Always make sure to use a good quality nail polish remover. It will help to remove the nail paint altogether, and in addition to that, it will also moisturize your cuticles, making your nails healthy. After removal for final cleaning, soak your nails in a bowl of soap and water.

4. Clip your nails properly and file them nicely.

If you do not have a manicure kit, then use only the trusty nail clipper and a file. While cutting your nails, you should allow three equal clips to save yourself. It will help you from unwanted pain due to a deep cut into the nail bed. Then you need to file your jagged edges to give your desired shape with a metal file.

5. Prep cuticles

When removing the dead skin cells from the cuticles, use a cuticle remover. Always use cuticle oil to moisture them. If you do not have cuticle oil with you, apply coconut oil or olive oil.

6. Apply nail paint

If you choose dark colour nail paint, it will help the dirt and germs to hide under your nails. It will be better to select a light nail colour so that you can check your nails regularly.

Put cotton balls in between the fingers and apply a base coat of the nail paint. Wait for two minutes and apply the second coat to give an excellent finish. Try not to use too much of nail paint.

Here, you need to wait for the second coat to dry completely. Then you can apply the single layer with a gloss to get the final effect.

DIY manicure at home using natural ingredients:

During this lockdown period, your monthly manicure routine is disturbed. But you can always try to become an expert. Now, this is the time to skill up. Try this DIY manicure method at home for shining nails and hands.

• Remove nail paint and clean your hands with soap and water.
• Take hot water in a plastic bowl or tub available at your home. 
• Add lemon juice to the hot water.
• Put one tablespoon of rock salt in it.
• You can add rose petals or rose water whichever is available at your home.
• At first, massage your nails with honey.
• Then put your hands into the water for 15 minutes.
• Scrub your hands gently with the sugar scrub.
• Lastly, apply coconut oil to your nails for the ultimate shine.

Now that you have gathered some fantastic hands and nail pampering tips for start right away. Utilize this quarantine period for some beauty treatments and for pampering yourself.