It’s summertime—time for softening up
our legs, feet, and face. It’s also time to
rejuvenate our hands, which have become dry and flaky during the colder months.
Here, natural beauty experts show how daily
diet and lifestyle habits can transform even the
most neglected hands into works of beauty.
Eat avocados and olive oil for
smooth, silky hands.
Foods high in essential fatty acids help provide
moisture to skin from the inside out, resulting
in a healthy sheen instead of dry, flaky skin.
Aim for the recommended Daily Value of 65
grams of fat per day. One medium avocado
contains 30 grams of fat, a tablespoon of
olive oil supplies 14 grams, and each tablespoon of flaxseed contains 4 grams.
MINI HEALTH CHECK:
What do peeling
or ridged fingernails mean?
Fill up on
collagen-producing foods.
In addition to drinking plenty of water, Santa
Cruz, California-based dietitian Jocelyn Du-
bin, MS, RD, also recommends nourishing
hands from the inside with vitamin C–rich
foods. “The body uses vitamin C to make col-
lagen,” explains Dubin. “Collagen is the fab-
ric of skin, and when there is enough vitamin
C to make sufficient collagen, the result is
smooth skin.” Otherwise you end up with
rough and blotchy skin, explains Dubin. To
more than satisfy the 60 mg Daily Value rec-
ommendation of vitamin C for adults, eat two
oranges, 1⁄2 cup of chopped raw red bell pep-
per, two kiwi fruits, or 1 cup cooked broccoli.
Exfoliate dry skin with
sugar-butter.
Laura DuPriest, aesthetician and author of
Natural Beauty (Prima Lifestyles, 2002), recommends gently exfoliating any dry skin with
ingredients from your kitchen. “Make a quick
exfoliating scrub by mashing 1 tablespoon
sugar with 1⁄ 4 cup butter; rub it into the hands
for a few minutes, and then wipe it away,”
says DuPriest. “This scrub can be used once
a week to soften hands, ease dry skin, and
help better absorb moisturizers.”
Make sure to moisturize.
Harsh weather, soaps and hot water can deplete your hands of their natural protective
oils, leaving them rough and dry. Fortunately,
drinking plenty of water, eating nourishing
foods, and using topical moisturizers can replenish them. “It’s especially beneficial after
bathing to apply healing olive oil, canola oil,
almond oil, or lavender essential oil to lock in
moisture,” says DuPriest.p -Adina Licht
Don’t push cuticles. The cuticle is the protective layer of skin between the visible nonliving part of the nail and the hidden living and growing portion. Excessive pushing or trimming
of the cuticle will expose the living portion and damage it, weakening nails.
Moisten cuticles with olive or almond oil. Dry cuticles can weaken the cuticle and the
nail, which can result in increased nail breaking and chipping. Olive oil, butter, almond oil, canola
oil, and lavender essential oil are some beneficial cuticle moisturizers. Mix 10 drops lavender
essential oil into 1 cup of canola oil and apply to cuticles as often as needed during the day.
Use sunscreen. Your nails need protection, too. Penetrating UV rays can injure the nail, harming its growth. Use a sunscreen with at least SPF 15.
Sources: Laura DuPriest, author of Natural Beauty (Prima Lifestyles, 2002), and Paula Begoun, author of The Beauty Bible
(Beginning Press, 2002).
Care for your nails
FOLLOW THESE 3 EASY STEPS
TO BEAUTIFUL, HEALTHY HANDS
Peeling or ridged fingernails
indicate low stomach acid. Also
known as hydrochloric acid,
stomach acid is a major digestive
player; a deficiency ultimately
can lead to poor breakdown of
food and low mineral absorption,
which can show up in your fingernails. “If you have other low
stomach acid signs, such as
belching and poor digestion, consider drinnking warm lemon water before meals,” suggests Laurie Steelsmith, ND, LAc, author
of Natural Choices for Women’s
Health (Three Rivers Press,
2005). The lemon stimulates
saliva production, which aids in
digestion.
Nails also can become ridged
after menopause when hormone
levels are low. If you suspect a
hormone imbalance, take steps
to support your adrenal glands.
To help revitalize your adrenals,
exercise regularly and cut back
on sugar and refined carbs, such
as white bread and white rice. To
support your body’s adrenal hormone production, take vitamin C
(1,000 mg twice a day) and pantothenic acid (also known as vitamin B5, 250 mg twice a day),
suggests Steelsmith. Because
adrenals play an increasingly important role in estrogen release
as women age, boosting them
tends to boost estrogen as well.
