Well-groomed hair and nails are key parts of your first visual impression. Smooth, shiny hair conveys health, while manicured nails represent attention to detail. While hair and nails are great places to express your personality, expression should be a secondary concern to health and good grooming habits.
Hair Growth
Your hair grows at the rate of 35 mm per day, according to Dr. Zoe Diana Craelos in her book "Hair Care: An Illustrated Dermatologic Handbook." You’re born with a certain number of hair-producing follicles, although you’ll lose some of these as you age. It takes about three weeks for a hair to rise through a follicle and appear on your skin’s surface. This growth rate gives you almost 1.5 inches of new hair per month. At this rate, expect to trim short hairstyles every six to eight weeks.
Hair Structure
Every hair is made up of layers: a cortex on the inside and a cuticle on the outside. The cuticle protects the cortex, but when it’s subject to chemical dyes, heat styling or stretches more than 30 percent past its original length, it sustains permanent damage. Keep your hair’s cuticle strong by avoiding frequent use of hairdryers, crimping irons or curling irons. Let your hair air dry and never brush or comb it roughly when it’s wet.
Basic Hair Care
The way you wash your hair has a lot to do with how shiny and healthy it looks. Amanda George of the Neil George Salon in Los Angeles tells InStyle magazine that rinsing shampooed hair in cold water gives it extra shine. She advises using little or no shampoo on the ends of your hair, since they’re the most vulnerable to dryness and splitting. Go the longest time you can without washing your hair, as overwashing fades dye and strips your scalp of its essential natural oils. These oils, says George, help to keep hair shiny, healthy and beautiful.
Nail Structure
Your nails are made up of different parts, including the nail plate, nail bed, hyponychium and the matrix . The actual nail, made of keratin protein, is called the nail plate. Beneath it lies the nail bed, a collection of nerves and blood vessels. The hyponychium is the part of your nail that’s grown past the nail bed. The matrix is the nail’s root; you can’t see it because it’s housed beneath your skin, but it’s responsible for producing the cells that become your nails.
Basic Nail Care
Ji Baek, founder of New York’s Rescue Beauty Lounge, offers her top rules for nail care in her book, "Rescue Your Nails: A Do-It-Yourself Guide to Perfect Fingers & Toes." Baek’s number one rule for nail care is to watch what you eat—nails are protein, so the more calcium and protein you ingest, the faster they’ll grow and the stronger they’ll be. Keep your nails moisturized with lotion or cuticle oil and they’ll split and crack much less often. Always clean under your nails and file them weekly into a smooth shape, no matter their length.
Member Comments