Not every girl can boast of strong healthy nails. But the situation is easy to correct even at home. And the lemon will help to do this. For nails, this is a real find that will help solve many problems.
Benefit
The chemical composition of lemon is rich in vitamins and minerals. Also there are volatile, pectin compounds, acids and other substances that are very useful. Due to this, it has antiseptic, bactericidal and detoxicating effects. What is useful lemon for nails:
- strengthens, eliminating delamination and brittleness, makes the nail plate more elastic;
- restores natural color, eliminates yellowness and restores a healthy glow;
- cares not only for the nails, but also for the skin around them;
- moisturizes and softens the cuticle, preventing its overgrowth;
- accelerates nail growth;
- promotes faster restoration of the nail plate after building or using gel polish;
- treats fungal infections in the early stages.
Indications
Of course, applying lemon to nails is always useful, but in which cases it is especially necessary:
- delamination;
- slow growth;
- fragility;
- manifestations of fungal infection;
- yellowing of the nail plate;
- condition of nails after a manicure using gel polish or extensions.
Baths
This is the most popular nail care treatment on both the arms and legs.
- Firming bath for nails with lemon. Pour warm water into a small container and add freshly squeezed juice of one lemon. Time: 20 minutes. After that, wipe your hands dry with a towel and grease with a nourishing cream.
- From delamination. For half a liter of water, take fresh juice of 1/2 lemon and a handful of salt, preferably sea salt. Mix everything until the crystals are completely dissolved and immerse in the hands solution for 15-20 minutes.
- Whitening. You will need 30 ml of natural apple cider vinegar and lemon juice, which must be diluted in 1/2 liter of warm water. Keep your hands in such a bath for 10-15 minutes.
- For growth. Pour water at a comfortable temperature (0.5 l) into the container. Add: juice of half a lemon, 100 ml of milk, 20 g of honey and a tablespoon of sea salt and apple juice. Apply 2 times a week for 20 minutes.
- From fragility. Heat half a cup of olive oil and add a tablespoon of lemon juice and 5 drops of rosemary essential oil. Submerge fingers for 15 minutes. After a hand get wet with a napkin, no need to wash.
- Recovery. Take glycerin (100 g) mixed with honey (1 tbsp.) And lemon juice (2 tbsp.), Add 3 drops of iodine. The mixture that turned out, you need to warm up a little. Best in a water bath. Immerse your fingers in it for a quarter of an hour.
Masks
With the help of masks, you can not only look after your face or hair. Nails also need care and care.
- You can strengthen and give a healthy shine using a simple procedure. To do this, take a lemon and cut it in half. Dip your fingertips into the fruit pulp so that the nails are completely hidden. Hold for 10-15 minutes. After rinse your hands with water and grease with a nourishing cream. You can make such a mask to strengthen nails with lemon no more than 1-2 times a week.
- A mixture of dull nails will help a mixture of lemon juice and honey, taken in equal amounts (about 1 teaspoon). Apply the mask abundantly on the nails and the area around. Hold for 15-20 minutes and then rinse.
- Damaged building up nail plates will help restore the following composition: lemon, cucumber and aloe. Squeeze juice from these products and mix with each other 1 teaspoon. Apply the mixture with a brush, wait until it absorbs and dries and repeat. Do this a few times. After 20-30 minutes, wash off the nail mask with lemon and apply a moisturizer.
Whitening and strengthening
If there is no time and desire to make baths and masks, you can use the simplest way to use lemon for nails. Every day, the nails and the adjacent area must be lubricated with the pulp of a lemon and rub the juice into the nails. The procedure is enough to do once a day. After 2 weeks, take a short break of 7-10 days and you can repeat the course again.
Lemon vs Fungus
Lemon effectively fights fungal infections of the nails in the initial stages. Citric acid, possessing antifungal and antiseptic properties, is able to destroy the colony of the fungus, gradually reducing it.
There are several ways to treat nail fungus with lemon. But, in any case, you must first prepare the nails, for a more effective impact.
To do this, it is recommended to make a hot bath for 10-15 minutes with the addition of laundry soap and soda (1 tbsp. L. To 2 l. Of water). This solution softens the upper coarse layer of the skin of the feet well, which is then easily removed with pumice. When the legs are ready, you can proceed to the procedures:
- Compress. Apply small pieces of lemon to the affected areas and fix them with a band-aid. You can use socks with fingers for convenience. Keep a compress all night. By morning, the nail and adjacent tissues soften and become malleable. And it will be possible to eliminate the lesions further. Recommended course: 8-10 treatments.
- Juice treatment. Rub lemon juice into infected nails for two weeks until completely absorbed.
- Mask with turmeric. Mix a teaspoon of turmeric and lemon juice to a thick slurry. Put the resulting substance on a sore nail and cover with a bandage on top. Hold for 15 minutes. Gradually, the exposure time is increased to half an hour. The course is 14 days.
- Bath with vinegar. Take a juice of 1/2 lemon and a tablespoon of 9% vinegar per liter of water at a temperature of 40 °. Keep feet in the resulting solution for at least 10 minutes. Repeat the procedure until healthy nails have grown completely.
- Means with iodine. Mix 1 tbsp. l vegetable oil and 2 tbsp. l lemon juice. Add 3 drops of iodine. With the resulting composition, generously lubricate the nails and the skin around them daily for 2 weeks. Residues that are not absorbed should be removed with a tissue after 20 minutes.
- With tea tree oil. It can be taken instead of iodine in the above recipe. Act on the same principle.
Massage
Lemon zest can also be used for nail care. After all, it contains a large amount of essential oils. Massage the nails with lemon skin for 1-2 minutes on the outside, squeezing juice out of it. You can do this procedure daily. It enhances blood flow, which ensures the healing of the nail plate and its rapid growth.
Cream Enrichment
It is very convenient and useful to add lemon juice to hand cream. Take a single serving of the product and drip 2-3 drops of juice into it. Apply on the skin of the hands with an even layer, paying particular attention to the nails.
How to apply lemon essential oil
Lemon ether can not be used in its pure form, you can get a burn or irritation. It is added to any base oil and rubbed into the nail plate. To prepare the mixture, take 10 ml of almond oil, peach or grape seed and add 3-5 drops of lemon ether. Apply 1 drop to each nail and rub until everything is completely absorbed. You can do this daily.
Contraindications
The reasons for which the use of lemon is impossible is quite small, but do not leave them unattended:
- Allergy. Unfortunately, the negative reaction of the body to citrus fruits is not so rare. And even its external use will bring a lot of unpleasant moments. This is the case when the use of lemon is contraindicated.
- Sores and injuries on the skin. With regenerative ability, lemon helps to heal wounds faster. But the acid in the composition will make its use a real torment. Therefore, you should first evaluate the degree of damage and the desire to endure inconvenience. If the wound is large, then it is better to postpone the use of lemon until complete healing. Small cracks and wounds are not an absolute contraindication, but will pinch.
Application Tips
A few simple rules, compliance with which will help to achieve the desired result faster:
- Before proceeding to the procedures, it is necessary to erase the nail polish, otherwise the nutrients will not be able to penetrate the nail plate.
- All manipulations should be fun. If you feel discomfort, burning, it is better to stop the procedure and wash your hands.
- Lemon should be used for nails regularly, at least 1 time per week.
- In the end, be sure to use hand cream.
- Lemon can be replaced with essential oil, which has the same qualities and properties as a fruit.
- Do not abuse lemon procedures, since acid with frequent use can destroy nails.
Judging by the reviews, lemon for nails is a very effective tool that helps maintain the beauty and health of nails.