Most problems encountered with nails can be easily solved by better nail care and an improvement in diet. Here are some of the common problems that many pregnant women experience with hands and nails.
1. Brittle nails: apply a protein conditioner and don’t polish until the condition improves. Make sure that your diet contains adequate sources of vitamins A and B, protein, calcium and zinc.
2. Broken nails: repair with a special, nail- mending kit if they can be saved.
3. Rough hands: moisturize regularly and apply a deep-action cream at night to nourish them. If they look red, you can buy a special green-tinted moisturizer to help conceal the redness.
4. Nicotine stains and age spots: these are both unsightly, and lemon juice is a good natural treatment. For nicotine stains, wash well and scrub with a nail brush. Dry and rub hard with a cut lemon. Age spots are more difficult to remove; indeed, it may be an impossible task. However, staying out of the sun or protecting your hands with a strong sun-screen will help prevent them getting worse or new liver spots appearing. Analyze your hair type treatment with lemon juice and a little oil may also encourage them to fade slightly.
Good hair care will help keep your hair in beautiful condition throughout your pregnancy — thick, glossy and soft. Regular shampooing and conditioning combined with careful setting and drying will prevent hair damage and ensure that it is in tip-top condition. You may find that the hormonal changes within your body interfere with the normal condition of your hair. It may improve and become more luxuriant or it may be inclined to break and split and even fall out and get thinner. The important thing is to develop a routine that suits your hair. In order to do this, you must analyze your hair type:
1. Dry hair
This tends to look dull and lack luster. It is often thin and prone to split ends. Bleaching, coloring and penning may make the condition worse.
Hair care: use a specially formulated shampoo for dry hair and a conditioning rinse. Have a deep conditioning treatment with henna treatment wax or a similar product at least once every three weeks. An occasional oil treatment will protect the hair from moisture loss by coating the cuticles. Just mix about 50m1/2floz oil with the same amount of hot water and massage into your dry hair. Wrap your head in a hot towel to keep in the heat. Leave for 15-20 minutes before shampooing and rinsing really clean in warm water.
The best cream rinses for dry hair usually contains balsam or silicone. Protein treatment packs are also very effective and will restore the hair’s strength and flexibility in time. To prevent further damage, never use heated rollers or curling tongs and blow-dry from a safe distance. In the sun, wrap your hair in a scarf or wear a sunhat to prevent dryness.
Causes: these may be unavoidable or a result of neglect and bad hair care routines. Some hair is naturally dry due to a low number of oil glands in the scalp. However, most dry hair is caused by over- coloring, permanent waving, heated rollers, incorrect blow-drying and over-exposure to the sun. Diet may also play an important role. For example, if you are inclined to be anemic and lack iron, then your hair may be unmanageable, thin, brittle and lackluster. Taking a course of iron supplements during pregnancy has solved many a dry hair problem. Zinc and sulphur are also essential to keep hair glossy and smooth. Perhaps the most important nutrients of all are the B-complex group of vitamins as deficiencies can lead to dandruff, dryness, lackluster hair and even premature graying.
2. Oily hair
This usually looks fine the day it is washed but deteriorates rapidly so that by the second or third day it looks and feels greasy.
Hair care: shampoo the hair as often as necessary – every other day or even every day if wished. It will
Not make the condition worse. Use a mild shampoo suitable for oily hair. Massage it gently into the scalp and rinse thoroughly. Lemon shampoos are particularly effective as they remove excess oil and leave hair glossy – not dull and lank. Never use a conditioner that contains a lot of oil – it will leave your hair really lank and lacking body. An oil-free conditioner will add body and leave hair feeling silky soft. You can add the juice of one lemon to the rinsing water to help close the follicles and control the oiliness in your hair.
Massage and stimulation of the scalp work wonders for oily hair. Because circulation is often sluggish, it needs stimulation to get adequate oxygen and nutrients. So brush the hair frequently to distribute the oil and make hair shine. Of course, during pregnancy the changes in your hormonal balance may cause oiliness, at least for a short time, so you must know how to treat it.
Causes: oily hair may be a result of large oil glands or an excessive number of them. However, it is often linked to poor diet – one that is rich in fats and over refined foods. Cutting down on saturated fats, sugar and processed foods and eating a healthy whole foods diet can often make all the difference to an oil problem.
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