HOW TO IMPROVE THE NAILS.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XV, Issue IV, 27 July 1895, Page 118

HOW TO IMPROVE THE NAILS.

AN excellent authority has the following :— * Nice nails are a nice finish to a nice hand ; if the hand is rather red, and not of the most elegant form, if the nails are well trimmed, in good shape, and of good colour, it very considerably adds to the appearance of the hand. * The necessary requisites for keeping the nails in order are a small pair of nail scissors, very sharp, a file, an ivory nail cleaner, a piece of soft rag or silk, a pot of nail pomade, and t. chamois leather burnisher.

* Before commencing operations, dip the tips of the fingers in hot water for five or ten minutes, then dry them. Take each finger separately, and cut the nail caielully and leisurely. Cut them very slightly, just snip them, and file the corners and top till the nail is a perfect oval; quite half the nail should be detached at the sides, and smoothly rounded ; now loosen the skin at the base of the nail, so as to show the complete crescent, and if very loose snip it off; but if not, push it down with an ivory nail trimmer. The nail should be so kept that the trimmer can go easily round it, without being stopped by little pieces of hardened skin. When you have got the nail a nice shape, and scraped off all the little roughnesses at the base, clean your nails thoroughly and wash your hands. Then smear a little of the pomade over each nail, wipe it off with a piece of rag or soft silk, and polish with a burnisher with a square of leather, or badger hair tooth brush, for a few minutes, when the nails will be brilliantly polished. * Those who have thin and brittle nails should never cut them, merely use a file, and rub them down. If by any chance the nail gets badly torn, cut it down and wear a stall till it is long again ; but this ought never to happen if the nails are cut regularly once a week, and properly filed. The nails should be rubbed with pomade every night on going to bed, and the grease allowed to go between the tip of the finger and nail; this will prevent their breaking, and will make them supple. The burnisher costs about a shilling, and the file is about the same price. Most hairdressers sell them. If the nail has very little natural polish, after rubbing with the burnisher, apply a little powdered talc, and polish again. The following is a good recipe for nail pomade : Joz. white wax, Joz. spermaceti, 4 oz almond oil, 4>z rosewater, 2 or 3 drops of cochineal, or a small teaspoonful of beetroot juice. Shred the wax and spermaceti, put them in a jar with the almond oil, and let melt, then add the rosewater and colouring, and beat till nearly cold ; then pour into small puts and stand aside to cool. This quantity will last some time.

* The above directions may seem very trivial, and some may think it rather a waste of time to devote half an hour or so, once a week, to the nails ; but if they try the treatment and observe how much the hands are improved by it, we believe it will be considered quite worth while. Children and some nervous, irritable adults have the unfortunate habit of biting their nails, and seem to experience great difficulty in breaking themselves of the habit, even though they realise that it is an unpleasant one. For adults, force of will is the only thing necessary to break off' this unpleasant habit. With children, dipping the tips of the fingers in bitter aloes is said to be effectual, but we have known several cases where the bitter tas'e has been, in time, so much liked that it has only accentuated the habit. The very best plan is to cover each finger with a stall, and tie it on securely ; the tips of the stalls may be dipped in bitter aloes. Let the stalls remain on for a fortnight, when the nails should be getting quite long ; if yon think that the nail is not long enough, let the stall remain on longer before removing it When once the habit is broken it is unlikely to be taken up again, either by children or grown up persons. * The little white specks on the nails, commonly known as gifts, usually arise from bruises ; they will grow out as the nail grows, and no notice need be taken of them. Pits in the nails arise from the same cause ; these little disfigurements occur less on well kept nails, and may be prevented in a great degree by greasing the nails every night as directed above. Should the nails be ink stained, rub with a little lemon juice, which will remove all stains, and afterwards polish with the burnisher. Little orange-wood sticks for cleaning the nails may be obtained at most good

chemists; they are rather better to nse than the points of scissors, as, being blunt, they cannot hurt the tender skin at the tip of the finger. * The following is a good lotion for improving the nails : —Diluted sulphuric acid, 2 drachms ; tincture of myrrh, 1 drachm ; spring water 4< z Mix well together, and uip the tips of the fingers in after washing the hands.’