If you were to ask me what part of my body I take care of the most, I would have to say my hands and nails. Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve admired my mom’s hands. They’ve always been super-soft, with beautiful, long, manicured nails. But I had one little problem: I couldn’t stop biting my nails! No matter what my mom did, I’d always have chewed up nails.

It wasn’t until I was about 12 years old that I started to take care of my nails and hands. I remember taking an “elective” class in sixth grade that involved manicures and anything to do with beauty (it was an end-of-the-year class). There I was, ready for my makeover, when I noticed that all of my friends had much nicer hands. Imagine my embarrassment when it was my turn to get my nails painted! I decided right there to stop biting my nails and work on having beautiful hands.

Flash forward a couple of years and you’ll see me sitting at the nail salon, with acrylic nails. What happened to letting them grow out naturally, you ask? I caved; I couldn’t stop biting them and instead decided to cheat with acrylics. But what I didn’t know was that they were much worse for nails than my teeth ever were! It took a while, but I eventually stopped getting them put on and getting them refilled every two weeks.

I now take extra care of my hands, and it’s all worth it. I often get compliments on how soft my hands are or pretty my nails look. Getting compliment-worthy hands isn’t difficult. A couple of tips: hand cream and a coat of clear polish go a long way.

Every time I wash my hands, I make sure to lather on some hand cream to make sure they stay soft. I pay extra attention to my cuticles by rubbing them with the cream for a couple of minutes. If you have dry skin, look for an extra moisturizing cream and spend a little more time rubbing it in. If you think you don’t have time for this, you do! While I’m at work, editing away for PlasticSurgery.com, I’m still able to put on some hand cream while I read. Even at a stop light, I’ll quickly rub some on while I wait for the light to turn green. Just a couple of minutes is all you need!

Head down to your local nail salon for a relaxing manicure. Be sure to ask your manicurist for more tips on healthy hands and nails. After all, your hands are one of the first things that people notice, so make sure they’re always looking their best!

Photo credits: Photobucket and Kitokos Nails Beauty & Taning