You never realize how ineffectual your hands are until your nails are too short.
Have you ever had an ingrown toenail? I have. It’s not fun. It’s like having a little gremlin sitting on your foot and jabbing at it with an ice pick. Unfortunately, ingrown toenails, as well as other similarly miserable afflictions, are fairly common if you’re not taking proper care of your nails.
Now, when I say “take care of your nails,” I’m not saying you need to go out and get the whole spa treatment every week. I mean, you can. It’s certainly nice. But how you take care of your nails in your day-to-day life at home is just as important. For one thing, you should clip your nails every few weeks. Having overly-long nails means you could get more crud trapped underneath them, plus they make you less dexterous which is just kind of annoying. Use a proper nail clipper or a small pair of manicure scissors to trim the points of the nails straight across, followed by a very slight curve on the sides. Don’t cut them too short, or you’ll bleed, plus you’ll find it a lot harder to get a good grasp on things. And absolutely, positively, do not bite your nails.
Biting your nails, aside from being a gross habit, can cause your nails to become warped and crooked, which not only may make them more difficult to trim, but could also lead to more frequent ingrown nails and hangnails. Speaking of hangnails, if you ever get a hangnail, don’t try to rip it or bite it off. Just use a clipper to trim it to a small enough point that you can’t feel it.
Finally, remember to clean the crud out of your nails whenever you wash your hands. Just a quick dig in there should get any foreign particles loose, though make sure to be extra thorough if you’re doing any strenuous outdoor work.
