1. Nutrition is your no. 1 weapon: vitamin A (tomatoes, carrots, greens) and calcium (dairy products) help nails stay firm.
2. Vitamin E (sunflower seeds, oil) nourishes nails.
3. Vitamin B (cabbage, egg yellows) and iodine (spinach, sea grass) stimulate nail growth.
4. Lemon juice eliminates yellowish nail color after using nail polish removers with acetone (just use a small piece of lemon as a nail wipe).

Skincare is totally seasonal, just like your wardrobe. In summer, you’re busy with sun protection (aren’t you?) and self-tanners, while in winter you may seem addicted to moisturizers because your skin gets so dried out and flaky (this is called “winter itch”). So why the dry skin in winter? Low temperatures, low humidity and strong, harsh winds deplete skin of its natural lipid layer which keeps the skin from drying out.

To keep your skin feeling dewy and moist even in the harsh winter weather, follow these tips:

Keep Water Lukewarm, Not Hot
Hot water robs skin of moisture, so it’s best to shower in lukewarm water. If you can’t bear this rule — I can’t — try to keep your warm showers short and try showering only once per day. This also means skipping the hot tubs in winter (another rule I simply cannot bear).

The hot, hot temperature, combined with drying chemicals, is torture on skin.

The same rule applies to hand-washing: Wash hands in lukewarm, never hot, water (this is a rule I firmly abide by). If your skin turns red, the water is simply too hot.

Moisturize After Showers or Handwashing
Moisturizer is the key to soft, supple skin in winter. Apply product when skin is slightly damp. For best effect, pat skin dry instead of rubbing with your towel before application.

Antibacterial soap in public places can be harsh on hands, so I like to keep hand salve in my purse (my hands-down favorite: Kiehls). To keep cuticles soft, I massage in olive oil.

Extra tip: I love keeping moisturizer and facial water on my desk at work. I spritz Evian Mineral Spray (about $11 in drugstores), and then dab on moisturizer. The water locks in moisture and leaves my skin refreshed even in harsh office heat.

Exfoliate on a Weekly or Semi-weekly Basis
Moisturizer is much more effective on properly exfoliated skin. Use a scrub in the shower and exfoliate facial skin with a mild scrub made for the face.

It’s best to scrub skin when it’s dry, according to Marcia Kilgore, the founder of Bliss Spa in New York, in InStyle Magazine’s September, 2005, issue. Apply scrub to dry skin before you turn on the water (mix with lotion if it’s not moist enough). Massage the scrub in for a good five minutes for best results.

Extra tip: Dry brush skin before a shower with a body brush to remove flaky skin (it’s more effective than brushing in the shower).

Learn more: beauty.about.com

Every time the winter season pops up, all of us are having a little problem with our skin and majority feel problems related with the lips too. Lips have an extremely thin outer layer and few oil-producing glands, which can lead to excessive dryness. Dry chapped lips are a common problem in winter. Soft and smooth lips figure among the foremost indicators of physical beauty. The most important step you can take to achieving the sexiest lips ever is to protect them from the sun. The best protection against sun damage is a water resistant lip balm that keeps lips moist and has an SPF of 15 percent or higher.

Let me share to you the skin conditions that also lead to dry, flaky skin:

Psoriasis is an autoimmune disorder that causes raised red patches that itch, crack, or bleed. Sunlight can help reduce psoriatic symptoms. In the winter, most people get less sun, so the psoriasis flares up.

Eczema is a common skin condition characterized by red, swollen, dry and itchy skin. See your doctor if you have a family history of allergies or asthma since this will make you more susceptible to eczema.

Seborrheic dermatitis is a skin condition causes flakiness on the face or dandruff on the scalp.

Are you suffering from any of the three skin conditions above?

Just thinking about it makes you shudder. Why on earth would you want to apply oil unto your skin when it’s already oily enough?! Ahh, but you forget. The season’s winter and the harsh winter wind can take away the moisture of the skin. Hence the need for oil-based moisturizers.

Ointment form moisturizers contain the most percentage of oil because by ointment, definition speaking, the moisturizer will contain 80% oil and 20% water. This emulsion of water-in-oil does more than form a protective layer over the skin to keep in moisture. It also moisturizes more than creams and lotions do.

You’ve probably heard of getting unusual bruises from nowhere. No? Well let me explain.

In extreme sudden temperature changes, the capillaries just under the skin tend to burst and what results is a mess that nobody would want. Allowing your skin a 30 minute grace period solves this problem. Between bathing and going out to the frigid weather, an extremely hot and extremely cold exposure to the skin wears out our skin pretty quickly. By slowly letting your skin adjust itself to the room temperature, the gap between the two extremes is lessened and less stress is exerted on the skin’s delicate capillaries.

One thing that you should consider in taking good care of your skin is your home heating system. As your furnace will be in constant use in the colder months, the air in your home can become extremely dry. If you do not have a humidifier built into your heating system, you should invest in a portable humidifier. Using a humidifier can prevent your skin from drying out, and it can help you avoid dry nasal cavities. If you do suffer from a dry or bleeding nose in the winter, apply some petroleum jelly for short-term relief. Try it because it works for me.

You’ve turned on the heat and you’ve closed all the windows. You should be fine now that you’re all warmed up right? But what’s this? Your skins become all cracked and itchy, a sure sign of drying.

The reason there are humidifiers sold is that they help maintain the moisture in the air. One need not go to the trouble to install highly expensive humidifying systems just to invest in their skin care. A small inexpensive one obtained from the local drug store will do. 2 or 3 of these just around the house will go a long way to helping humidify the air, banishing away the itchiness of eczema and the dryness of the skin.

Keeping skin protected is probably one of the things people usually ignore during winter. What people don’t realize is that the sun’s rays are practically the same in the winter as they are in the summer. The chances of exposure is greater because of the snow reflection during winter. Sunblock is still as important in winter as they are during summer especially if you like going outdoors and like doing winter outdoor activities.

For people having sensitive skin, winter clothing should be chosen wisely. Now how can clothing be connected to having unhealthy skin? Skin that is prone to dryness and itchiness will be more vulnerable during the winter months. Changing clothing made of wool to cotton will help your skin become less prone from dryness and itch. Wool can become uncomfortable and can make skin irritated aside from the fact that it is already itchy.