Natural Nails Treatment

Our hands are one of our most expressive features and, sad to say, one of our most neglected and abused, aside from our feet. They’re constantly exposed to the elements, not to mention dirt, grease, dry air, harsh cleansers, and excessive hand washing. No wonder they’re one of the first places on our body to show age! Fingernails and cuticles become brittle and ragged; more seriously, they can become infected with disfiguring nail fungus.

Here are a few tips to fight the ravages of time and the elements on your hands:
• Frequently apply moisturizer, no matter what the season.
• Wear garden or job-appropriate gloves when working outdoors, with chemicals, or with rough materials, and wear rubber gloves when your hands will be exposed to water or cleansers.
• Apply a natural, broad-spectrum sunscreen lotion with an SPF of at least 15 whenever you’re in the sun.
• Take your own thoroughly sanitized manicuring tools with you to the manicurist unless you have the utmost confidence in her sanitation habits. The following recipes will help soften, condition, and protect your hands and nails from everyday abuse, leaving them comfortable, attractive, and soft to the touch.

GROW-MY-NAILS OIL

Are your fingernails slow to grow? A healthy adult fingernail grows an average of ⅛ inch per month, growing more quickly in summer than in winter. A whole-foods diet with plenty of protein, vitamins, and minerals, especially calcium, magnesium, and silica, plus ample cardiovascular exercise to promote circulation and blood flow, will definitely encourage nail health and good nail growth. But if you’d like to speed things along and cultivate a set of magnificent talons, then this oil is just what you need. It is designed to condition nails and cuticles, stimulate circulation, and promote growth, plus it acts as an antiseptic, keeping potential infection at bay if you happen to have a nick or cut on your fingers. Comfrey-infused oil does amazing things for slow-togrow nails that may also be brittle or weak with ragged cuticles. If you massage it into your nails daily, expect to see positive results within a couple of months. This recipe calls for only a small amount of comfrey-infused oil. If you have some homemade Mend Skin: Comfrey-Infused Oil, great. If not, then purchase a small bottle from your local health food store or herbal supplier, but I do recommend that you always have at least a cup of this multipurpose infused oil on hand — fresh and homemade is best, and much less expensive! 5 drops ginger essential oil 5 drops lemon essential oil 2 tablespoons comfrey-infused oil

EQUIPMENT: Dropper, dark glass bottle with dropper top or screw cap
PREP TIME: 15 minutes, plus 24 hours to synergize
YIELD: 2 tablespoons
STORAGE: Store at room temperature, away from heat and light; use within 1 year
APPLICATION: 1 or 2 times per day Add the ginger and lemon essential oils drop by drop directly into a storage bottle. Add the comfrey-infused oil. Screw the top on the bottle and shake vigorously for 2 minutes to blend. Label the bottle and place in a dark location that’s between 60° and 80°F for 24 hours so that the oils can synergize.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS: Shake well before each use. Massage a few drops into clean, dry nails and cuticles once or twice daily. Be consistent with this ritual and you’ll be rewarded with strong, flexible, healthy nails.

FARMER’S FRIEND SALVE Sage, rosemary, thyme, and myrrh gum — four resinous herbs with incredible vulnerary, antiseptic, antiinflammatory, and deodorizing properties — come together in this salve specifically designed for serious gardeners and farmers. It comforts and soothes dry, rough, cracked, sundamaged “outdoor hands” that take a serious beating. Note: I prefer to use the stovetop method for making the infused oil in this recipe, as it provides a superior extraction of the active properties of these somewhat resinous herbs. ½ cup dried or 1 cup freshly wilted rosemary leaves (see page 38 for information on wilting) ½ cup dried or 1 cup freshly wilted sage leaves ½ cup dried or 1 cup freshly wilted thyme leaves 1 tablespoon myrrh gum powder 3 cups extra-virgin olive base oil 2,000 IU vitamin E oil 3 tablespoons beeswax 1 tablespoon cocoa butter

EQUIPMENT: 2-quart saucepan or double boiler, stirring utensil, candy or yogurt thermometer, strainer, fine filter, funnel, glass or plastic storage container (for the infused oil), glass or plastic jars or tins (for the salve)
PREP TIME: 5 hours to infuse oil, plus 20 minutes to make the salve and 1 hour for it to thicken
YIELD: Approximately 2½ cups of infused oil and 1¼ cups of salve
STORAGE: Store at room temperature, away from heat and light; use within 1 year
APPLICATION: 2 times per day

PREPARING THE INFUSED OIL: If using you’re wilted herbs, strip the leaves from the stems and gently cut or tear them into smaller pieces to expose more surface area to the oil. Discard the stems. Combine the rosemary, sage, thyme, and myrrh with the olive base oil in a 2-quart saucepan or double boiler, and stir thoroughly to blend. The mixture should look like a thick, chunky, green herbal soup. Bring the mixture to just shy of a simmer, between 125° and 135°F. Do not let the oil actually simmer — it will degrade the quality of your infused oil. Do not put the lid on the pot. Allow the herbs to macerate in the oil over low heat for 5 hours. Check the temperature every 30 minutes or so with a thermometer and adjust the heat accordingly. If you’re using a double boiler, add more water to the bottom pot as necessary, so it doesn’t dry out. Stir the infusing mixture at least every 30 minutes or so, as the herb bits tend to settle to the bottom. After 5 hours, remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool for 15 minutes. While the oil is still warm, carefully strain it through a fine-mesh strainer lined with a fine filter such as muslin or, preferably, a paper coffee filter, then strain again if necessary to remove all debris. Squeeze the herbs to extract as much of the precious oil as possible. Discard the marc. Add the vitamin E oil and stir to blend. The resulting infused oil blend will be medium to dark green in color. Pour the finished oil into a storage container, then cap, label, and store in a dark cabinet.

PREPARING THE SALVE: Combine 1 cup of the herbal infused oil with the beeswax and cocoa butter, and warm over low heat until the solids are just melted. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring a few times. Pour into storage containers, cap, and label. Set aside for 1 hour to thicken.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS: To aid in healing and conditioning outdoor choreravaged hands, massage a dab into slightly damp, clean hands and nails at least twice daily. This will seal in new moisture and prevent evaporation of existing moisture within the skin, plus it will help keep infection at bay if the skin is abraded or cracked. Bonus This salve is wonderful for conditioning dry or rough feet, shins, elbows, and knees; for healing minor cuts and scrapes; for soothing insect bites and stings; and as a salve for baby’s bum to keep diaper rash at bay.

HELPING HAND AT THE KITCHEN SINK: LEMON-SPICE OIL

I really enjoy using this colorful, lemony-spicy infused oil and often keep a small bottle by my kitchen sink. It conditions and softens dishpan hands, plus it neutralizes food odors that tend to linger on your hands, such as garlic, onion, and fish. This lightly fragrant oil also acts as a mild antiseptic. Note: I prefer the stovetop method for making this blend, as the dry, hard cinnamon bark, cracked cloves, and tough lemon rind release their medicinal properties best when processed over a steady, even heat source. ½ cup cinnamon bark chips or 10 cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces ½ cup whole cloves, crushed Peel of 3 lemons, minced or finely chopped 2 cups almond, apricot kernel, or soybean base oil 2,000 IU vitamin E oil

EQUIPMENT: 2-quart saucepan or double boiler, stirring utensil, candy or yogurt thermometer, strainer, fine filter, funnel, glass or plastic storage container
PREP TIME: 6 hours
YIELD: Approximately 1¾ cups
STORAGE: Store at room temperature, away from heat and light; use within 1 year

APPLICATION: As desired Combine the cinnamon, cloves, and lemon peel with the base oil in a 2-quart saucepan or double boiler, and stir thoroughly to blend. The mixture should look like a thick, chunky lemonspice soup. Bring the mixture to just shy of a simmer, between 125° and 135°F. Do not let the oil actually simmer — it will degrade the quality of your infused oil. Do not put the lid on the pot. Allow the peel and spices to macerate in the oil over low heat for 6 hours. Check the temperature every 30 minutes or so with a thermometer and adjust the heat accordingly. If you’re using a double boiler, add more water to the bottom pot as necessary, so it doesn’t dry out. Stir the infusing mixture at least every 30 minutes or so, as the peel and spices tend to settle to the bottom. After 6 hours, remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool for 15 minutes. While the oil is still warm, carefully strain it through a fine-mesh strainer lined with a fine filter such as muslin or, preferably, a paper coffee filter, then strain again if necessary to remove all debris. Squeeze the ingredients to extract as much of the precious oil as possible. Discard the marc. Add the vitamin E oil and stir to blend. The resulting infused oil blend will be light to medium amber in color. Pour the finished oil into a storage container, then cap, label, and store in a dark cabinet.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS: If you don’t like to wear dishwashing gloves when you wash dishes, massage a small amount of the oil into your hands and nails before and after washing dishes. This helps protect your hands during their exposure to hot, soapy water and conditions them afterward. Also, after handling garlic, onions, seafood, or other stinky ingredients, wash your hands, then massage a bit of this oil into them to neutralize the odor. Not-So-Nice Nail Fungus Nail fungus, otherwise known as onychomycosis or tinea unguium, is a disfiguring, unsightly fungal infection of the nail that results in the nail thickening, discoloring, and peeling, with white patches that can be scraped off the surface or long yellowish streaks within the nail itself. The infection often invades the free edge of the nail and spreads toward the root, causing detachment from the nail bed. Like athlete’s foot, this fungus is difficult to eradicate and must be consistently treated. Fungus-Be-Gone Oil Drops work well against nail fungus, on both fingernails and toenails. Simply massage 2 drops thoroughly into all 10 nails and the surrounding skin (even if only one nail is infected). Let the oil soak in for 5 minutes. Do this two or three times daily for several months until you see improvement. Keep your nails cut short and well groomed during this treatment, and do not share your grooming implements with anyone, as the fungus is highly contagious. Sanitize all utensils by soaking in hot, soapy water infused with a splash of bleach after each use, then allow to air-dry.

BRITTLE NAIL AND CUTICLE BUTTERY CONDITIONING OIL

This formula makes a very thick, soft, shiny oil with incredible staying power to aid in protecting the nail surface and cuticle from the elements and everyday wear and tear. It adds a natural sheen and promotes strength and flexibility in brittle nails. This rich butter conditions severely dry skin on the hands, feet, knees, shins, and elbows, and it makes a superb stretchmark prevention ointment when massaged twice daily into everexpanding pregnant bellies and breasts. (Though if you’re making the formula for this last use, use only lavender essential oil, or omit the essential oil entirely.) 5 tablespoons castor base oil 3 tablespoons refined shea butter (unrefined shea butter will work, but its stronger fragrance will often mask the aroma of the essential oils) 25 drops of one of the following essential oils: carrot seed, grapefruit, lavender, lemon, orange, peppermint, or rosemary (chemotype verbenon), or any combination thereof

EQUIPMENT: Small saucepan or double boiler, stirring utensil, plastic or glass jar or tin
PREP TIME: 20 minutes, plus up to 12 hours to thicken
YIELD: ½ cup
STORAGE: Store at room temperature, away from heat and light; use within 1 year

APPLICATION: 2 times per day, or as desired Combine the castor base oil and shea butter in a small saucepan or double boiler, and gently warm over low heat until the shea butter is just melted. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Stir a few times to blend thoroughly. Add essential oil(s) and stir again. Pour the mixture into a storage container, then cap and label. Set this buttery oil aside to thicken, which may take up to 12 hours, depending on the temperature in your kitchen. When it’s ready, it will be thick and white (or creamy yellow if you used unrefined shea butter).

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS: Once or twice a day, massage a tiny dab of butter into each nail until the butter is absorbed. Gently push back the cuticles with an orange stick. To add sheen, finish by buffing each nail surface with a handheld nail buffer or soft, flannel cloth, taking care not to buff too hard or fast, which causes the nail surface to become hot. Bonus This oil is particularly effective in preventing scar tissue formation if formulated with carrot seed, lavender, or rosemary essential oil and consistently applied to fresh cuts and scrapes.