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Nail Care
Healthy nails, clean hands.
Watch
How to care for your nails.
Video created by EmpowerHygiene Volunteer, Pearl Tsang 🧡
Why this matters
Nails trap dirt and bacteria. Keeping them trimmed, filed and clean lowers your risk of infection.
Step-by-step guide
- 1
Wash your hands and soften nails in warm water.
- 2
Dry your hands and nails fully.
- 3
Trim nails straight across with clean clippers.
- 4
File in one direction to smooth the edges.
- 5
Gently buff the surface, lightly and not every day.
- 6
Push cuticles back softly with a cuticle pusher; never cut them.
- 7
Clean under the nails with a soft brush.
- 8
Finish with hand cream or cuticle oil.
💡 Practical & quick tips
- ✓Trim nails about once a week.
- ✓Keep your clippers and files clean between uses.
- ✓Moisturise, since dry cuticles crack and let bacteria in.
- ✓Short nails are easier to keep clean.
- ✓Buff gently: over-buffing thins the nail.
⚠️ Common mistakes
- •Filing back and forth, which splits the nail.
- •Cutting cuticles off; they protect the nail bed.
- •Biting nails or picking hangnails.
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