A helping hand: learn secrets to healthier hands and nails with this guide to foods, nutrients, and products for dazzling digits.(NATURAL BEAUTY: PERSONAL CARE)

Your hands are the most overused and abused parts of your body, so they often show age sooner than the rest of it. Be sure to treat your hands with the same care you give your face. Hand and nail care products should contain the same nurturing ingredients as skin care products, including vitamins, antioxidants, and natural emollients.

Made of protein, keratin, and sulfur, your nails are actually an extension of your skin, and like your skin, require proper care and nutrition--internally as well as externally. A diet that includes high-quality protein, seeds, nuts, and grains rich in B vitamins, as well as calcium and antioxidant vitamins A, C, and E promote strong nails.

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Your nails also tell a great deal about the condition of your body. Normally, the human nail takes about four months to grow from base to end. During its growth, it frequently forms a metabolic record or window of what is going on in the rest of your body. In fact, a clue to hidden health issues may lie just at your fingertips.

What Nails Say About Your Health

Healthy nails are pink, smooth, and shiny. Variations in the color, texture, and shape of nails often point to specific nutritional deficiencies or other health problems. Blue nails, for example, may indicate circulatory or respiratory problems. Black bands may indicate low adrenal function. Lengthwise grooves may signify a kidney disorder. Yellow nails may signify diabetes, liver, or lymph problems. Spoon nails that curve upward may signify anemia or may be caused by nail biting. Wide, square nails may indicate a hormonal disorder. Nail beading (bumps on the surface of the nail) may indicate rheumatoid arthritis. Red moons, instead of white, may indicate a cardiovascular problem.

Pamper your hands and nails. Avoid harsh soaps. Wear robber gloves when using household chemicals. Contact with cleaning fluids is the primary cause of dry, flaky skin. Next time you buy hand lotion or cream, buy four bottles. Place one by your bathroom sink, one by the kitchen sink, one on your nightstand and one in your office drawer. That way there's no excuse not to rub lotion or cream into your hands at least a couple of times a day and after washing your hands. And don't forget to use sunscreen when going outdoors. The thin skin on the tops of your hands can be damaged by UV rays just as easily as the skin on your face.