Dirty hands are not at all sexy. But keeping them clean is not enough. As a man, you should also make sure your nails look good.
For any active guy, nailcare is almost as important as a warmup before a workout. It can be very uncomfortable wearing shoes when you have calluses and long toe nails that aren’t properly taken care of. All the jarring and rubbing movements can make your toenails black and bruised.
Moreover, the longer your toe nails the more chances debris will build up under the nail, which could result in ingrown nails and infections. When this happens, it’ll be difficult to workout. You’ll be in too much pain that your work performance and mood will also be affected.
Making a Good Impression
Whether you’re an entrepreneur, an employee or a college student, grimy paws won’t exactly reflect nicely on you. Your grooming (or lack thereof) reflects you as a person—it tells others how well or poorly you take care of yourself.
Keep in mind that your hands are always visible. Who wants to shake hands with someone who has filthy nails?
Also, if gnawing on your nails is your way of trimming them, you’re exposing yourself to a host of bacteria and germs. Your hands touch everything and it’s basically a germy jungle especially when you consider that not everyone washes their hands after using the toilet.
How to Correctly Groom Your Nails
Men don’t always go to a nail salon. Of course every once in a while we see a guy at Regal Nails but most of them are only there to wait for their girlfriends (or pick them up). If you’d rather not have a nail tech take care of your nails, follow these tips instead:
1. Use a pumice stone to gently buff away calluses after taking a shower. This is the best time to exfoliate the skin in your feet and hands, but don’t over do it. In fact, you should only do this once a week.
2. Trim your nails straight across. Don’t clip the nail bed and don’t try to trim the sides to avoid ingrown nails.
3. File your nails to smoothen out the borders. By doing this you won’t have to deal with sharp edges that could snag on clothing.
Men are less inclined to go to the doctor, take meds, or take proper care of their nails compared to women. Most think that it’s socially frowned upon for a guy to get his nails “done.” But the truth is, it’s really not that big of a deal. You’ll find most guys would enjoy their time in a spa or salon getting their nails taken care of and their hands massaged.
If the very word “salon” makes you cringe because you’re a guy, well, there are salons that cater to men too. Many cities have spas with a more masculine flare so you get all the services like manicure, pedicure, foot spa and massages in a neutral setting.