Here's a quick first-aid treatment that should get your hands back in shape.

Every night before going to bed, soak your hands in warm olive oil into which one capsule of vitamin E has been pricked.

After ten minutes take out your hands, massage well, not forgetting your nails. (Throughout this week your hands should stay free from nail color).

Take three tablets of calcium lactate with a glass of warm water. Other than strengthening your nails, calcium is also a natural tranquilizer. It will help you sleep better.

Every morning massage some cream or oil into your hands and nails. Buff your nails — this makes them shinier and healthier by stepping up circulation in the finger tips.

Whenever possible, throughout the day, keep massaging little blobs of Vaseline into your hands and nails. Step-up your water intake but avoids wetting your hands. Do some hand exercises (two have been given earlier in this chapter).

Concentrate on health foods for nails: milk which gives you calcium and Vitamin D), raw cabbage (Vitamins C & D) and sardines (one of the very few sources of iodine, which does wonders for circulation).

While doing household chores, wear washable cotton gloves. Avoid soaking nails and hands in water for prolonged periods. If you wear gloves, remember to keep taking them off every hour or so for a short while.

Vegetable juices and lemon juice contain acids which do no good to your nails. After chopping vegetables, rinse your hands in cool running water.

If your nails are soft or prone to splitting, take gelatin dissolved in warm milk for a whole week. To rough and brittle cuticles, massage some Vaseline twice-a-day.

Strong detergents not only harm the skin, they play havoc with nails too.

To make your nail color last and to avoid it chipping, always use a pencil for dialing numbers on the telephone.

For nails to remain healthy, it is essential to keep them nail-color free occasionally. Ideally each time you remove your old nail-color, nails should be allowed to breathe.

However, if you are very particular to have nail-color on all the time, leave your nails bare overnight.

Buffing of nails assures their good health as it helps step up circulation. Use lemon juice for removing stains from fingers and nails.

A slice of potato also does the same work as lemon juice. While potato juice is milder, it is not also as drying as lemon juice is. However, lemon juice acts faster.