image by: Joan Coello

HWN Suggests

Nailed it! The shape of your nails may reveal the type of person you are!

When we interact with someone, our eyes often pick up physical characteristics such as the color of their eyes, the length of their hair (ooh nice Tiffany earrings), their height (are those heels Louboutins?)… and our brain puts them all together and files them away in a neat little folder that contains our impressions and memories about that person. But here’s one little detail that we commonly overlook, yet could potentially tell so much more about that person!

A recent personality diagnosis trend in Japan suggests that shape of your nails could reveal characteristic traits about you! What shape are your nails?

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Featured

 What your fingernails can reveal about your health

There's no shortage of folk wisdom about how to glean the state of your overall health from your nails, such as the pervasive idea that the white flecks that sometimes turn up – known as leukonychia – are a sign of calcium deficiency. But is there any truth to these ideas?

Articles of Interest

How to cut and look after your nails correctly

Keep them short, don’t be afraid to file – and remember to moisturise, says a leading dermatologist

Are polishes, acrylics and powders bad for my fingernails? Do I need a breather between manicures?

The glue or chemical applicants used to adhere fake nails can cause serious burns. The chemicals used can also be harmful to children if left within reach. As such, going to a qualified and experienced nail technician is likely safer, provided they are taking infection precautions like using sterile tools and equipment. Although nail cosmetics come with relatively minor risks, dermatologists often recommend sticking with your natural nails and painting them with regular polish, and allowing intermittent breaks between manicures to give your nails time to breathe.

Curious Kids: why do we have fingernails and toenails?

Imagine for a moment that humans didn’t have nails. First, a lot of nail salons would go out of business, and we couldn’t enjoy painting our nails lots of different colours. But more importantly, having a lump of soft skin at the end of our fingers would make it harder to hold things and control our grip on them. The ends of our fingers and toes have changed to match our changed lives. So next time you’re at the zoo, look at the hands of gibbons, chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans, and you’ll see they have nails just like yours. Think about all the amazing things we primates can do with nails.

Perfect Nails, Poisoned Workers

A growing body of medical research shows a link between the chemicals that make nail and beauty products useful — the ingredients that make them chip-resistant and pliable, quick to dry and brightly colored, for example — and serious health problems.

What are nails made of and why do we have them?

Ever looked at your hands and thought – why do we have fingernails? What are they made of? And what would happen if we didn’t have them? Nails are the finishing touch to our fingers and toes, and a multi-billion-pound industry exists around keeping them looking good. But what exactly are they?

Why do fingernails fall off when they’re damaged?

That has to do with what’s known as the matrix, the spot at the bottom of your nail that’s responsible for growing your nail. Nails themselves are actually little plates of proteins called keratin. All of those proteins are connected, which is what makes one continuous nail.

Why Do Humans Have Fingernails And Toenails?

Human fingernails are actually flattened versions of claws. All primates, including ancient ancestors of humans, had claws that supported their broad fingertips. The broad fingertips helped primates maintain a strong grip around objects, including trunks and tree branches.

Why Do Our Fingernails Keep Growing Until the Day We Die?

At 20 weeks in the womb, humans suddenly sprout tough little casings from the tips of our tiny digits. By the time we're born, our fingers and toes are crowned by fully-formed nails that will be with us for the rest of our lives. Over the ensuing decades, the average person will devote hundreds of hours to carefully clipping, painting and filing these structures. But beyond this dedication to aesthetics, few of us ponder the purpose of our nails.

Why do women paint their nails? ​Clue: it has nothing to do with men

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – the vast majority of women’s style decisions are made for themselves, not for the benefit of the opposite sex.

Resources

10 Nail Problems That Can Say Something About Your Health

Pay attention to these color, shape, and structural changes.

10 Interesting Nail Facts

Your nails are a lot more complex than you may actually think. Don’t believe us? Check out these 10 interesting nail facts that will surely pique your curiosity.

NAILS magazine

Dedicated to the success of nail professionals.