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Nails, nails, nails. Some people flip out when they chip a nail, while others could care less about the state of their fingertips. Whether you’re a salon regular or a chronic nail biter, the Japanese internet has a few tricks to share about how to achieve healthy and beautiful nails. The absolute best part is that you don’t need to go out and buy anything fancy–in fact, you can probably just waltz into your kitchen and find everything you need!

Now that the colder and drier months are creeping up on those of us who live in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s an especially good time to make sure that your nails and skin are getting enough moisture. To help you out, Japanese website Naver Matome shared three super easy remedies to maintain healthy nails, all making use of common kitchen ingredients. 

Trick #1: Lemon juice

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According to the site, lemon juice is truly your nails’ best friend. Soak your nails in a bowl of lemon juice for between five to ten minutes for all-around nail maintenance, and as a bonus, use some of the lemon rind to polish the surface. Just be careful if you have any big cuts on your fingertips, ’cause boy will that sting!

Trick #2: Salt water

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Soaking your fingertips in a bowl of (preferably lukewarm) salt water is the best bet for people who want to grow their nails out. The website advises people with damaged nails repeat this procedure for several days, and adds an interesting tidbit that Japanese scuba divers say that their nails are at their best during diving season in the salty ocean.

Trick #3: Japanese sake

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Okay, so maybe not everyone who lives outside of Japan has a bottle of sake lying around, but it shouldn’t be too hard to find one overseas. People who want to achieve a glossy, long-lasting manicure should try mixing some Japanese sake into water and soaking their nails in it. This trick supposedly helps to clean up the nails’ surface, and dabbing the surface with some cotton balls prior to applying nail polish should also speed up the drying process.

On a final note, the site also encourages you to apply hand cream after every time you wash your hands. If you follow one or more of these tricks, your nails are sure to thank you by looking their best!

Source: Naver Matome
Images: WikiHow, Jugem, Wikipedia