Your wish is their command

On the next wedding, anniversary or birthday that you attend, be rest assured that you are carrying the ideal gift. Chandana Banerjee discovers the latest trend to hit the markets, that of the gift registry and helps you pick up that oh-so-perfect gift

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Make a wish!
“Gift registries or ‘wishlists’ are a simple, fun, and informal way of communicating what one really wants for any big occasion, be it a wedding, baby shower, birthday, house warming or rakhi,” explains Priyanka Agarwal, Director, Wishberry.in, a premium online wishlist & gift registry service.

“Gift givers are now rest assured that they have given the perfect gift for the occasion when they select the gift from the wishlist. It also saves them lot of time, money and energy by keeping the guesswork out of gift giving,” quips Trusha Shah, who launched ShareUrJoy.com in June 2010.

The foundation of gift registries is built on the concept of ‘informed gifting’. “Gift givers know exactly what they want to gift and wishlist makers know exactly what they have wished for and what they are going to receive,” elucidates Trusha, who realised the need for a gift registry service in India during her own wedding.

Just the right thing
The wishlist maker logs on to a gift registry portal, creates a whishlist by choosing the event for which they want the gifts, browses through and adds a range of products, and then shares the list via Facebook, Twitter, email or SMS. The maker also has the option of printing the URL on their invitation cards. The gift givers, on the other hand, can click on the link of the wishlist, select a gift that suits their taste and budget, and pay for it online or offline.

The prices of the gift items can range between Rs. 100 to Rs. 1 lac and above. You can even chip in for a present along with a group of friends instead of buying a single item all on your own. And that’s not all. Apart from material goods, you can also gift ideological gifts like a great vacation, a course or a new hobby to your loved one.

Practical, convenient…and catching on!
Though this concept is very popular in other countries, gift registries are relatively new in India and as life becomes more and more hectic, they are catching up among the younger generation. “People don’t the time to think of the gifts to buy nor to shop for them,” Trusha chips in. Also, with the popularity of social networking websites like Facebook and Twitter, people are more comfortable sharing their likes and dislikes, which makes working a wishlist easy, convenient and practical.

“The pioneering consumers of the gift registry concept in India are and will be students who have studied or worked abroad and hence have been exposed to the concept. However, this population is India is still very small. Furthermore, the current generation of Indian parents disapproves of the ‘asking for gifts’ character of gift registries,” observes Priyanka.

Anurag and Abhilasha Juneja, founders of Indiagiftregistry.com agree with Priyanka. “Introducing anything new to any market has its own challenges. One of the biggest challenges which we have faced is the cultural aspect of receiving gifts. Even though everyone gives and accepts gifts, creating a gift registry would mean asking for gifts. That is something which is not culturally accepted in India.” They add that things have evolved over the past few years and now, the concept of gift registries is picking up in the country.

We say, make your own wishlist. This simple and practical service ensures that you’ll receive exactly what you’ve been wishing for and not five sets of glasses, gaudy cushion covers and ten photo frames that you will never, ever use!

Power of plaids

They are one of the most remarkable friends your wardrobe could ever have. Plaids can be fun, smart and totally versatile in the same breath. P S Bhavana suggests you know them through-and-through

These crisscross designs were a hot ‘07-08 trend (Dolce & Gabanna’s School-cum-masculine look; Moschino Cheap & Chic’s interesting shapes; Marc Jacobs Marc’s Brit silhouettes; other designers’ radical watercolor washes or plaids with super-punk accessories). Now you can flaunt them this year as well. Fashion is cyclical! Every fab print, weave or texture that pretends to go out of fashion for a while, hops right back on the scene when you least expect it to. We bring you a must-haves list, complete with how-to-wear cues.

Tunic or bias-cut dress
Go short or knee-length. Create a magical Gossip Girl look with a short checkered dress. Up it with jewel tone leggings and a pair of ballerinas or as-cute-as-buttons thongs. If it is rather cold in your part of the world, throw on a light cardigan and a pair of Uggs. You can add a chubby bag and chain-link accessories with some metallic accents. Check out designer Vineet Bahl’s plaid dress teamed with gold accents, it’s rather quirky.

Oversized or to-fit shirt
Nothing can beat this androgynous shape. Ever. So do Kristen Stewart’s famous Twilight look-wear a plaid shirt with denims. Cinch the shirt at the waist, if it is baggy, with a belt. Finally, slip into a pair of comfy keds or slip-ons. Don’t overload this shirt with accessories, save a chunky neck or wrist piece, maybe.

Short or long skirt
Flaunt a semi-formal, aristocratic look or an utterly girly one. A feminine plaid skirt can look yummy with a boyfriend jacket, a pair of leggings (try hatch-patterned tights), and a shapeless or structured blouse. In short, experiment with asymmetric, box-pleated, flouncy or even billowy skirts.


Scarf or stole
Hop, skip and jump into the realms of eye-popping colour and neutrals. Besides off-whites, blacks and greys, try accents like teal, blue, grass or leaf green, berry, wine and tomato red. Wrap one as benignly and casually as you can on any chic look. No gaudy neckpieces with this one, please!

Slim pants or shorts
This time steer away from usual red plaid combos but grab black-white, beige, brown, purple or fuchsia. Both Mango and Pero by Aneeth Arora, at the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week October 2010, had these scrumptious checkered shorts. These shapes look cool with vests, semi-fitted blouses or tees and casual accessories, although a semi-formal structured jacket may do the trick sometimes as well.

Silk sari or kurta
If the Western line is not you, try going the Vidya Balan way. She looked yummilicious in a South Indian silk sari by Sabyasachi, with yellow and black plaids, at an event. You can pick a pretty plaid polly from a sari store. Or get a silk, cotton or voile kaftan or kurta tailored to your shape. Punch it with leggings or cigarette legged indigo denims.

Bags and shoes
Go beyond plaid clothes and separates; invest in a radical pair of keds or shoes. Diesel has these lovely leather and plaid wool shoes. Large dump-all, totes or duffel bags are cool must-dos too. If you can save a lot, buy a Salvatore Ferragamo bag. It’s ever so smart! Alternatively, how about watches with funky straps?

Bubbly bliss for your skin!

Champagne is the ultimate name in luxury celebration but it can also be the supreme ingredient that makes you look radiant. Here are a few DIY champagne facial masks that can give you the instant glow you desire for this wedding season! By Prachi S Vaish

Blossom Kochhar, Chairperson, Blossom Kochhar Group of Companies and India’s finest Aromatherapist, reveals the treasures of champagne in skin care. “Champagne contains antioxidants, components that prevent the free radicals from damaging our cells. These free radicals can react extensively to rob our skin of oxygen, making it look haggard. But an antioxidant prevents the damage and lends our skin an eternal youthfulness. Champagne, an apt antioxidant, contains Tartaric acid, which lightens your skin, i.e., prevents pigmentation and helps in detoxifying. A Champagne Facial rejuvenates the skin, helps close pores, makes the skin tight, removes fine lines and smoothens the overall texture of the skin, providing a glow. It is a good toner but leaves the skin dry, so it works well for oily skin. However, people with dry skin should consult a beauty specialist before using a Champagne Facial.”

When it comes to making a mark, no amount of pampering can be too much. It’s all worth it when people walk up to you to tell you that you look as radiant as the bride. So open up a bottle and try these tricks in the comfort of your home…

Clay-champagne mask

What you’ll need: ¼th cup champagne, 4 tbsp multani clay, 2tbsp cream, mixing bowl

Method: Evenly mix the clay with the cream by folding in a little clay at a time, till there are no lumps. Add the champagne and give it a good mix but not too much. Apply on your face avoiding the eyes and mouth, before it starts to dry up in the bowl. Leave on for 15-20 minutes then wipe away with a damp cloth. Give a final rinse with warm water. Do not apply anything afterwards.

Grape-champagne cleanser

What you’ll need: ½ cup champagne, a handful of black grapes (seedless variety), green tea bag

Method: Soak the green tea bag in half a cup of hot water till the tea is released, and then allow to cool. Crush grapes and squelch them through a strainer to get the smooth pulp. Mix the green tea, champagne and grape extract to form a smooth blend. Apply over face, leave for 10 minutes and rinse off. The grapes will smooth out all the lines on your face while green tea cleans the pores, and the champagne will hydrate your skin making it soft and supple.

Champagne makeup remover

Champagne is such a good detoxifying and cleansing ingredient that most of the time it doesn’t need anything else with it. After a long day of heavy makeup, just use some baby cream on a cotton ball to wipe off the make-up and grime and then soak a cotton ball in champagne and run it all over your face and neck. You will feel your skin immediately perk up and refreshed!

Every girl knows a relaxing luxurious drink at the end of the day is the perfect way to unwind but if you can use it to get that dazzling glow- it really is the final word in luxury! So grab a bottle of your favorite bubbly and let your skin drink up too!

What’s your intimacy quotient?

Intimacy is to sex what cuddling is to foreplay. It brings you close enough so you can get even closer. But in a relationship, it's easy to confuse sex with intimacy. Binal Zaveri-Ghelani asks a few questions to score your marriage on the I factor

You know his favourite fantasy, but do you know which teacher he had a crush on? He knows where it’s leading when you lean in for a kiss, but can he predict your next move? It doesn’t take long for a solid relationship to go from sizzle to snore, and the only thing that keeps it from doing that is your shared level of intimacy. Intimacy introduces you to new aspects of the person you fell in love with. Take the quiz and see how it all adds up.

1. When you hear stories about special things that some couples do, how do you feel?
a. It makes me envious.
b. It makes me smile, but wonder what their secret is.
c. I have a feeling of unspoken companionship with that.

2. If one of you has had a bad day, what do you do?
a. We talk about it-that eases half the burden.
b. We prefer dealing with situations in our own ways.
c. If it’s a big issue, we’ll talk about it. But we don’t like troubling each other with every little thing that gets us down.

3. Do you tell each other secrets that you wouldn’t even tell your closest friends?
a. Of course! We’re soul mates.
b. There’re some things that friends understand better than partners, so it really depends.
c. No way. Friends are better listeners.

4. How clued in are you to each other’s sexual satisfaction?
a. Sex is a routine with practised moves.
b. We’ll ask each other how it feels.
c. We know what melts the other and try to focus on optimum pleasure.

5. Do you escort each other to weddings and other social functions?
a. We almost always have separate social calendars. Why bore the other person when they already have a busy life of their own?
b. Absolutely. We have plenty of friends in common and are close to each other’s families.
c. It depends on the occasion. If we know and like the people, we do. Or else, we’ll find an excuse.

6. How much blackmail-worthy stuff do you know about each other?
a. It’s generally embarrassing stuff that we’ve witnessed.
b. We’re pretty closed up about our pasts, so there isn’t much.
c. There’s oodles of stuff right from nerdy childhood pictures to stories about high school crushes.

7. After a sack session, you…
a. Cuddle for a bit before heading to your laptops.
b. Take a shower, together.
c. Immediately fall asleep.

8. What role does foreplay occupy in your sex life?
a. It’s an intricate part and sometimes we get so much into it that we don’t get to the actual act.
b. Foreplay, what’s that?
c. Foreplay is usually a means to get the other aroused enough for sex.

9. Do you ever pretend to have an orgasm?
a. Sometimes, when I know it’s just not going to happen.
b. All the time!
c. Nope. If I don’t get there, I don’t get there. The journey counts as much as the destination.

10. Do you know what your partner’s biggest sexual fantasy is?
a. I’ve made it come true for him!
b. Fantasies are for solo-pleasure…why share?
c. We know each other’s turn-ons, isn’t that enough?

Rate yourself

1. a: 1 b: 2 c: 3

2. a: 3 b: 1 c: 2

3. a: 3 b: 2 c: 1

4. a: 1 b: 2 c: 3

5. a: 1 b: 3 c: 2

6. a: 2 b: 1 c: 3

7. a: 2 b: 3 c: 1

8. a: 3 b: 1 c: 2

9. a: 2 b: 1 c: 3

10. a: 3 b: 1 c: 2

If you scored…

10-16: You guys are as tight-lipped as CID agents! You are like buddies just sharing a roof. Even roommates are more keyed into each other’s lives. Lose the ego and the BlackBerry and make time for each other. Share dreams and ambitions. Or before you know it, you’ll end up on a shrink’s couch and won’t know how you got there.

17-22: You care deeply about each other and often make the other a priority. But there are still areas you can work on to get more intimate with your mate. Talk more, not just about today, but about the past and future as well. Try to be more conscious of what the other really wants, both in bed and outside. While you appreciate the fact that both of you have the right to sometimes say no, make sure that you’re sensitive to what’s really important to the other person and make that a priority for you as well.

23-30: Great going! You and your partner have created a world that no one else is privy to. You’re totally in sync with each other and can complete each other’s sentences. You have internalised what really turns your partner on. While you connect on many different levels, remember that there’s a thin line between loving someone and spoiling them with attention.

Tackle that arthritis

According to research, Rheumatoid Arthritis strikes women more than men, in a staggering ratio of 2.5 to 1! This affects women in all age groups. Aneesha Rai finds out its symptoms, precautions, and treatments

What is rheumatoid arthritis?
Rheumatoid is an autoimmune system disease that can affect the entire body, usually leading to inflammation in the lining of the joints and other internal organs. “It causes inflammation of the tissue around the joints, as well as in other organs in the body, leading to deterioration, pain, and stiff movement,” says Dr Bharathi R, an orthopedist at Bharathi Hospitals, Bangalore.

The signs and symptoms
The symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis come and go, depending on the degree of tissue inflammation. When body tissues are inflamed, the disease is active. “Muscle and joint stiffness are usually most notable in the morning and after periods of inactivity. Even in the winter or the rains, the pain can get quite unbearable, “says Suhasini who has been suffering from arthritis for ten years.

You might also experience flares in which joints frequently become red, swollen, painful, and tender. Since rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic disease, its inflammation can affect organs and areas of the body other than the joints. This includes the lungs, throat, heart, and spleen.

How is it diagnosed?
1. Blood tests: People with rheumatoid arthritis tend to have an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR or SED rate), which indicates the presence of an inflammatory process in the body. Blood tests look for rheumatoid factor and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibodies.

2. X-rays: Your doctor may recommend X-rays to help track the progression of rheumatoid arthritis in your joints over time.

The most effective treatments
1. Medication: To begin with, medication should be taken as per the doctor’s prescriptions. You can avail of allopathic, homeopathic or Ayurvedic treatments, as per your preference.

2. The hydro miracle: Water in different temperatures can treat arthritis and its different concerns. If you need to ease your pain and relax your tense muscles, a hot shower or bath for 15 minutes is just apt. Cold treatments like cold packs or ice massages are suggested to dull the sensation of pain. Many suffering from rheumatoid arthritis have also found relief by soaking their aching joints in warm water for four minutes and then in cool water for a minute. You need to repeat the cycle for a half-hour, ending with a warm water soak.

“You can even try swimming or gentle water aerobics as part of hydrotherapy,” suggests Dr. Bharathi.

3. Physiotherapy: A physiotherapist can help you find different ways to approach everyday tasks in order to take stress off your painful joints. For instance, if your fingers are sore, pick up an object using your forearms. “Lean into a glass door to force it open, rather than pushing on the door with your arms.” suggests Dr. Bharathi.

4. Regular exercise: Last but not the least, exercising regularly and staying fit is essential for arthritis because the heavier you are, the more the stress on the joints. Light exercises with the doctor’s advice can help to strengthen the muscles around your joints and prevent fatigue from setting in. Lots of yoga centers like Iyengar Institute, Pune have special medical batches to treat this condition. If you’re just getting started, walking is the best option.

Visit the doctor regularly to nip arthritis in the earlier stages, rather than neglecting the symptoms and aggravating the disease.

Are you single in the head?

In an application form, do you hover over the 'single' option before memory kicks in? After all, you and your partner have different interests and me-time often extends to the whole day. You might be a SITH (single in the head) couple. Find out if you're one and see how you can make your relationship work while holding on to your individuality. By Aarthi Gunnupuri

We are fatally attracted to Gucci and Jimmy Choo, in an emotional relationship with chocolate and feel strongly about the health benefits of sleeping in. But the best things in life come at a price-they affect our wallets, our waistline and make us late for work! Relationships are similar. Sure, we get to fall asleep in someone’s arms every night, but we also tend to lose some friends, shift some focus from our work onto our partner, give up some hobbies and let go of a few dreams that don’t fit in with a coupled lifestyle. Right? Wrong!

Not everyone treats a relationship like the central force of their lives. They pursue their individual interests, keep friends, make new ones and enjoy their time alone. They adore and respect their partner, but also honour their own individuality. These couples are single in the head (SITH). Hear it from two such couples on how they stay committed.

“It’s about individual opinion and mutual respect”
Karina Kriplani, 27, and Sidhraj Shah, 31, are the quintessential SITH couple. They’ve found the right balance between being together and keeping their individuality. Karina is a lawyer. Sidhraj’s in advertising. “I had not met a single person from advertising before I met him,” says Karina. “And I didn’t know anyone who was a lawyer,” smiles Sidhraj.

Sidhraj loves sports and Karina loves reading. Sidhraj has his gang of buddies he’s known for years, and Karina loves sipping Cosmos with girlfriends. “I am totally cool with his obsession with sports,” says Karina, “whereas I just love lounging around and use those days as an excuse to spend time with the girls!”

The couple’s chemistry is palpable, so is their individuality. When you’re single in the head, you preserve your individual opinion and mostly take your own decisions. “There was this new job that I was really excited about, but Sidhraj didn’t think it was a good idea. I wanted to do it anyway and here I am at my new job loving every single day,” says Karina smiling widely.

“It’s about giving each other space, yet being a couple”
Rupa Gulab, 37, and her husband are another such couple. Rupa penned one of India’s earlier chick-lit novels, Girl Alone, whose main character was hilarious, but needy, dependent and insecure. Rupa is in stark contrast to her protagonist. She says, “I live a fabulous life with my husband. He loves his trips to wildlife parks and I hate them-so he goes with other people. I love noisy pubs, he hates them, so I go with other people. We’re not joined at the hip and absolutely refuse to be.”

Rupa adds, “Space is a crucially important issue in a relationship. Absence and distance do make the heart grow fonder. Imagine how much time we’d spend bickering if we forced each other to do things one of us doesn’t enjoy?”

Potential fight areas
While the following advice pertains to all sorts of relationships, it’s even more important in a SITH one. Dr Minnu Bhonsale, counsellor, says, “In a SITH relationship, if one takes a decision that the other disagrees with, the disagreeing partner should give his or her opinion and then, back the person unconditionally. This, irrespective of the decision taken and without holding a grudge. Otherwise, a passive-aggressive dynamic could emerge.”

Dr Bhonsale warns that thinking single can sometimes be risky to the relationship. She recounts the experiences of one of her patients who loved dancing, going out and having a good time, while her husband was a serious, introverted type. “They grew up in the same building, fell in love and got married,” she says. “But with time, she began to feel stifled, they were always surrounded by family since they continued to live in the same building, and the problem was compounded by their vastly different personalities and interests.” She began to pursue her love for dance, started hanging out with her buddies from class, while her husband refused to be part of her scene.

“The woman fell for her dance partner and began to compare him to her husband, and slowly the marriage disintegrated,” says Dr Bhonsale.

So how do you keep it together?
Be open to exploring each others’ interests. “You might be surprised by how much you actually enjoy your partner’s favourite hobby,” says Dr Bhonsale. “Or just seeing your partner enjoy himself could give you pleasure and happiness, resulting in a strong and healthy relationship.” And while you may not agree with your partner’s decisions or have the same points of view, make sure to show that “what matters to him, matters to you”, says Dr Bhosale. This attitude creates bonding like no other.

Advice from the horse’s mouth
Our SITH couples give us a few pointers on how they’ve turned their relationship into a success story.

1) Be honest and straightforward with each other, trust is very important in SITH relationships.
2) Spend time alone so you don’t feel stifled, because as a SITH you tend to cherish your me-time.
3) SITH individuals like to spend time with friends as well, especially in groups, but make sure to also spend time with each other. “I know a few SITH couples who are awkward and lost when it’s just them together,” says Sidhraj.
4) Individualistic is not the same as egoistic and uncomprimising. “Ego’s a bitch,” says Karina.
5) Travel as much as possible as a couple. This is important in SITH relationships, as you’re forced to spend time together, you may bicker and argue, and feel your space ‘taken’, but it’ll do your relationship good.

When you are SITH and he’s not! Gasp!
Couples’ counsellor Dr Minnu Bhonsale shares her ideas on bridging the distance

Bridge 1: Willingness to share and participate
You should make sure to not isolate your partner. Share your experiences with details about whom you met, what you did, how you felt and so on about your ‘single’ time with your partner. If possible, try to mix both your worlds. Your partner may not be as interested in trekking as you are, but he might probably enjoy meeting your trekking friends over dinner.

Bridge 2: Catch early signs and communicate
If the ‘space’ is turning into ‘distance’, the more perceptive and self-aware person among the couple-possibly you, the SITH individual-will realise this early on and should open the channel for communication.

Bridge 3: Acknowledge and appreciate
You should acknowledge that your partner is giving you the space and the freedom. Don’t grudge him not being part of your alone activities. Instead, appreciate your lone time, enjoy it and follow it up with the ‘Bridge 1’ tip.

Bridge 4: You may be SITH, but you’re not Single
Before committing to marriage or a serious relationship, realise that you will have to make space for another person. If you’re too committed to your individual interests and the other person is too invested in the relationship, the gap might be too large to bridge. Introspect and understand if you can indeed make space for another person in your life.

Find out if you are a SITH couple
This quiz will help you figure out if you are a happy or a lone ranger

1) It’s Saturday night and you want to go out partying, but your partner wants to spend time with his PSP. You…
a) Call up your girlfriends and paint the town red
b) Oops! You have no BFFs left, you dumped them all when you met your guy

2) You’ve been ODing on the greasy Chinese at the office cafeteria and your love handles are making a comeback. You…
a) Are worried that the fabulous Prada outfit you maxed your credit card for will not fit!
b) Are worried that your partner will lose interest!

3) He wants to learn the waltz to awaken the metrosexual within, but you think the waltz is pretentious and boring, so you…
a) Tell him he’s free to partner with your friend who is also interested in learning to waltz.
b) Hate it, but go anyway, worried that he’ll be holding another woman’s waist otherwise.

Mostly Bs - You’re joined at the hip with your man and you might be in danger of losing your identity or smothering him. Soon, people will be mixing up your names and will not be able to tell you apart!

Mostly As - You’re the typical SITH. Keep reading!

Nail it right!

Like your hair and skin, nails are a good barometer to measure your health. Nutritional deficiencies, stress levels, and undiagnosed diseases, all show up on your nails. Parimita Chakravorthy finds out the warnings and secrets your nails reveal about your health

Nail the problem
They look trimmed, perfectly filed and neat. But to a trained eye, your nails can reveal subtle variations in the texture or colour.

Dr Meha Mhatre, dermatologist and owner of Tressez Trichology and Advanced Skin Care says, “Nails are made up of keratin, a hard, strong protein which is found in your hair and skin as well. So, in case of deficiencies of essential nutrients like B-vitamins, calcium, folic acid, and vitamin C, they will show on your nails immediately.” Make sure you read them well.

Blue bites
If your nails look bluish, there is a possibility that your lungs are not getting enough oxygen, they are not functioning properly and you may have fluid in them. This happens often in severely cold places at high altitudes, where frost bites are common. In such situations, think on the lines of shifting into a space where it’s warmer.

Snow White syndrome
If your nails appear pale or white then it is quite likely that you have iron deficiency or anaemia. This is especially common when women go over the top with their weight loss and lose vital minerals.

Samreedhi Goel, nutritionist, personal trainer, and proprietor of Size Wise, the exercise studio, Pune states, “The deficiencies that occur during known or unknown deprivation of the body immediately reflect on the nails. The nail bed becomes brittle, thin, concave, patchy, and dull.” Faced with such symptoms, get a blood test done and check your haemoglobin level and if it’s on the downslide, you know what to do!

If the nails are too powdery white or flaky, it reflects liver problems like Hepatitis B, cirrhosis and others. A thorough diagnosis is inevitable in such cases.

Red alert
In case of a red nail bed, be cautious as it might indicate a heart disease. Get your heart checked for any uneven symptoms. If it is a deeper colour, a slightly brown shade, it may suggest B-12 deficiency.

Yellow yarn
At times, yellow, thickened, and slow growing nails reflect lung diseases like asthma and emphysema. If you have difficulty in breathing or get severely affected in dusty environments and see that your nails look brittle and yellowish, get a check up done for any kind of lung ailments. Yellowish nails with a slight blush at the base indicate diabetes, so check your sugar levels.

Check them out
Usually signs on nails are accompanied by other symptoms, so it becomes easy for a doctor to ascertain the causes. Many times, nails suffer from various kinds of fungal infections and ingrowths which cause them to crack, peel, and change colour and texture. So, professional diagnosis is always a better option.

What you should do is take care of your diet and supplement intakes. “Daily intake of citrus fruits, banana, and pineapple will take care of your vitamin C deficiency. Supplements of D3 and calcium help in good absorption of minerals by the body which results in healthy nails and bones. Biotin in dairy products is also helpful in dealing with these deficiencies, “recommends Samreedhi Goel.

Give your nails and thorough check up and get into great shape, with a healthy body and gorgeous nails!