Nailed

My hands are a mess. I look at them and a shudder runs through me. My skin looks like it's had a faux-treatment that involved a belt sander. My cuticles are sad and raggedy and I am pretty sure I have mom-rot* on my left thumb. Kinda bumming me out. It's not that I am particularly high maintenance. Quite the contrary. I have always showered less frequently then most (it's so time-consuming!) Most days I do not wear makeup. I color my own hair and these days usually trim it myself too (oh, I look goooood). But one thing I was pretty religious about in my old life was getting manicures on a regular basis. The proliferation of competent and cheap nail salons in NYC made it very easy. It was a nice way to unwind on the way home from work or with a friend on our lunch hour. In the summer I got pedicures regularly too. My hands and feet usually looked really nice and glossy. Now? I just look at them and think, O, how the mighty have fallen. I try to put lotion on them between washes or after one of my infrequent showers but it barely makes a dent. It's an emergency situation that is going to require paraffin and heated mitts, I fear. But, I find that it's really hard to make the time. As much as I try to not fall into the stereotypical mom-martyr behavior it really does seem like I always find an excuse that keeps me from doing things like getting a manicure or a decent haircut. I don't know why this is but I really need to change it. At a spa. Preferably in the Caribbean.

*A phrase I am now trying to introduce into the lexicon - like bar-rot, which a bartender friend of mine explained comes from your hands being wet all the time. I find myself having to wash my hands and/or Lowell's hands constantly. I'm kind of like a surgeon except without the pay and the Pfizer-sponsored golf junkets.

Comments

[Nicolle]

I was just lamenting the fact that it was time to wash my hair as it's always hard for me to justify the time loss: showering, shampooing, conditioning, blow drying, argh...

the Caribbean sounds nice. And warm. I'll meet you there.

[Mignon]

My solution? Shower even less, run fingers through greasy mop of hair often. Moisturize the natural way!

[anna]

There has GOT to be a way for us to not get sucked down the black hole of caretaking to such a degree that we can't figure out how to take care of ourselves.

[Nina]

Need help? I swear by One Minute Manicure - a salt and essential oil solution that you should keep next to the sink and use daily. My cuticles used to look like they were chewed on by hyenas. But now, they're soft and my hands have never looked better. I use it for my home pedi's too. I also use Thymes Eucalyptus Hand moisturizer. It's smells citrusy fresh. The combination of both of them will help your hands a lot.
:)