Consider this your guide to cuticle care: where they are, how to clip them safely, and the best expert advice we could get our paws on. You can, however, clip the excess dry, dead skin hanging off your cuticles; so when professionals cut your cuticles, what they’re really doing is nipping that extra dry skin. Although, it can be pretty difficult for the average at-home nail artist to differentiate between the extra dead skin around your nails versus your actual cuticles, which is why Lin recommends waiting for a professional if you can hold off. They can cut the surrounding skin without causing any potential harm. If your cuticles are glaringly frayed, you can clip them at home safely: “Take your cuticle pusher and push your cuticle back toward the knuckle,” says celebrity manicurist Deborah Lippmann in our DIY mani guide. If you don’t have a pusher, you can also use a cotton swab or even the end of your file (just wrap the end of the file with a tissue so the abrasive grit doesn’t scrape against the nail as you push). “If you have a piece of skin that’s still hanging after you’ve properly pushed it, you can take your cuticle nipper and just nip that tiny piece of skin. You never want to nip all the way around.” Some highlights: A bit of mindfulness, like breathwork or going for a quick walk, can be helpful for some, while others may need to find other ways to keep their hands busy (like squeezing a stress ball). Using cuticle oil daily is enough to keep nails healthy, but chief educator of Paintbox Evelyn Lim once told us you can use a cuticle oil up to three times a day if your tips are feeling especially dehydrated (from, say, oversanitizing). “Apply cuticle oil at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Why not?” You don’t have to get too meticulous about it; a great tip is to gently push them back every couple of days after stepping out of the shower (again, with a cuticle pusher, cotton swab, or wrapped nail file), as the nails will be softened from the spray. It’s especially important not to soak right before trimming your cuticles: “I suggest not to soak in water, as doing so will expand the tissue surrounding the nail plate, which may lead to over-trimming,” Lim once told us about clipping hangnails. “I carry a hand moisturizer with me at all times and apply it within moments of washing or sanitizing my hands throughout the day. If you wait too long, you miss that narrow window of opportunity to really trap and seal those nourishing ingredients in the skin before all the water evaporates off the surface, further compromising your skin.” That includes polish removers, too: Stay away from 100% acetone removers (which can dry out the nails) and try to find options that contain moisturizing ingredients, like a soy-based remover—these can effectively dissolve polish while simultaneously strengthening the nail, and they’re typically pumped with other vitamins and hydrating ingredients. Rather, after softening the area with cuticle oil or hand cream, position the clipper at a 45-degree angle before gently trimming the excess skin. Instead of grabbing the hangnail and pulling it from the root, think about clipping right where the skin juts out from the nail bed. Cutting too close to the base can cause even more hangnails to crop up—see here for the full step-by-step guide.
