Caring for cuticles is important for maintaining healthy nails. Here are some tips and product details to help care for cuticles:
Tips for cuticle care:
- Dont cut your cuticles. Dermatologists advise against cutting cuticles as they protect both your nails and the skin surrounding them from infection.
- Moisturize your cuticles regularly to prevent dryness and cracking. Use a thick moisturizing product, such as ointments or creams, for the best results.
- Apply cuticle oil to moisturize your cuticles and nails. Cuticle oil is commonly made up of vegetable oils and sometimes contains vitamins and citric acid. It can help increase circulation around your nails, stimulate nail growth, and protect your nail and cuticle against trauma.
- Soak your hands or feet in soapy, warm water for around 10 minutes every few days to soften the cuticle and keep your nails clean.
- Use a cuticle pusher to carefully push back the cuticle along the nail bed. Trim excess skin and hangnails but never cut off the entire cuticle.
Product details:
- Cuticle oil: Cuticle oil is a moisturizing product for your nails and cuticles. It’s most commonly made up of vegetable oils and sometimes contains vitamins and citric acid. Some popular oils used in cuticle oil include jojoba oil, flaxseed oil, and safflower oil.
- Moisturizers: Use a thick moisturizing product, such as ointments or creams, to moisturize your cuticles and prevent dryness and cracking.
- Cuticle remover: Apply cuticle remover to soften the cuticle before pushing it back with a cuticle pusher.
- Hot wax treatment: A hot wax treatment can help moisturize the cuticles. Special oily wax is heated until it melts, and people dip their hands into the warm, oily wax, then put on plastic gloves and a mitt to seal in the heat, which they wear for 10 to 15 minutes. Afterward, the hands, nails, and cuticles are softer.
Positive and negative aspects:
- Positive: Proper cuticle care can help maintain healthy nails and prevent infections. Using cuticle oil can also help stimulate nail growth and protect your nail and cuticle against trauma.
- Negative: Cutting cuticles can lead to infections, and over-clipping can damage the nail bed. Some ingredients, like vinegar and lemon, can cause cracked and scaly cuticles.
