Should I trim my cuticles or not?
Until recently, only the classic manicure was in use - edged, when the cuticle was completely removed from the nail. Nowadays, European manicure – unedged – is gaining more and more popularity.
The advantages of trimmed, American manicure are obvious:
- nails visually become longer, this gives them a beautiful, well-groomed appearance;
- Trimming manicure is recommended if the nail is damaged or growing in some way incorrectly.
Minuses:
- removing cuticles with scissors has long been recognized as unsafe: if some kind of infection or dirt gets inside during or after the procedure, you can get inflammation;
- with inept work it is easy to cut yourself until you bleed;
- you can also scratch the nail plate itself;
- The more often and more thoroughly we remove the cuticle, the faster it grows back and the denser and tougher it becomes.
Advantages of the European manicure:
- it’s simple, you can do it at home without the help of a manicurist;
- it is safe, because during such an operation the cuticle is not damaged;
- accordingly, such care for the cuticle helps it perform its main function, and the nails remain protected from external irritants and bacteria;
- keratinized, old skin cells still die and gradually separate from the nail.
There are practically no disadvantages to European manicure:
- The only thing is that you won’t be able to switch to an unedged manicure immediately after a trimmed one; you will have to go through several sessions of a European manicure until the cuticle begins to look neat and aesthetically pleasing.
Comprehensive cuticle care
As a rule, comprehensive cuticle care is carried out using special sets of products. Here are the most popular and widespread of them.
- Mavala Cuticle Set – This cuticle care set is designed to eliminate overgrown, dry cuticles. According to reviews, the result will not take long to arrive; within a few weeks the cuticle will become more well-groomed. This set includes a cuticle softening cream and a cuticle remover. Also, according to reviews, this product has good value for money.
- Mavala (stop/10ml + oil/5ml) – this set is a little specific, but it is no less in demand. It contains an anti-nail biting agent and cuticle oil. Unfortunately, many young ladies have the habit of biting their nails, if today you consider yourself one of such women, feel free to buy this set. The product is absolutely harmless to your health, however, having an unpleasant bitter taste, it will quickly eliminate all your “stupid” habits. The oil will quickly heal wounds and cracks, moisturize the cuticle and bring it back to normal.
- Nail Tek Recovery Kit (foundation/15ml + therapy/15ml + renew/15ml) – a set for nail restoration. The cuticle is an integral part of the nail, so you need to worry not only about its health, but also about the health of the entire nail. With this product you will quickly and easily restore your nails and forget about the problematic cuticle. So, the set contains a nail product, a medicated nail coating, and a nail and cuticle oil. The first product perfectly restores nails, eliminates brittleness and smoothes the nail plate. Therapeutic nail coating prevents nail splitting and perfectly nourishes it. The oil, in turn, restores the cuticle, maintains the health of the nail plate and cuticle, nourishes and moisturizes them.
Caring for the cuticle is very important, because it is thanks to this, at first glance inconspicuous, barrier that our nails are reliably protected from the negative effects of microbes and bacteria. There are more than enough ways and means to care for the cuticle. Even the most picky woman can easily find something for herself. We recommend that you treat the cuticle care procedure extremely responsibly and carefully, because healthy and well-groomed hands are an integral part of beauty.
How to do edged and unedged manicure
If you still opt for a trimmed manicure, it is better to have it done in a professional salon. Although many can do it at home.
Recommendations for removing cuticles:
- Step 1. First, treat your hands and all used manicure tools with a disinfectant, remember: trimmed manicure is really dangerous and can cause infection.
- Step 2. Shape your nails: it is very important to do this before working with the cuticle, because a softened nail cannot be processed with a file, it will begin to flake and break.
- Step 3. Make a softening bath, immerse your fingers in it for 10-15 minutes, and then apply a special cuticle softener.
- Step 4. When the cuticle has become soft and ready for further procedure, carefully push it away with a pusher, being careful not to scratch the nail.
- Step 5. Cut the cuticle with scissors or special tweezers.
- Step 6. At the end, be sure to treat the nail and skin around it with some nourishing oil or regular fatty cream.
Cuticle oil
Well-groomed hands mean not only beautiful and healthy nails, but also the skin around them! How to maintain a manicure if an overgrown, cracked and dry cuticle inevitably spoils the beauty and neatness of your hands? To avoid problems with the cuticle, you need to monitor its appearance and constantly moisturize it with cuticle oil. Now on store shelves you can find a variety of oil options - multi- or single-component, as well as various formats - in a bottle with a brush, with a pipette, or even in a tube. You can choose a cuticle care product that is convenient for you. The bottles are usually compact, so you can moisturize the cuticle even on the go or while standing in a traffic jam. A small drop is enough to treat the surface of the cuticle and nail. Place a drop of oil on the cuticle of each finger and gently rub it into the nail plate and cuticle. The result will be best if you do this procedure as often as possible - 3-5 times a day. Cuticle oil not only cares for the cuticle and skin around the nail, but also for the nail itself, moisturizing and nourishing it.
How to slow down cuticle growth
For slow cuticle growth, the European method of manicure is preferable: a pushed back cuticle slows down in growth, while a cuticle trimmed in the American style, on the contrary, tends to grow faster.
There are specialized means to slow down the growth of the skin fold. Most often these are gels or oils. Usually they need to be rubbed into the cuticle before going to bed. If you follow this advice, you will soon notice that the cuticle really does not grow so quickly.
These products have other advantages: they usually contain various nutrients and vitamins that help nails stay healthy and strong.
Nail and cuticle care tools
Many modern women prefer a professional, salon manicure to a home manicure, because it is of better quality and more reliable, but there is not always time and money for this. In addition, sometimes a nail can break, bend, and your favorite nail technician won’t be around, so it’s a good idea to be able to take care of your own manicure yourself.
Basic manicure tools:
- Manicure scissors for trimming cuticles. Before purchasing, be sure to take a closer look at your nails: if your cuticle is poorly defined, thin and transparent, your option is needle scissors, but if it is quite dense and hard, classic manicure scissors.
- A cuticle pencil is a kind of “two in one” system: first, a special cream or gel is applied with a pencil to soften the cuticle, then the cuticle is moved back with it.
- A cuticle pusher is a professional manicure tool for pushing back and cutting cuticles. Use it yourself very carefully: the blade of the device is quite sharp and can damage the surface of the nail.
- Trimmer: has properties similar to a pusher.
- Cuticle file: With its help, the nail plate can be polished to a shine. These files are made from different materials, but the best ones are glass.
- Nippers, manicure tweezers . When choosing these tools, it is important to ensure that they fit comfortably in both hands - right and left.
- Orange stick : sold in special sets for European manicure.
- Europumza : used for complete cuticle removal.
- Also remember that you should have a remover, products to slow down cuticle growth, nourishing oils and creams.
We advise you to read: Oil for nails and cuticles: rules of use, which oil to choose
Hand skin and cuticle care
Hello
Today’s post I would like to devote to a topic that is important for all girls - Hand skin and cuticle care
To be honest, I prepared this post a long time ago, because before I myself did not understand the essence of hand care and, among other things, made mistakes in caring for nails and cuticles in general. Now, having learned proper care, I would like to share with you. I understand that most girls here take care of their hands, but still, I think there are still those who neglect the “golden rule” of self-care. And now, maybe you will think about it and rethink something. But that's up to you to decide.
Well, first I’ll tell you about the skin of your hands.
Hand skin care
Agree, hands are one of the most beautiful decorations of the female body , so taking care of them is extremely necessary!
Now I will try to talk about how I care for my hands.
1️⃣ Be sure to lubricate your hands with cream. And preferably with a special hand cream, since the skin there is very thin and requires more intensive care.
I'm currently using Ecocraft's Green Banana & Tiare Hand Cream - I love it!
The effect of using the cream can be seen immediately!
2️⃣ It is also necessary to protect the skin from weather conditions. In winter: wear mittens or gloves, in summer: apply sunscreen
3️⃣ When cleaning the house, don’t forget to wear special gloves. So, even natural household products will have a detrimental effect on the thin skin of your hands.
4️⃣ In addition to basic hand care, I also use all sorts of masks, baths and scrubs. And now I will tell you about them.
✔️nourishing hand skin mask:
Soak one tablespoon of bran in warm water, strain, and then mix with one tablespoon of sour cream and any vegetable oil.
Next, apply everything to your hands and leave for 10-20 minutes:
This mask is great for removing dryness after untimely application of cream.
✔️relaxing hand bath:
Add 1 tablespoon of sea salt, 3 drops of any essential oil and 1 teaspoon of any vegetable oil to 1 glass of water.
Let's put our hands in this bath and enjoy
✔️hand scrub is also necessary for the face and body, because first of all it renews the epidermis. You can make the scrub yourself or take any other scrub, the main thing is that there are no rough particles in it
Now I move on to the next chapter in my hand care topic -
Cuticle care
1️⃣ Refuse trimmed manicure. Yes, yes, I myself sometimes sin by not being able to stand it and cutting off the cuticle, but we must remember that the cuticle is a natural skin growth at the base of the nail plate that grows onto its surface. And the condition of your nails will depend on the condition of the cuticle. In order not to harm your nails or the cuticle itself, it is recommended to switch to a no-edge manicure.
2️⃣ Nourish and moisturize the cuticle with oils. I usually do this with macadamia oil (although I don't like oiling my nails), but you can also buy a special mixture of cuticle oils.
Oh, and one more secret for those who often use gel polishes, struggle with peeling nails, or just want to grow them.
The recipe is simple: take a small amount of cream and add 1 crushed mummy tablet to it, mix everything well and apply it to your nails. Let stand for 10 minutes.
It all certainly looks so-so, to be honest:
But the effect after this is great: at one time, when I stopped using all varnishes, this mask perfectly helped me restore my nails.
The point is that mumiyo itself is useful: doctors even prescribe it to patients with fractures! And all this is because mumiyo perfectly regenerates bone tissue, and I remind you: nails are made of that same bone tissue
Without going far from the cuticle, I’ll move on to Nail Care
Not long ago I found information that nails can actually “tell” about your state of health and now I’m also sharing it with you