Fingernail Cuticles - cut off or push down?
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enjoys freebies · Sat Nov 03, 2007 12:28 pm Quote

Please can someone help me, this is something i have never understood!

When you are doing a manicure, you put on "cuticle remover" balm, leave it a few minutes - then the instructions (on my trind one) says to remove cuticles with the orange stick.

Do they actually mean cut them off/scrape them off, or do they mean to just push them down?

I tried pushing them, but a few days later i now have mini papery flaps that stand up straight from the nail bed!

What am i doing wrong?

enjoys freebies · Sat Nov 03, 2007 2:08 pm Quote

I do both! I use cuticle cream and then push back the cuticles. Any skin left hanging I cut off (which I have heard is a no-no), but if I am careful I have no problems. Afterwards, I put on a cuticle moisturizer.

enjoys freebies · Sat Nov 03, 2007 4:19 pm Quote

I've heard cutting your cuticles is a big no-no, but I think you just really have to be cautious about using clean, sterilized instruments and not cutting too much. In theory, the cuticle is there to protect the nail bed from damage and infection, but a ragged cuticle will only increase the chances of those things, so I think it makes sense to cut if you're really raggedy. Hope this makes sense, haha, I can tell my rambling button got hit somewhere back there! Laughing

Just curious, chickenlittle -- what cuticle remover balm do you use? (We have similarly natural tastes in a lot of products, and I'd love to find a cuticle remover that isn't full of nasty ingredients.) Thanks!

enjoys freebies · Sat Nov 03, 2007 7:21 pm Quote

I push back my cuticles, either after applying a cream of some sort or right after showering. I have never cut them, but I think that cutting with a very clean scissor is better than pulling, biting, etc. jagged skin. (Sorry if that's TMI -- I'm guilty of doing that at times.)

enjoys freebies · Sun Nov 04, 2007 5:56 am Quote

ah, I love natural products when I can get them! but if I can't find them or they don't do the job, I try to find products chock full of actives and not too many chemicals!

With my nails, I haven't done a lot my whole life. Now I've decided to try and grow them very long and strong! So I'm trialling the Trind system, which isn't natural at all, but it got good reviews here on EDS.

I'm using the trind cuticle balm. Not sure how much it does really, but I don't have anything to compare it to. I pushed them back and now they look dry and papery, grr. I'm not sure there is enough to cut - are there special metal instruments for cutting cuticles?

enjoys freebies · Sun Nov 04, 2007 7:17 am Quote

Hey Chickenlittle - Are you soaking your nails BEFORE you push your cuticles back? It sounds as if your cuticles are very dry and need to be softened so more before you attempt to push them back.

I love the Trind products and have had great results using the Nail Brightener alone. So I really believe you've selected a great system to grow your nails. If you are uncomfortable using chemical cuticle removers or balms, however, you can always use any kind of food grade oil on your cuticles to push them back (ie., olive oil, sunflower oil, etc).

Here is an EXCELLENT step-by-step video that demonstrates how to give yourself a French Manicure. It also walks you through the steps to push your cuticles back, so watch it for several great tips if nothing else.

http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-give-yourself-a-french-manicure

Forgot to also mention that I would NOT advise you to cut your cuticles, and would continue to soak them and use oils to gently push them back until you achieve the results you are looking for (with time and patience they will eventually look great! Smile

). HTH's!

enjoys freebies · Sun Nov 04, 2007 7:42 am Quote

Aha, yes, I was coming to that conclusion myself! I did it with no soaking at all. Next time I'll do it after a long hot bath. Also my cuticles and around my nails is just very dry at the mo, you are right - usually it's fine, don't know where this has come from. The trind cream is good, but I'll try and find a natural hand cream i think, and just rub it in all the time.

Getting nice nails is my little project! So thanks a million for that link. I want to learn to do a really good French Manicure, and do it all myself as I can afford to go to a manicurist every week!

For some reason, before I started Trind my nails had got very broken and flaky. So fingers crossed this will work to grow them long and pretty.

I'm starting with the trind kit with nail repair, nail balsam, cuticle balsam, cuticle remover and magic buffer.

enjoys freebies · Sun Nov 04, 2007 8:11 am Quote

Glad to have helped! I always find that my cuticles become very dry when the seasons change, so I am forced to soak them in a bowl of warm water before I attempt to push them back. The dryness is especially noticeable if you live in a colder climate during the fall & winter (like I do!).

If you are diligent and follow the 14 day system that Trind outlines, you will notice a big improvement in your nails. To help your nails grow quicker and stronger I would suggest you add some supplements to your diet such as Biotin capsules and/or MSM (powder). Both of these supplements are ideal for keeping your hair, skin and nails healthy. Since I've upped my MSM dosage to 5 grams a day, I've noticed my nails are growing faster and looking so much better.

Whenever you notice your nails acting funny (breaking easily and flaking), this is generally a sign that something in your diet is lacking nutrient-wise, or your daily environment has changed in some way (dryness is often the culprit and can cause nails to become more brittle).

Your plan to use a daily hand cream will help a lot as well. Using a good cream on my cuticles before bedtime has proven very effective for me also. Smile

enjoys freebies · Sun Nov 04, 2007 10:00 pm Quote

No ladies you're all confused... like I was on cuticle removers. There're not to remove your cuticles. The cuticles should always be left alone, DO NOT CUT them. Push back gently.

Cuticle removers remove the white dried up residue after nail polish remover use, ALONG THE EDGE OF YOUR CUTICLE. I find the Sally Hansen nail stone works good for removing that.

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