Buzz
Your cuticle is the thin, transparent layer of skin along the bottom edge of your fingernail or toenail. Improper care can lead to dryness, damage, or infection. Maintain clean cuticles by regularly soaking them in soapy water and moisturizing with cuticle cream. For tougher stains, try deeper cleaning techniques. Follow our simple DIY routine at home to care for your cuticles!
Steps
DIY Cuticle Care Regimen
Start by removing any nail polish from your cuticles and nails. Use nail polish remover, preferably acetone-free, to strip away any polish. If acetone-free remover isn't available, opt for coconut oil as a natural alternative. This ensures a gentle removal process without drying out your skin.
- Non-acetone nail polish remover is gentle on the skin and effective for cleaning dried polish from cuticles.
- Coconut oil is a natural option for removing dried polish from the skin around your nails, leaving the nails themselves untouched.
Revitalize Your Cuticles with These Easy Steps
Begin by soaking your fingertips in warm, soapy water for a few minutes. Prepare a bowl of warm water and add a few drops of hand soap. Dip your fingertips into the water and let them soak for approximately 5 minutes.
- This helps cleanse your nails and cuticles while also softening your skin, making it easier to push back the cuticles later.
Eliminate excess cuticle using cuticle remover solution. After soaking, apply cuticle remover solution to each nail bed to dissolve dead cuticle overgrowth and any stains or dirt. Wait for about 15 seconds before wiping it off with a clean cotton pad.
- Avoid cutting or trimming cuticles, as this can lead to infection or irritation.
Gently push back your cuticles using a wooden orange stick. Use the flat end of the stick to push back the cuticles from your nails. You can also dip the stick in cleanser to help remove any dirt trapped in the cuticle.
- Try using circular motions with the orange stick to remove dead skin softened by the gel.
- After pushing back the cuticles on each finger, rinse your hands again in warm, soapy water.
- Wooden orange sticks are available at pharmacies or online retailers.
Trim any hangnails with a cuticle nipper if necessary. Use a clean, sharp cuticle nipper to remove any painful hangnails that have developed. Hangnails are small pieces of skin that have separated from the cuticle or nail.
Revitalizing Stained or Dirty Cuticles
Cleanse your nails and cuticles with soap and water. If your hands are soiled with dirt rather than oil or grease, a thorough washing with soapy water might suffice. Add a few drops of hand soap to warm water in a bowl and create suds by mixing with your hands. Soak your nails for approximately 5 minutes, then use a nail brush to scrub away embedded dirt in the cuticles or nails.
- If a nail brush is unavailable, a clean toothbrush can serve the same purpose.
Soak your hands in a solution of water and cuticle/stain remover. Purchase cuticle and stain remover solution from a local pharmacy or online. Mix several drops of the solution into a bowl of warm water, then soak your fingers for up to 10 minutes.
- Cuticle stain remover is potent and effective in eliminating most stains from cuticles and nails, but be cautious not to overexpose your skin. Limit soaking time to 10 minutes and always dilute the product with water before use.
Create a whitening mixture using lemon juice, baking soda, and water. Combine 3 tablespoons (44 mL) of lemon juice, 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of baking soda, and 6 fluid ounces (180 mL) of warm water in a bowl. Soak your fingertips in the solution for about 5 minutes, then scrub your nails with a nylon brush.
- Lemon juice and baking soda are known for their nail-whitening properties.
Use pumice hand cleanser to wash away stubborn grease from your cuticles. Pumice, a lightweight volcanic rock, is commonly used as a mild abrasive. It aids in removing tough grime and grease when rubbed between your hands during washing. After the initial hand wash, apply pumice soap to a nail brush and use it to scrub your individual cuticles for a thorough cleansing.
- Pumice soap effectively removes substances like automotive grease, oil, paint, tar, and sap from fingers and cuticles.
Valuable Advice
Essential Items
Maintaining Healthy Cuticles Regularly
- Non-acetone nail polish remover
- Hand soap
- Bowl
- Warm water
- Cuticle removal solution
- Orange stick
- Cuticle nipper
- Cuticle cream
- Cotton pads
Addressing Stained or Soiled Cuticles
- Hand soap
- Bowl
- Warm water
- Nail brush
- Cuticle and stain remover
- Lemon juice
- Baking soda
- Pumice hand cleaner
