Can we talk about nails/cuticles?

[Anonymous]

I have never been one to get regular manicures. In fact I can't remember the last time I had one.

I recently started to notice that my cuticles look "thick" and overgrown at the bottom of my nails. Am I supposed to regularly push the cuticle back? Or cut the cuticle?Or buy something for it?

[Anonymous]

Push them back after you bath or shower so they're soft. Cuticle oil would help soften them so you can push them back now. Olive oil would work too, no need to go buy cuticle oil. Just use a towel to push them back.

[Anonymous]

Cuticles protect the nail, but they can become overgrown and split, resulting in hangnails. If they get overgrown they can also make your nails look shorter than they otherwise would. I get manicures every so often and part of the service is soaking the nails in warm water, applying cuticle softener, pushing back the cuticles, and trimming the excess. If your cuticles are really overgrown, I wouldn't attempt trimming them at home. Leave that to the pros - they have the right tools and you won't be struggling to trim cuticles with your non-dominant hand. It's way too easy to cut yourself. If you just want to push them back, get an orangewood stick and some cuticle softener. Try applying cuticle softener after a bath or shower, let sit for a minute and then gently push back the cuticles with the orangewood stick. Get in the habit of applying some type of cuticle cream or oil before bed - I find coconut oil works well but you can try OPI Avoplex, Essie apricot cuticle oil, CND solar oil, or any of the other cuticle oils out there.