Should I or Shouldn’t I Cut Them? Manicurists Have Their Say

A blog about the best manicures, pedicures and nail tips with prices.

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Should I or Shouldn’t I Cut Them? Manicurists Have Their Say

To cut or not to cut your cuticles, that is the question.

I just had my second pedicure of the summer this week. My first one was getting my feet spring-ready, and this one was to maintain them. The two foot soaks were quite different! The first one was a bit painful as all of the dry skin from winter came off and my feet felt a little sore in between appointments. Whereas this time there was almost no dead skin to peel off and my feet felt like velvet after the soak. If you are wondering why there is such a difference between the two, it’s because I cut my cuticles at the first appointment, but not at the second one.

I’ve been told many times that cutting your cuticles can be harmful to your nails because it allows bacteria to get under your nails and cause

Should I or Shouldn’t I Cut Them? Manicurists Have Their Say

A blog about the best manicures, pedicures and nail tips with prices.

Nail clipping is one of those things that has to be done right, especially when you are doing your own nails at home. If you cut them too short, they could become ingrown or worse yet, infected. But if you don’t cut them at all, they will look unsightly and possibly even cause pain. The question is: When should you cut your nails?

The answer depends on a number of factors including whether you have an active lifestyle or not! If you’re a runner or other type of athlete who does a lot of physical activity outdoors during the summer months then it would probably make sense for you to cut your nails short so that they won’t get caught on anything while running around outside playing sports etc.. But if your lifestyle isn’t as physically active then maybe keeping them long might be better suited for you because longer nails can help protect against picking up dirt under then and getting infected by bacteria etc..

Every woman has nail-care questions (Should I or shouldn’t I cut them? Is it safe to use polish remover? What’s the deal with gel?), and we put them to the experts. Here, manicurists have their say on cutting nails, removing cuticles and more.

When should I cut my nails?

“Your nails should be trimmed when they get long enough to catch on things,” says Jin Soon Choi, founder of Jin Soon Natural Hand & Foot Spas in New York City. “Or if you have a habit of biting them, then you should keep them short all the time,” adds manicurist Michelle Saunders for Butter London. “I recommend keeping them at 3/8 inch or shorter.”

What’s the best way to trim your nails?

“Cut straight across using a sharp manicuring scissor and use a nail file to smooth any rough edges,” says Choi. Saunders prefers clippers: “I find that scissors are hard to maneuver around your fingers and can lead to splitting or peeling.” Afterward, she recommends using a glass file (which is smoother than an emery board) to round off any pointed edges.

Should you remove your cuticles?

“Never cut your cuticles!” says Choi

What may seem like a simple question is actually more complicated than it seems. The answer depends on the person and how their nails grow, says manicurist Kim Truong of New York City’s Haven Spa. “There are people who can go without cutting their nails, because they don’t grow as quickly,” she says, “and there are some people who need to get a manicure every week.”

It’s also important to note that for those who get gel or acrylics regularly, nail length should be determined by the manicurist doing your service. Nails that are too long can cause gel and acrylics to pop off sooner, while nails that are too short can cause a gap between the polish and edges of the nail bed.

If you’re unsure when to cut your nails and in what shape, check out these tips from leading pros:

You know how the old saying goes: “Don’t cut your nails on a whim.” But what about when it’s not a whim? Some people are born with naturally long nails. Others are simply more prone to nail-biting, which in turn makes the nail grow back faster. Still others may just want longer nails because they think they look better that way.

Whatever the reason, there are some things you can do to help your nails grow longer and stronger. If you’re considering cutting your nails, here are some tips for making sure you’re doing it right.

1. Make sure your manicure is clean and dry before applying polish to it. You should never apply polish to wet nails because it will cause them to get brittle and break more easily.

2. Choose a good brand of polish that doesn’t contain harmful chemicals such as formaldehyde or acetone, which can cause allergic reactions in some people. Also make sure the polish is non-toxic so it won’t irritate sensitive skin around the cuticles or fingernails themselves if they become irritated from repeated applications of polish remover over time.

3. Use a high quality base coat on top of your existing manicure before applying any color. This will help protect the natural oils

I’m sure that you have been told to not cut your cuticles at least once in your life. Or perhaps, you’ve been told that cutting your cuticles is a necessary step to achieving the perfect manicure. So, who’s right?

The truth is that if you have extremely overgrown and dry cuticles, cutting them is acceptable. It is also safe to do so if you are doing so yourself. However, if your cuticles are healthy and just need a little TLC, it’s best to leave them be or push them back with a wooden stick or soft towel.

There are quite a few reasons for why trimming your cuticles is not recommended. The main reason being that by cutting the cuticle you could be exposing your nail bed to bacteria which could cause infection and inflammation. Because of this, it’s best to always leave this task up to professionals at a nail salon, who will clean everything properly and use disposable tools for each customer. If you must use a tool on your own nails, use one from a good brand (such as Revlon) and make sure to sterilize the tool prior to use.

Now that we got the safety aspect covered let’s talk

The manicure lady doesn’t know who you are

I was getting my nails done when this happened. I had a regular customer, in her mid-thirties, who always got gel manicures. She would come in every two weeks and get the gel taken off and reapplied. She was there for about an hour, so we talked a lot. One day she said “You know what? I’m just going to cut them off.” And she did! It was weird because I knew here, but didn’t know her well enough to be like “What are you doing?” But it made me realize that sometimes your nail lady is the only person who sees your nails. So if you don’t have anyone else to talk it through with, maybe talk to your manicurist!

Nail tech: Stephanie Lim, @stephxxbridal on Instagram