Your Guide To Cuticle Care: How To Cut Them Safely + 10 Other Expert Tips

Your cuticles—tiny little pieces of skin that they are—wield so much power over your nail health.

That's because those cuticles have a special purpose (more in a moment) for keeping your claws healthy and strong: Neglect your cuticles, and chances are your nails also appear brittle and cracked, if not irritated; pamper the skin with the tips below, and your nails will naturally look high-gloss and strong.

"The cuticle is actually a layer of clear dead skin that hangs around the nail plate," says Amy Lin, the founder of sundays—a nail care brand focused on wellness.

Well, yes and no. The cuticles have a purpose (i.e., shielding your growing nails from the elements), so you don't want to peel them entirely off your nails—otherwise, aggressors can sneak their way in and you run the risk of infection.

You can, however, clip the excess dry, dead skin hanging off your cuticles; so when professionals cut your cuticles, what they're really doing is nipping that extra dry skin. 

However, it can be pretty difficult for the average at-home nail artist to differentiate between the extra dead skin around your nails versus your actual cuticles, which is why Lin recommends waiting for a professional if you can hold off. They can cut the surrounding skin without causing any potential harm.

If your cuticles are glaringly frayed, you can clip them at home safely: "Take your cuticle pusher and push your cuticle back toward the knuckle," says celebrity manicurist Deborah Lippmann in our DIY mani guide.

Similar to cutting too close to the base, picking or biting the frays can only lead to more damage (and swollen tips). If you're a frequent nail-biter or cuticle picker, it can be tough to quit the habit—but try these tips to nip the nail-biting for good.

To keep the cuticles moisturized (thus preventing frays), add a cuticle oil to your daily routine: Many options include fatty acids and vitamins that nourish the nails and fill in any micro-cracks in the surrounding skin (well, our picks certainly do).

While a proper carrier oil or even a fast-absorbing hair oil will certainly do the job, these little droppers are usually thinner, easily absorbed, and have a quick dry-down time. Read: no slippery fingers. 

Sometimes the best method for hydrated, smooth nails is to go internal.

Namely, your nails are structurally made of keratin, so getting your fill of keratin-building amino acids can support your cuticle growth and keep them strong.

Two of the most popular (and widely studied) vitamins for nails are biotin and collagen, but plenty of supplements include other antioxidants and bioactives to support nail health from all angles.

Just as you want to refrain from clipping too much into the cuticle, you also want to keep them from overgrowing. "When [the cuticle] becomes thick and overgrows onto the nail, it's tough to push back. You don't want to ever get to that point," says Lim. "When that happens, your cuticles are prone to cracking."

While water can soften the nails and make it easier to push back the cuticles, a long soak can cause the nails to expand and contract, which can make them brittle and dry over time and lead to frays. (It can also cause your polish to chip prematurely, FYI.)

Not to mention, a hot water temperature can strip the skin of its natural oils and lipids, which can also contribute to parched cuticles. 

A water soak alone can dry out the cuticles, but even the most natural-leaning dish soaps and cleaning sprays can contain extra-drying ingredients—like vinegar and lemon—which can cause cracked and scaly cuticles.

Regular hand-washing is a must (especially now), but without proper care, it can zap your skin of moisture. That's why board-certified dermatologist Whitney Bowe, M.D., always has a hand cream nearby: "It's essential to moisturize as often as possible to restore those lipids and encourage the regrowth of healthy bacteria," board-certified dermatologist previously told mbg about tending to our hands during COVID-19.

To support your nail plate and the surrounding skin, make sure the polishes you use (base coats, colors, and top coats) contain nourishing, conditioning ingredients rather than harmful chemicals like formaldehyde, camphor, and toluene. 

Let's say you have a gnarly, jagged, painful piece of skin by the nail bed (excess dead skin to the max, often made worse by tugging or picking). You may be tempted to just rip it out, but this only leads to swollen, stinging fingers. 

Rather, after softening the area with cuticle oil or hand cream, position the clipper at a 45-degree angle before gently trimming the excess skin. Instead of grabbing the hangnail and pulling it from the root, think about clipping right where the skin juts out from the nail bed.