Rehab your nails: On the go cuticle care!

cuticle care


Well, fall is nearly upon us and that means winter is not far behind.  If you're anything like me (or you live anywhere that gets as cold as it does where I am!) then you know how terrible winter can be on your nails.  There are lots of ways to combat this, one of my favorites being paraffin dips, but aside from that one thing that can really help is keeping hands out of water.  Frequently wetting nails can actually weaken them so in the winter, waterless mani's are a great alternative to the traditional ones. Keeping your cuticles under control is especially important in the colder months when they can easily dry out and crack.  So today I'm going to tell you how you can do a quick 10 minute manicure with ZERO water!  This is so easy that those of you who work in offices can get away with doing it at your desk with minimal interruption to your workday!  I'm using mostly OPI products for this but generally speaking all you need is some lotion, a GEL cuticle remover, and a cuticle pusher.  I've added a file to the picture above and if your nails need reshaping it's a great time to throw that in but if you just need a quick cuticle pick me up you can skip that step.  So here's the how to:

Put the gel cuticle remover on cuticles and let it sit for three to five minutes.  The gel is important because this is a mani you can do on the go and having a liquid can be messy.  If you're sitting down to do this you're welcome to use a liquid BUT keep in mind that liquids don't stay on the nails as long either whereas gels are going to sit on the cuticle and penetrate them.  Since we're not using water to aid in softening them it's going to help a lot to have the gel. 

After it's set for a bit use your pusher to gently push back the cuticle.  If you're keeping up with regular mani's and cuticle care you should not have anything to nip off so this should be super simple and effective. I always keep nippers on me and if your cuticles are pretty bad you'll want to add them to this routine.  However, as you do it more you'll find you don't need them.

Step three is to add the lotion. Again if nails are very bad and you're doing this at home you can add some oil and let it penetrate three or four minutes and THEN add the lotion.  But if you're on the go just add the lotion and you're done!  Easy ten minute manicure that will keep your cuticles under control this winter!

What are your favorite products for winter?

Product Spotlight: CND Cucumber Heel Therapy

cnd


Today I have a product spotlight for you!! I'm trying to work these in among everything else going on.  Holidays are hectic, even for blogs!!  These are just products that I use and love and recommend.  This one in particular is great for colder months but it works all year round and I love it for a few reasons.  One is that unlike most moisturizers, this one actually works from WITHIN to help hydrate and repair skin.  It's intention is for feet and let me just say, if your feet are callused, dry, or cracked this will work wonders for them.  I have clients who have started using it nightly and over a period of time, their feet look brand new.  Don't get caught up in the word "pedicure" on the label though! This stuff works wonders on elbows, hands, feet and anywhere else you have dry skin.  Another thing I really love about it is that it's very light but it still feels luxe.  We tend to have this idea that heavier product means that we're getting a deeper moisture but that's not the case.  All that greasiness those products leave behind are product that can't penetrate the skin. Gross, right? And useless to boot.  This soaks completely into your skin and starts working right away.  You only need a pea sized amount for each foot and I use about the same for my hands.  It keeps my cuticles looking amazing all year round.  


This is what it looks like.  Really, it has the consistency and look of pistachio pudding!  It's whipped and light.  It has a yummy fresh scent too!  And since it works from the inside OUT instead of the other way around, you'll start to see results ASAP and the more consistent you are with use, the better the results will be.  You can pick this up at most nail retailers who carry the CND brand.  I get mine at CosmoProf.  One jar will last you around three months with regular use.  :)

Have any of you tried this product? Did you love it or leave it?

Rehab Your Nails: Spa Manicure

cuticle care
Well ladies and gentlemen...here we go.  Today I'm going to show you how to take care of your  cuticles WITHOUT nipping them off.  I've pretty much left my nails to their own devices for a few weeks now.  I haven't done anything to them and they're growing out damage from some repairs I did with acrylic awhile back.  So it's the perfect time to test your knowledge of nail disorders and see what kind of shape your nails are in.  Here's an unaltered (scary times) picture of the nails I'm starting with:



Scary thing isn't it?  When you don't care for your nails and cuticles, this is what ends up happening.  Now, granted I DO have some self inflicted damage from the acrylic patch but it's pretty minimal in the scheme of things.  I also work with my hands and made a point of not moisturizing regularly to fully illustrate my point.  This picture shows SIX common nail problems and all of them will be fixed or bettered with the spa manicure technique I'm going to show you today.  Did you spot them?


I've labeled them for you in this picture so that you can see what you're looking for when you assess your own nails.  Do you have peeling? On my index finger you can see some peeling of the top layers of my nail starting.  Some peeling also involves larger areas of the nail lifting up from the lower layers.  If it's a very deep peel, you'll want to avoid buffing it.  I broke my middle nail which is a very common issue and the only fix for that other than to repair with tips or acrylic (which does cause more damage to the existing nail) is to file and let it grow out.  I'm going to file it down evenly.  My primary cuticle is untamed and as a result you can see the secondary cuticle is growing up my nail plate.  It looks unappealing now but it will later lead to the next problem you see which is a potential hang nail on the side of my ring finger.  I already have one on my thumb but notice the positioning. The one on the thumb is caused by dryness, NOT poor cuticle care.  And finally you can see the thinning at the tips of my middle and ring finger from the buffing and acrylic removal.  So how do we make this better?  Well first you'll need to gather up some tools. Here's what you'll need for a SPA MANI:

A pair of cuticle nippers 
A currette with a small end
A cuticle pusher (preferably spoon shaped)
Cuticle remover (I'm using Blue Cross)
A bowl filled with very hot water and a bit of soap
A hand towel (or a few)
A nail file (I prefer a 600 grit)
A buffer (I'm using the same file I used on my nails)
Cuticle Oil (I'm using Solar Oil by CND)
Lotion (I'm using CND Almond Hydrating Lotion)

Set up your supplies by laying the towel down and folding it towards you.  You can choose to layer it over another towel or two to prevent the surface underneath from getting wet. You'll want your bowl filled with hot water and a splash of soap near the side of your towel. Now you're ready to go.  File your nails gently using the file.  Then place them one by one into the water for about three minutes.  (Do your cuticle work after removing from water and THEN do your other hand. Don't soak one after the other)  Remove your hand from the water, dry it gently using the fold of the towel to pat it dry. Then add your cuticle remover. I like Blue Cross because it's strong and it's a liquid. I keep mine in a pump bottle and I pump one squirt over each nail.  Then you can start pushing with the cuticle pusher.  Be sure to start in the side fold of your  nail and push GENTLY. You will feel the cuticle push back and then you'll feel a bit of release. It will take you awhile to be able to identify the feeling but the more you do it the better you'll get.

 
It was hard to get a good picture of this because my pusher is so large. But hopefully you can see how far over my pusher is.  Be careful not to go too fast or push to hard or you'll go right through your primary cuticle and cause a hangnail which may bleed or be painful.  Just gently and slowly move back and forth over the nail plate starting from about midway up the nail.  Keep the pusher relatively flat -- the shape is going to do most of the work for you.  You'll see the secondary cuticle coming up.  It looks like this:

 

Gross, right?  This is why it's important to remove this from the nail plate.  Every time you polish, you're putting the polish right over this layer of skin and that's going to make it not adhere as well.  It's also better for your nails to have the excess removed and will help your nails get healthier.  So now that the secondary cuticle is loosened, you can remove it gently with a currette.  Using the small side, scoop gently from one corner to the other.  If you've done this enough times and it's properly loosened, it will all come off in one little chain of skin.



If it's not loosened properly, go back over with your pusher. If it's coming off in pieces, that's OK too, it just means you pushed a little hard in places and separated the cuticle.  Once you've completed this on all nails, you can use your towel fold to wipe the nails clean making sure to GENTLY push the cuticle towards your hand.  This way you can be sure you've gotten all the secondary cuticle and you'll be able to see lifts or flaps on your primary cuticle.




See all those white areas? Those are loose skin. Remove them carefully with your nippers. Notice NONE of the back curve of that primary cuticle is white. It does not need to be removed. Clear cuticle is healthy.  Only remove that if it's flapping up and will catch on something.  Use the back of the nippers to cut NOT the points. There is an angle to the blade of them and if you work with that angle by tilting them slightly upwards your cuts will be more precise and you'll be less likely to slice yourself.  After you've removed those loose areas, gently buff the nail.

When buffing, avoid touching your skin or your primary cuticle with the buffer.  I use a file for this because the blocks are very hard to control. Also remember that you don't need ANY pressure when filing or buffing. The file will do the work for you. Just touch  it to the nail and gently move it back and forth.  My buffed nail pic came out really fuzzy but it should remove most of the remaining secondary cuticle on the nail plate.  Then add your cuticle oil, rub it in for a few minutes and then add the lotion and thoroughly rub it in. How did they turn out?


I didn't file down that broken one yet!! lol...but otherwise, they look MUCH better. No?  You can still see the thinning which won't be fixed until it grows off the nail but I didn't buff that area so it's no worse.  Even though I didn't nip my primary cuticle, you can see that it's not noticeable.  Pushing and taking care of that secondary cuticle is going to keep the primary one under control. AND the best part is you don't have to worry about cutting yourself, cutting it incorrectly, or it growing back in wonky because you haven't touched it.  Pretty great, huh?  

I hope this was helpful to some of you!! I have a tools post coming up soon and will address getting the best nipper for you and also the differences in currettes!!

Have a great weekend!! :)

Did You Know...I have HOW many cuticles?!

cuticle care
OK so this is something I've wanted to address for awhile because it seems like when it comes to nail care, cuticles are the thing everyone is getting worked up about.  In a way, I can see why.  A great shaped cuticle compliments your nail art (or polish!) perfectly like a beautiful frame on a masterpeice.  But wonky, dry, mis-shapen cuticles draw attention AWAY from your work and not in a good way. So what exactly IS your cuticle? Well to start you need to know that you actually have TWO cuticles.


Say what? Yeah, TWO.  In a very technical sense, both your primary and your secondary cuticle are the same anatomical thing.  However, they are different and should be treated as such.  So let's take a look at them shall we?

Photo credit to Zadidoll.

 I tried to get a good picture of this but I keep my cuticles in really good shape for the most part and I just finished a series post for you guys so I have nothing really to photograph. The photo above does a great job illustrating this though. The reality is that, in the nail world neither of these things are REALLY a cuticle.  Because they are both cuticle.  The eponychium* shown above is commonly known as both the cuticle OR the primary cuticle.  This cuticle should not be cut unless it is absolutely necessary.  Many people nip them or have them nipped for aesthetic reasons but they're actually doing damage to your nails.  Your primary cuticle protects your nail from damage and also creates a watertight seal. You might notice that if you push too hard with your cuticle pusher, you end up with a 'gap' between the cuticle and your nail plate.  This means you have loosened the secondary cuticle. The secondary cuticle is also reffered to as the pterygium.  This is the cuticle which grows up your nail as the primary cuticle regenerates AND it's the cuticle you'll want to remove.  Think of it this way, removing your primary cuticle is a little like cutting your eyelashes off. You might think it looks really cool, but you're doing a great disservice to your eyes!  Removing your secondary cuticle is more like getting a trim every six weeks.  The ends are dead anyway and if you don't do it, you risk more problems and damage to your hair. See the difference?  So how DO you take care of your cuticles without nipping the primary cuticle?  Well that requires a good set of the right tools and a few great cuticle products.  I have a tools post coming up for you and since I've had some requests I'm also going to add a page which lists the tools and products I love to use at home AND when I work on clients.  So stay tuned for that!! Thanks for following!!


*Please note:  in the professional salon world it is common for the eponychium to be used to refer to live skin which surrounds your nail.  This is also eponychium BUT you should never ever cut it. You will bleed. It will hurt.  It's important to keep in mind that most people use the word cuticle to refer to it! :)

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