If you care about how your nails look, overgrown cuticles are unsightly. You want to get rid of them to give your nails a manicured look, and one of the quickest and easiest ways you can do is pushing them back.
Cuticle pushing should be done as a last resort and in a way that it will not alter the natural shape of the future nail growth. Also, the cuticle should be softened with warm water before it can be pushed to expose the part of the nail plate being covered by the overgrown cuticle so more area of the nail can be used for polishing or artificial nail applications.
Why do you push back cuticles?
Cuticle pushing is usually done to expose the nail plate section that is covered with overgrown cuticles. These cuticles stick to the nail plate because of external factors such as dry cold weather, harsh chemical contact, or a habit of using hot water to wash hands.
People push back their cuticles for two reasons, aesthetic or function. First is pushing back cuticles will make the nail plates larger so that more nail polish will be applied on the nail to make it better looking. The second is to increase the nail plate area so artificial nail enhancement products such as acrylics or dip powder will have more surface area to attach to make them last longer on the nails.
Why should you push your cuticles back?
Cuticles are dead skin, and they will shed away from the body under normal conditions on a healthy body like dead skin on other parts of a body.
However, under extreme cold weather or using strong hand soap, the dead cuticles shed slower. They will accumulate at the base of the nails and what you see are overgrown cuticles.
These overgrown cuticles tend to stick to the nails and move outward. This causes the actual nail plates to become smaller, and people’s first action is to push them back.
Even though overgrown cuticles do not pose any dangers, you can remove your overgrown cuticles naturally. However, this method takes time.
You should push back your cuticles if you want to apply either nail polish or artificial nail products such as acrylics or dip powder. However, you should push back cuticles back in the right way to avoid any damage to the new nail growth.
If the new young nail located at the base of the nail plate is pressed down too hard, it might not grow out smooth, and there will be visible indentations or ridges on the nail later.
Cuticle pushing: when should you do it
Never push back your cuticles when they are dry. Dry cuticles tend to stick firmly on the nail surface and cause you to use excessive force to tuck them back if you do it dry. This excessive force will press down on the nail roots and alter the natural shape of the new developing nail cells.
If you have to push back your overgrown cuticles, they must be softened until you can gently push them back or scraped away from the nails without applying too much pressure.
How to soften cuticles to push them back
Cuticles are softened by either applying cuticle removal chemicals or soaking in warm tap water.
The nail chemicals that are used for pushing cuticles are called several names: cuticle softener, cuticle remover, cuticle eraser, cuticle exfoliator, to name just a few.
All of the chemically-based cuticle removers contain high pH solutions, usually alkaline. Alkaline will dissolve or burn skin tissues, whether they are live or dead.
That is why cuticle removers that are currently sold to the general public all have a warning instruction that says they must be applied on the cuticles and nails for only a few seconds. Also, the excess of this cuticle remover must be rinsed off to prevent further contact with the skin.
Many people who ignore this warning instruction will develop a cuticle itch. If this cuticle remover is still on the skin and if the skin is sensitive, this cuticle remover can dissolve the live skin further and will cause an itch along these cuticle lines. This itch can range from mild to severe and can last for hours.
On the other hand, water is pH balanced, so it is safe to uses on our skin. Therefore, water is a natural solution to soften cuticles.
I always use warm tap water with a few drops of hand soap to soak my customers’ hands for at least 5 minutes when I provide a manicure service. If the cuticles are too thick and hard, I just let them soak longer for an additional 5 minutes or until they get softer before trimming.
Using warm water as a natural cuticle softener, I have never had any complaints from my customers whether their cuticles itch or have any allergic reactions after their manicure services.
Whichever way you prefer or use, you must make sure that your dry, thick cuticles are soft so that they can be pushed back easily.
How to push your cuticles back
Your young nails are just like clay. Any incorrect or excessive pressure you apply on them will result in irreversible indentations when they grow out.
The best way to push back the cuticle is to use a flat, dull tool, and cuticles can be pushed back along and on the surface of the nail. Never try to press down or scrape too hard at the base of the nail. Any downward pressure will cause the young nails to change their shapes.
Some people who use their thumbnails to push back cuticles on other fingernails usually see indentations on their nails sometime later because they press down too hard to remove their overgrown cuticles.
Whatever you use to push back cuticles should be somewhat flat and not so sharp to prevent cutting deep into your skin.
Using this technique, you can push your cuticles back at home yourself safely whether you have a cuticle pusher or other similar tools.
Tool to push back cuticles
You can use one of the following:
- Metal cuticle pusher
- Orangewood stick
- Teaspoon
Orangewood sticks are softwood, so they are gentle on the nails, but they can push the cuticles back without damaging the nails themselves.
An oval teaspoon tip is similar to that of a metal cuticle pusher. You can safely push your cuticles back if you do not have your metal pusher. A teaspoon can be your DIY cuticle pusher at home.
How to cut overgrown cuticles
Dry, thick overgrown cuticles being left alone can split or tear. To make it worse, they can cause live skin to peel back that can cause hangnails which could be painful and can easily be infected. Therefore, they need to be removed by trimming with a pair of cuticle nippers.
How do you know which to cut? After you push back the overgrown cuticles, look at your cuticle on the little finger. On most people, their little fingers have little to no excess cuticles and what you see on yours is a perfect shape of cuticles that do not need cutting.
Use this as a reference, and you can trim away overgrown cuticles on other fingers. Take time when you use your non-dominant hand to hold your cuticle nipper and try to cut too much at one time. You would rather have a thick cuticle than a bleeding one that could lead to other infectious complications.
Also, trimming cuticles is a skill that needs a lot of practice, especially if you cut your own cuticles with your non-dominant hand. As a matter of fact, you have done one thing that no nail technicians have ever attempted before: trimming customers’ cuticles using their non-dominant hands.
How often should you push back your cuticles?
If you ask this question, chances are you have a cuticle-overgrown issue. While the cause of this problem originated from within your body is beyond the scope of this article, other external causes such as cold weather or using strong hand soap can be resolved by taking better care of your hands and fingers. You can find out more about how to remove overgrown cuticles naturally here in this article.
There, you now know all about cuticle pushing and what not to do. I hope you will spend some time taking care of your cuticles.
Happy and safe cut-icles.
