Nails of even the most beautiful form will look untidy without proper care for the cuticle. This modest skin roller performs an important function and, of course, requires attention to itself, including from the side of aesthetics.
What it is?
The cuticle on the nails is a leathery seal at the bottom of the nail plate, also called a leathery roller. In part, it goes under the skin, so the eye can see only its dried edge. In the medical lexicon, it is called pterygium, and the rest of the cuticle is called an eponych. The cuticle is generally responsible for protection. Without a leathery cushion, bacteria would easily penetrate under the nail, disrupting its natural development. The cuticle protects the nail bed and its matrix, that is, the root portion, from moisture and air. If the root was damaged, the nail itself would begin to break, stratify and develop worse.
Incidentally, the continuation of the matrix - the moon - the cuticle does not protect, so there should be extra care behind it.
Tools and materials for care
To remove the cuticle, the easiest way is to use an orange stick. This wooden structure has a length ranging from 9 to 18 centimeters, and a width of 3 to 5 millimeters. One tip is at an angle and the other is well sharpened. In one package there are several pieces of chopsticks, which makes the purchase convenient and economical. According to the rules, an orange stick is a disposable product that needs to be changed after each manicure.
Wooden pusher must be kept in a dry and clean space. By the way, its additional advantage is the ability to use to clean the dirt from under the nail plate. Recently, europalm is considered to be a worthy alternative to the orange stick. This tool is a soft nail file, not a traumatic nail, which also has the function of polishing. Depending on the color of the device, you can determine how strong the impact will be. Gray pumice - the most tender, pink - a little stronger, and yellow - the most hard.
In the salon a special machine is most often used to eliminate the cuticle., which nozzle gently, without injuring, cleans every nail. The device operates from the electrical network. It takes no more than one minute to process each finger. There is also such a not very popular tool as a cuticle removal knife. It looks like a two-pronged plug, which is extremely inconvenient to use without training, so its use is best left to professionals.
How to prepare the cuticle for removal?
The easiest way to prepare the cuticle for further processing is to hold your fingers in the hand bath. In a convenient container just poured warm water into which you can pour sea salt (but this is optional). The procedure lasts from 15 to 20 minutes, after which the fingers should be thoroughly dried with a towel and immediately begin the removal process.
Removal methods
There are several ways to handle the cuticle. At home, experts recommend doing without circumcision, and simply push back the excess leathery part of the orange stick.In the cabin of a proven master, you can try and more intense exposure.
In general, the method of eliminating the cuticle can be selected depending on your own desires and the state of pterygia.
Trimmed
The meaning of the cut manicure is that the excess skin is simply cut off. It is not recommended to do it yourself, so it’s best to contact a professional at the salon. If a person has diabetes, then this type of treatment is strictly prohibited. Cuticle trimming is carried out using standard tools: nail scissors and tweezers. Pre cuticle necessarily softens.
Pusher or orange stick excess skin moves to the base of the nail, after which they are cut off, moving from the sides to the central part of the nail. It is necessary to do everything carefully, without tension, simply cutting off the already dead scion. The procedure ends with the disinfection of wounds using hydrogen peroxide and nourishing the skin with a fat cream.
A cropped manicure is considered the least successful, because after trimming a new cuticle grows more dense and it has to be processed more often.
In addition, this procedure is not absolutely safe - any inaccurate movement leads to the appearance of wounds. In some cases, there is even the possibility of infection of the matrix. Having decided to carry out a cut manicure, it is important to necessarily steam the cuticle well, and upon completion of the procedure, treat with an antiseptic and a special restorative ointment.
Uncut
A manicure that takes a sufficient amount of time is performed using a special wand and a cuticle removal solution called a remuver. The pusher stick can be made of plastic, silicone, or it can be disposable from an orange tree. Remuver, as a rule, has in its composition various acids, from dairy to fruity, with the help of which the splitting of already dead cells occurs. The procedure begins with a basic preparatory stage, after which three nails are covered with a remover. It should start with only three fingers, so that it does not work out that the remedy was on the epithelium for too long.
According to the instructions, the duration of the action of the remapper is counted, after which the surplus is carefully removed using a cosmetic disk. Pusher cuticle moves back to the very base of the nail, and the dried pieces are removed with cotton wool.
It is important to mention that the work of an orange stick begins only when the remuver dries, and therefore, it ends up acting. The procedure ends with the use of oil, which will slow down the rate of growth of the cuticle.
A kind of unedged manicure can be called a hardware procedure, which is carried out using a special machine. Working like a grinding file, this device accurately eliminates the dead cuticle, and without affecting the living and healthy. It is recommended to carry out such a procedure only in the cabin.
Pushing aside
In the case when a person's cuticle grows very slowly and looks inconspicuous, nothing special can be done with it - just move it to the base. In this case, having prepared the marigolds, it is necessary to apply ordinary oil or gel on them, then move the pterygium and smear the hands with plenty of cream.
Processing details
Before you do the cuticle, you must perform a few simple steps. First, the nail plate is necessarily freed from varnish or shellac. This is done with the help of nail polish remover or wipes designed for this purpose. Following one of the above methods, the excess cuticle is removed. In the final, the nail necessarily gets food - it is coated with oil, cream or wax.
Cream can completely cover the hands, increasing the impact in the area of the cuticle. Experts also recommend from time to time to handle the handles with peeling or scrub them with a substance that acts on the nail plate.
Timely treatment will prevent the growth of the cuticle and cope with excessive peeling. To this end, it is better to take a peeling roll or the usual means that contains fruit acids and vitamins.
Facilities
There are a large number of tools designed to care for the cuticle. All of them pursue one goal, but produce a different action. Oil can be a special cosmetic or the usual pharmacy. Experts recommend paying attention to the presence in the composition of avocado, jojoba and grape seed product, which penetrate deeply into the cuticle, moisturizing and nourishing it. In the case when, in addition to caring for pterigia, the goal is to strengthen the nails themselves, it is worth buying citrus oils, for example, lemon.
Almond, castor oil, shea butter and coconut oil, as well as a mixture of vitamins A and E, can enhance the development of the cuticle. Wax is used for polishing and "sealing". It is also used to cure burrs, give pterygia elasticity and make the nail plates themselves more presentable. Most often, the wax is combined with a special file.
To protect against varnish
At present, there are enough tools on the market to keep the cuticle from getting dirty during manicure. For example, it makes sense to purchase a special protective elixir, which looks just like a regular lacquer, but is applied not to the nail plate itself, but to the cuticle. Sometimes it is also called liquid tape. Such a coating dries out with a silicone film, which is simply removed upon completion of the manicure, having performed the required function.
No negative effect on the nails during this procedure occurs. In addition, the store sells a special pencil that removes excess varnish from the cuticle in the event that it was not possible not to get it dirty.
To slow growth
There are also drugs that allow either to slow down or stop the growth of the cuticle. These include oils for the nails, as well as double effect reviders. For example, Avon brand cuticle care product has a similar effect.
To remove the cuticle
Splitting the skin roller to such a state that it will be enough to remove the cotton pad or orange stick, you can use a remuver, which is a special tool - keratolytic, which does not affect in any way the living part of the pterigia, but destroys the already dead. The composition of such a remuver includes either fruit acids, or a combination of ammonia and carbon dioxide. In addition to softening, this tool is responsible for moisturizing and healing., but after the procedure it is still recommended to use additional solutions. A keratolytic may be sold as a liquid, oil, balm, or gel. The OPI and Librederm Proofreader tools are popular in this segment. Has proven itself and "Kutikler" from KVplus.
Folk methods
Carrying out the procedure for caring for the cuticle at home, you can use the improvised (that is, folk) tools. For example, to soften not too coarse skin, instead of a professional remover, it will be enough to use a warm bath with salts and a variety of essential oils. In addition, the nail space can be disinfected with chlorhexidine or peroxide, which must be found in the first-aid kit.
When it comes to protecting the cuticle from the lacquer coating, the use of rich cream, vaseline or even PVA glue deserves attention from folk remedies. When applying one of these tools only on the skin roller, a texture is created that the varnish cannot be painted over.
Remove the remnants of the product to be either a cotton pad, or just your fingers in cases where it is enough to pull the film.
Possible problems
Some girls are faced with such an unpleasant situation, when the cuticle rubs, that is covered with burrs. The reasons for this are most often the following:
- lack of vitamins in the human body;
- low consumption of clean water;
- insufficient external care
In this case, the cuticle becomes dry and quickly grows. In addition, burrs can be the result of improperly held trimmed manicure. Injured pterygium tries to regenerate and therefore rapidly begins to grow. The skin also rubs because of the fact that the skin of the hands of a person is initially dry, and the cuticle is too thick and hardened.
All cases can be adjusted by changing the system of care and nutrition. Sometimes, you may even have to change your lifestyle. It happens that the cuticle hurts due to inflammation. There are many prerequisites for this situation: it can be improper care, microtraumas, various diseases, and the use of overly concentrated chemicals in everyday life or low-quality varnishes. In this case, most likely, you will need treatment from a specialist.
When the cuticle scratches after a manicure, it may signal an allergic reaction to the material used. In such a situation, again, it is recommended to consult a doctor in order to avoid more serious consequences. Another likely cause of itching is fungus. To solve the problem, you should purchase special antifungal agents at the pharmacy, but first consult with your doctor. Finally, often pterigy even grows to the nail due to improper care. In this case, it will be necessary to introduce regular treatment with oils to prevent such troubles.
The resulting boil will turn out to be cured on its own, if you hold several salt baths, treat the peroxide damage in a timely manner, and also use ichthyol ointment. Bleeding that occurs during the manicure is stopped with a cotton swab soaked in hydrogen peroxide. A large wound will need to be treated with medical glue.
How to remove the cuticle, see the next video.
