To cut or not to cut: That is the age-old question when it comes to our cuticles. And until recently, we were always on the fence. On one (ahem) hand, we’ve heard that cutting them can increase the likelihood of getting an infection. On the other hand, it’s so damn satisfying to see the manicurist trim away all that excess skin.
So when Elizabeth Garcia, a professional nail artist in New York City, showed us a trick for getting rid of your cuticles that involves no trimming whatsoever, we were blown away.
What you need: A cuticle remover cream, a cuticle pusher and a medium-grit nail buffer.
What you do: Squeeze a small amount of the remover cream onto each cuticle and let it sit for five to six minutes. (This is a good time to file your tips or finally decide what color you want to paint the nails.) Next, push back the cuticles, then—this is the cool part—rub them gently with the nail buffer. Use a back-and-forth motion on top of your cuticles until you see little balls of skin pill up at the base of your nails.
