How to Use a Cuticle Cutter Like a Pro Nail Tech (2024)

Co-authored byKristin Pulaski

Last Updated: November 22, 2024

Cutting Cuticles with Trimmers

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   Wash your cuticle clipper. Use warm water and antibacterial soap to gently swab down your cuticle clipper. You can apply the soap with your hands or use something like a cotton ball to the clean the clipper.^[1]

   • If you use your hands to clean the clipper, wash them thoroughly first.
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   Sanitize the tips of the clipper. Use rubbing alcohol or an iodine solution on the tips. Either dip the tips in the solution or dab it on using a cotton swab. Sanitizing the tips helps prevent your nails from becoming infected.^[2]

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   Soak your hands or feet in warm water. Fill a bowl with warm water and submerge your fingertips or toes. This will soften your nails so the cuticles will clip off easier.^[3] There is no precise amount of time you need to soak your nails, but about 10 to 15 minutes is probably enough.

   • You can also simply clip your cuticles after getting out of the shower.

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   Push your cuticles back with a cuticle pusher. In addition to a cuticle clipper, you need a cuticle pusher. This is a small device you use to push your cuticles back into the nail bed. This will raise the cuticles slightly, making them easier to clip.^[4]

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   Start with tiny snips. Focus on the dead skin on the end of the cuticle. Face the tip of the blades towards your nails and make tiny snips across the cuticle.^[5]

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   Pull away dead skin. Gently pull upward after making your snips. This will pull any dead skin away from the cuticle. Keep pulling away the dead skin until you've trimmed the full cuticle.^[6]

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   Apply a moisturizer. The skin under the cuticle and near the nail bed may become irritated as you remove the cuticle. To counteract this, dab on some hydrating lotion or cuticle oil near the nail bed and the surrounding skin. This should soothe your skin, reducing the likelihood of complications from cutting your cuticles.^[7]

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1. 1

   Avoid clipping your cuticles if you have diabetes or other health issues. Diabetes can make finger and toenails more subject to infection. If you have diabetes, or a health condition that decreases your immune system, refrain from cutting your cuticles. Cuticles are there to protect your fingernails and skin.^[8]

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   Clip your cuticles in moderation. Cuticle clipping is not something you should do every day. Most experts recommend clipping your cuticles in moderation. Stick to clipping your cuticles once every couple of weeks to prevent infections, and soreness near your nail bed.^[9]

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   Leave some of the cuticle intact. Do not clip off your entire cuticle. The cuticle is a necessary component of the nails that protects them from germs. Only clip off the tips of the cuticles that are comprised of dead skin. Leave the rest intact.^[10]

   

   Doug Schoon, Nail Care Expert

   Improper use of cuticle nippers is a common cause of nail damage. Never cut skin or eponychium with nippers, as this causes intense pain and invites infection. Only target loose, detached cuticle tissue with nippers.

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