Due to the craziness of the world in 2020 I’m sure there’s quite a few of you that have not been to a nail salon and had your nails attended to for a little while.
You may never go again, because you’ve realised that you can do a pretty good job yourself at home. Whatever the case, we all do a little bit of DIY.
So, I want to ask you;
‘Do you have the right tools and are you using them correctly?’
Now, you may think I’m going a bit OTT here and say nail clippers are easy, you just cut.
Erm not it’s not and no you don’t! Or, ‘why buy nail scissors when I’ve got a nail file?’
Well, allow me to let you in on a few little secrets, and I promise you, not only will it help your nails stay beautiful for longer, but you’ll also save time and money too when you learn how to cut your nails.
Let’s start with a bit of history:
Nail cutting tools are quite a recent addition to nail care in the scheme of things. Before we had our modern day implements, paring knives were used and the nail was literally cut, just as if you were peeling fruit or veg. No pretty result there. At the same time, the rich and wealthy enjoyed long nails as it showed you were rich enough to not have to partake in manual work. Some thought nail cutting should only take place on certain days to bring luck, while others put the nail cuttings into potions in a witchcraft style curse. Fortunately, we’ve come along way since then. But still not everyone knows how or why we should look after our nails or how to cut your nails. It’s not all about the colour and length. As with any part of our body. It’s about taking care of ourselves. From what we eat to how we tend to and protect our nails.
Nowadays, there are manicure tools everywhere in varying qualities and price points.
You may think that if it does the job, what does the quality matter?
There are four tools to shorten your nails but only 3 of them should be used.
- Nail clippers
- Nail scissors
- Nail file
- Teeth
Guess which one you shouldn’t use.
I want to help you understand how to use the first two, and the difference between the two. I’ll cover nail files and their differences in another post.
The first and most important rule is to only cut your nails when they are soft and clean.
After a bath, shower or soaked in a bowl. This applies to finger and toes nails.
Nail clippers
A good set of clippers are made of quality steel meaning they stay sharp after many uses.
Using blunt clippers will crack, break and fray the nail.
Other benefits of owning stainless steel clippers (which won’t be in the cheaper stores), are that they shouldn’t rust or present mold, which sometimes happens if you’ve used them on wet toe nails after a bath and not dried them after use.
Having rust spots or mold is obviously not good if you accidentally cut your skin either.
Dirty clippers increases the risk of bacteria , and other harmful contagions entering the wound.
The correct way to use nail clippers – how to cut your nails
When learning how to cut your nails, the most important thing is to never place the clippers over the centre of the nail and clip.
This will put stress on the edges and further up the nail plate, which can make it break further down than your desired length. The edges of the nail will still need cutting too as you’ve only cut out the middle.
The best approach is to start at one edge of the nail, usually the side that is nearest to you, and cut away from yourself. This also makes it easier to see the whole of the nail whilst you’re cutting.
Until you get used to using them, only use half of the clipper.
Place the clipper onto your nail and cut in small sections at a time. Think of your hairdresser, how they cut small sections as they go and stay along on the same line.
Continue in small cutting movements, working your way around the nail until the entire nail has been cut to the desired length.
Why is it safer to cut small pieces at a time?
There is less chance of nipping your skin or cutting too low.
Tip: Make sure you leave the nails a fraction longer, as you will need to file them to get a nice smooth edge.
Your other option is to use nail scissors.
Not always the easy option for cutting your own nails as it’s quite tricky when you have to cut with your non dominant hand. But you may find scissors better when using on someone else.
Unlike clippers, nail scissors are mostly used to slightly trim the nails, clip hangnails, or cut off a snagged nail.
It’s not advisable to use scissors to cut off nails that are fairly long because they’ll more than likely crack and split.
When looking for nail scissors, look for ones with curved blades. Not just a smaller version of paper scissors for example.
As with nail clippers, don’t try to cut the nail in one cut. Small precise cuts are much safer, cause less damage and create less work with the nail file after.
When cutting finger nails you can follow the curve of your nail.
BUT
Toenails should be cut straight across.
Why? – Because cutting the sides of your toenails too short can promote ingrowing toenails and infections. The ideal length of a toenail should be a fraction longer than the end of your toe.
Once you’ve cut your toenail straight, you may find the edges feel a bit sharp. This is when you can gently smooth this off with your nail file.
The importance of moisturising
Once you’ve cut and filed your nails smooth, make sure to moisturise them. Of course, the Fresh Therapies nail elixir is best. If you haven’t purchased any, then use any hand or foot cream. Some moisture is better than none.
I’ll be putting some short videos onto my Instagram page shortly, showing exactly how to use the clipper and scissors, if that will help you.
If there is any part of this where you feel I’ve not explained things properly, please drop me a line and I’ll email you the when the ‘How to’ video goes live.
Or maybe you’ve got your own little secret way to trim your nails. If you have I’d love to hear it, so please do share.
Take care and safe cutting!
Want to chat? No worries you can email me [email protected]
Phone – 023 8073 9595
Want to find out about the products? – www.freshtherapies.com
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