Nail Care Essentials For Men | A Question of Cuticles
Want nails like this?
You'll need these...
And this...
And plenty of this....
My last article, a basic guide to nail polish for men got a good reaction, but I realized shortly after publishing it that I had somewhat jumped the gun. If you're new to nail care and nail polish, then odds are, your fingernails simply aren't ready for nail polish yet.
If it has been several years since you did anything but wash your hands with soap and water and occasionally nibble at a hangnail, odds are that your fingernails are ill shaped for nail polish, jagged around the edges and have cuticles raging across them like Mongolian hordes across China.
What are cuticles?
You may never have heard of cuticles before, but they are the sliver thin pieces of skin which can creep up to cover the bottom of your fingernail. Men (and women) who have not attended to their nails in some time will probably end up with a few unwanted millimeters of cuticle which will impede further manicuring. Cuticles can be rough and even jagged, and they certainly don't look good if you just try to paint over them with nail polish.
No, cuticles must be tended to before further manicuring can take place. Fortunately, they are not too hard to deal with if you are willing to put a little time into rehabilitating them.
You will need:
- Cuticle Cream
- Manicure Set
- Cuticle Sticks
If your cuticles are not too long, then simply gently massage them daily after you have a bath or a shower (when they will be the softest) with oil, or preferably, cuticle cream. You can then use a cuticle stick to push the cuticles back, making your nails look longer and prettier.
If your cuticles have run amok, you might want to try using cuticle remover. Cuticle remover is a product which when applied to the cuticles softens them and readies them for removal. Usually your cuticles will be stuck down hard to your nail, which is the point, as they were designed by nature to seal your nail bed against bacteria, fungi and other nasties. Cuticle remover will soften the excess cuticle and allow you to use cuticle clippers, or a cuticle stick to gently clip the excess cuticle tissue away. This can be something of a painstaking process, but it is essential if you want nice nails. If you don't feel comfortable doing this yourself, it's not a bad idea to go along to a manicurist and get them to do it the first time. They can give you further hints and tips which will help your grow your nails to the point where they will look good when polished and may be able to recommend products to help you on your way.
