Cuticle Removers You Can Make At Home

If you've been doing your nails at home these days, you certainly have several options for nail color. Where once upon at time we had to rely on classic nail lacquer, we now have everything from gel polish to press-on nails to nail stickers and wraps to choose from. But if you're not going to a salon for a full manicure, you've likely noticed that some parts of the process aren't quite so easy at home, like removing cuticles. 

Simply pushing them back with a wooden or plastic tool doesn't exactly feel good, and you might even injure yourself if you're not properly soaking and treating your cuticles before trying to push them back or remove them (via Bustle). In fact, because cuticles act as a protective moisture barrier for your nails, removing them roughly can cause irritation, bleeding, and could even open you up to possible infections. 

So if you want to do a full mani at home, what are the best ways to treat your cuticles to get beautiful hands without pain or irritation? 

Tricks for at-home cuticle removal

Removing cuticles is really about removing dead cuticle tissue that is dry and creeping forward onto your nail; you don't actually want to remove living, healthy tissue, as your cuticles are important to the health of your nails and hands (via Bustle). This is why it's important not to just start pushing back or clipping your cuticles without treating them first. While there are cuticle softeners you can buy at the store, you can also make cuticle treatments right at home with things you likely already have. 

The first thing you should do is soak your hands in hot water, so the first step in your routine might actually be a hot shower or a luxurious bath. Then, while your nails are still wet, you can apply a homemade mixture of almond and jojoba oil before pushing the dead skin back. In order to make this cuticle softener, you'll need 2 lm of sweet almond oil, 2 ml of jojoba oil, 1 ml of rice bran oil, and for an extra boost of nourishment, you can add 2 drops of vitamin E oil (via Byrdie). Mix the ingredients together in a glass dropper.

Prefer a one-ingredient solution? Not to worry! You can simply soak your fingertips in apple cider vinegar for five to ten minutes before pushing them back in order to soften them and loosed dead skin cells. And we bet you have some in your cupboard! 

Here's How To Give Yourself The Ideal At-Home Manicure

How have your nails been looking lately? If it's been a while since your last manicure, is your polish starting to look a little chipped and raggedy, or have you long-since chewed it all off? If you haven't nibbled every last nail down to the quick, and you'd like your hands to be looking all pretty and polished once again, Women's Health talked with an expert manicurist from NYC spa Chillhouse to get all her best hints and tips for the perfect DIY manicure.

Spoiler: Giving yourself a home manicure the Molly Romah way won't be the quickest, easiest process in the world, consisting as it does of multiple steps and requiring no fewer than 12 pieces or paraphernalia (including polish), but if you've got the time, the patience, and the equipment, who knows? You may find that you have a flair for manicure and you may never need to go back to a nail salon ever again.