JoHealth.com

The cuticle is the protective barrier for the nail root and the lunala (the white moon shaped area). Keeping a healthy well-maintained cuticle is the first step to having beautiful natural nails. Healthy looking skin and cuticles show and tell a lot about how well you take care of yourself!!

1. Try to avoid cutting the cuticles, this increases the risk of infection and can also change your normal nail shape.
2. A person that has rapidly growing cuticles or thick cuticles should try using a liquid cuticle remover or cuticle softener.
3. Those white spots that appear on the nail bed are caused from cuticle damage. Avoid pushing hard on the nail when pushing back the cuticle, this causes the white spots. Another way to avoid this is to push back the cuticles after a shower or bath when your cuticles are soft and easy to move.
4. When buying a lotion for hand and cuticles don't get one that is petroleum based. This ingredient can cause lifting if you have acrylic nails.
5. Very cold and very hot weather, nail biting, exposure to sun, and having hands in water a lot increases the dryness of the cuticle. Use a moisturizer daily. Use one that contains oils that will help soften cuticles.