Cuticle Care
It is very important to treat your client's cuticle in the proper way.
When talking about cuticle care, it is first important to understand what the cuticle is and where it is found on the finger.
The cuticle is non-living tissue that is shed from the underside of the eponychium fold and tightly attaches to the nail plate to complete the matrix seal or gasket. The cuticle sits against the newly forming nail plate. This tissue binds so tightly that it actually gets pulled along with the growing nail plate. The cuticle attaches to the underside of the eponychium and attaches to the nail plate. Together, they form the seal to protect the matrix.
Once the cuticle gets beyond the eponychium, it no longer serves a purpose and gets removed during a manicure. If this thin layer of colorless tissue is left behind during enhancement prep, your client will experience instant lifting. Although the cuticle is non-living, it will act like a candle wick transferring the oils from the surrounding skin to the underside of the enhancement.
During a manicure, the eponychium is gently pushed back, exposing the non-living cuticle. The eponychium is the skin that lies directly on top of the newly developing nail plate. It is living tissue and often times get mistaken for cuticle. Eponychium should never be cut because it will grow back thicker and tougher, almost like scar tissue, as it is trying to protect itself from the nippers. Normally, the uppermost visible part of the eponychium has the appearance of normal healthy skin.
In order to ensure that no eponychium is cut, it is advisable to first soften the tissue area and use a cuticle pusher to push back all of the living tissue to expose the cuticle (non-living tissue) that can be removed.
Vanish Cuticle Dissolve is moisturizing to the eponychium, but contains AHA exfoliants that help dissolve the non-living tissue; the cuticle. If Vanish is applied and the eponychium pushed back, you can now use a curette or similar implement to easily remove the cuticle from the nail plate. As mentioned previously, this is an important step in prevent lifting.
Besides removing the non-living tissue that no longer serves a purpose for the nail, it is important to continually condition the cuticle/eponychium area. Nurture Oil contains five therapeutic emollients (including Jojoba Oil and Grape Seed Oil) and Vitamins C & E. It’s the perfect finish to any nail service to pamper the skin around the nail. It will not have a negative effect to the nail service. In fact, daily use of Nurture Oil can prolong the life of an enhancement by increasing flexibility. Daily use also keeps surrounding tissue healthy and moisturized, preventing hang nails and rough cuticles.
If you promote Nurture Oil as part of an at-home care program for your clients, your prep time will be cut down on follow-up services because the nails and surrounding tissue will be in excellent shape even before you begin the service.