When you are trying to make a good first impression, you want to make sure you look well put together.  If you have a cowlick in your hair, bad breath, and a wrinkled shirt, how do you think people will perceive you? One area that is often overlooked is the condition of your hands. So often people don’t take care of their nails. If you bite your nails or if you have hangnails and your cuticles are peeling, you best believe that people notice. They may not say anything but it is definitely observed. If you want to make a good impression on someone and let your physical demeanor indirectly tell someone you ARE put together and that you have everything under control from head to toe, your hands are a great place to start. If this seems absurd, think about how often we use our hands to gesture and convey a message. We use our hands to do just about everything and if they are in view to that person who you are trying to make a good impression, that person will definitely notice whether they are groomed or not.

So ask yourself, do you have dry cuticles? Do you have hangnails? Do you have skin that is peeling off your cuticles? Do you bite your nails? If you answered yes to any of these, you need this next bit of information.

Let’s talk about cuticle care for a bit. Cuticles are the small area of  skin that immediately meets the nail. They act as a barrier and, therefore, play a role in the health of your hands by preventing infection. By keeping your cuticles healthy you are keeping your nails healthy too and leaving a lasting impression.

So here are 5 cuticle care tips.

• Keep your cuticles moisturized. If they are dry and white , they are probably also peeling which could lead to infection. Your cuticles are always ‘thirsty’ for moisture and when they are dry they look very unhealthy. Every time you wash your hands with soap and water or take a shower, you are stripping your hands of moisture. And if you don’t replenish the moisture with lotion afterward you are dehydrating you cuticles. Make sure you moisturize your hands every time you wash your hands to help prevent hangnails and dry looking cuticles.
• Push back cuticles correctly. The proper way to push back your cuticles is to use a cuticle remover to soften the cuticles. (You do not want to push back or remove cuticles when they are dry). Use a cuticle pusher such as the Seki Edge Cuticle Pusher (SS-303), which is an excellent stainless steel pusher to easily push back the cuticle from the nail. By pushing back moist cuticles, this is much safer to prevent tears and damage.
• Trim you hangnails. Hangnails are very unattractive and very painful if they get out of hand. So it is important to address them early on to prevent bleeding and tearing. Having a sharp cuticle nipper handy at any given moment can help to prevent this annoyance. The ¼ Jaw Cuticle Nipper by Seki Edge is a great choice for a nipper. Stainless steel and sharp, this nipper works very well for removing hangnails and excess cuticles. Having cuticle care tools at your disposal is very beneficial for these timely problems. Be sure to keep hangnails off your hands at all times.
• Be careful of products you use on your nails. If you wear nail polish, you more than likely use an acetone-based nail polish remover and polish treatments that contain formaldehyde. Any products made before 2007 likely contains formaldehyde. These chemicals may cause irritation of the cuticle skin and cause dryness. If you use these products regularly, it is important to take extra care of your cuticle condition.
• Don’t bite your nails! When you bite your nails you actually damage your cuticles at the same time. This puts your nails at risk for infection by harmful bacteria that find their way into the body. Biting your nails cause your cuticles and nails to separate. Often times nail biting is a nervous habit. But once you become aware of this bad habit, it’s imperative that you make a conscious effort to quit because it is damaging to no only the health of your cuticles but also to your overall first impression to people. Nails that are bitten on a regular basis are often very short and jagged, something most people are not attracted to.

So take a look at your cuticles and evaluate your own cuticle care. If you have noticeable hangnails, bitten nails, and dry cuticles you may need an intervention. Taking good care of your nails and overall hand condition is one of the first things people notice when it comes to first impressions and yet it is often one of the most overlooked. Take care of your nails and cuticles and you will be one step ahead of most.