The $6 Solution to Overgrown, Obnoxious Cuticles
I’ve been dealing with some nail crises for quite a long time, as documented here.. and here… and here… and probably elsewhere! My cuticles love to creep up half my nails, I’m prone to those little rough side pieces that aren’t calluses but aren’t cuticle, they’re just their own hellish creation that you have to deal with. I haven’t had a professional intervention in 10 months. I’m also not bothering to wear nail polish because then I’ll have to remove it, or watch it chip away slowly and make me feel messy and I don’t need another source of stress, no thank you. I really do love this cuticle oil that is mess-free, found at Target, and has become a permanent resident of my couch arm table, where I keep all my important stuff while I watch TV. BUT, I like to get to a place where my little fingies are looking good and then attempt to maintain that with the oil. I used to just hack at my cuticles with a little nipper until they hurt and maybe even bled, but at least all that nail crap was out of the way. BUT now I have found a solution that can tackle even my astonishingly rough cuticles.
Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover is a product I had heard about, but despite the very CLEAR and OBVIOUS name I didn’t really understand what it did. I don’t know, sometimes the brain just quits. Now that I’ve gotten a bottle of this miraculous witch’s brew I can tell you that it - you guessed it - (virtually) Instantly. Removes. Cuticles.
I did some quick research, and the secret to this goop is potassium hydroxide. It’s essentially a super alkaline substance that breaks down your skin. If this sounds scary, I mean yeah, it kind of is? Basically if you follow the directions on the bottle you’ll be fine. Don’t leave this stuff on for longer that a minute, and once you’re done, thoroughly wash your hands with soap and warm water. Hopefully by this point in 2020 you’re an expert at thoroughly washing your hands.
When I first used Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover, I didn’t think it would actually remove my cuticles. Again, no idea where my brain went on vacation, but it was not being used when I read the VERY CLEAR package. The product is thick and very easy to apply without making a huge mess. I tried to take a photo but the results were not as exemplary as I hoped. You put it on all your fingers, then sit for a bit (the bottle says 15 seconds, no more than a minute. I didn’t actually time it but I went more for the minute end of things). Then, while the product was still on my nails, I took a cuticle pusher and just pushed the cuticles back - and the cuticles at the base of my nails just scraped off. Again, I was SHOCKED that something called a cuticle remover REMOVED my CUTICLES. I did a little clean up with a cuticle nipper, but it wasn’t even necessary on some nails.
I used this magical goop on my toes too, and WOW did that save me so much time and energy. Shocking, really, that I didn’t have this stuff in my life until now. I think, thanks to Sally Hansen and potassium hydroxide, my raggedy nails are going to be tolerable until I can safely seek a professional intervention.
