Why You Should Protect Your Cuticles

On this episode of Discovering Black-Owned Beauty, I traveled to Glenview, Oakland in the San Francisco Bay Area, where I booked a Honey and Milk manicure at a black-owned 17-year-old nail salon named Cuticles. The owner Tamika Miller explained how she protects cuticles and what to look for in a nail salon.

How to Cut Cuticles

I learned that in the State of California, it’s against the law to cut cuticles. It’s live tissue: there is a thin membrane of skin that grows on the nail bed that she pushes back. She removes the thin membrane of tissue that grows on the skin to ensure that the polish lasts long.

Buffing & Filing Nails

When filing nails, you should use a file that’s about a 180 grit. You don’t want to use anything too abrasive. An emery board is too coarse, it’s probably an 80 grit. There are myths that you shouldn’t go back and forth, but you can go back and forth, as long as your file is soft enough. Even using a glass file is good.

It is possible to “over buff” your nails. The key is to also look for a softer grade – like this too is a 180 grit. An 80 grit would be too abrasive for natural nails. Using a cuticle oil and a nail strengthener to just help protect and hydrate your nails that will promote nail growth.

Look for a nail salon that uses a new file and buffer on each client.

What to Look for in a Nail Salon

You want to find your salon that will use the complete system. Sometimes a nail salon will use a different base coat and top coat.

We use soft gel and to remove soft gel, we use the method where we’ve wrapped the nail and oil with a little bit of acetone and it just dissolves off. But with the card gel sometimes you do need to use an e-file an electric drill, which can cause damage.