Why Push Back Cuticles

Why Push Back Cuticles? (No. 3 Reasons Will Shock You)

Why Push Back Cuticles: Often times when we visit a nail salon, we get our cuticles pushed backward but why do manicurists push cuticles back is what you don’t know.

If you’re as clueless as I was a few years back when i first started growing my nails, then this article we certainly provide answers to the reason why your cuticles are been pushed.

Why Push Back Cuticles

But before I do so, here’s an article that best explained how you can successfully push back your cuticles.

I want you to open it right away on a new TAB because it contains the basis for understanding the whole concept of cuticle pushing.

The whole idea of pushing back your cuticle is something that has been on for quite some time now.

In fact, it can be dated as far back as many decades ago (1300 B. C) by early manicurist who saw the need to do so for a manicurist section to be complete.

And up to this moment, it has become a global trend and the reason for this is what I’m going to reveal to you somewhere in this article. Read on.

What You’ll Learn

In this article, I’m going to teach you
1. What cuticle means
2. Why you should never trim, cut or remove your cuticles
3. Why it’s necessary to push back your cuticle or why do you push cuticles back
4. And how to protect your cuticle from getting dry, peeling or get torn.

So let’s go straight to what we have in our menu but before then, let me ask, what does cuticle mean or why do you push back your cuticles?

Can you try? OK let me help you with it.

Cuticle Meaning

The cuticle are those tiny dead skin cells that help protect, guide and shield our nails from infection.

Simply put, they act as physical barriers which help to prevents the entry of intruders – debris, microbes, etc into our nail region – matrix

Why Push Back Cuticles

The matrix, on the other hand, is where secondary nail cells are produced. These cells after production springs out to form what you see as nails.

Trimming or cutting a part of the cuticle can be detrimental to the health of your nails.

Although expert advises that overgrown cuticle should be trimmed, but then, it takes a professional to do that successfully without causing harm to them.

Why Push Back Cuticles

This now brings us to the real reason why I personally don’t advise trimming or cutting your cuticle.

Reasons Why You Should Never Trim, Cut Or Remove Your Cuticle

1. Infection

Every damn thing you see around your nails has or rather is there for a purpose. For example, the nail plate protects the delicate tissues of the nail beds, the same goes for your cuticle.

Why Push Back Cuticles

Cutting or trimming a part of your cuticle equates exposing your nail matrix and putting your entire nail in danger.


The reason is this. When you take away a portion of those dead skin off your cuticle, it will be very easy for infection to get into your nails and when they finally do, the result is usually fatal.

It is for this reason that I personally preach against cutting them out in the first place rather, push them back.

2. They Grow Out Ugly When Cut

Have you ever seen how ugly some person’s cuticle looks on their nails? Well that’s because they trim or cut them way too much

Why Push Back Cuticles
Cuticles Ugly-cles.

When you cut/trim your cuticle often, what happens is, they grow out real quick but not as good looking as they were before you started trimming them rather, they appear very ugly and weird.

That said, lets now look critically as to the reasons why you need to push back your cuticle.

Why Push Back Your Cuticle – Reason

Why do you push back cuticles or why should you push your cuticles back? can you try? if you’ve ever been to a beauty school, you ought to have known by now that cutting or trimming your cuticle is bad.

Well in case you were not opportune to attend any, here’s the real reason why you should never nip at your cuticle rather, push them back. They are;

1. To make your nails appear longer.
2. To enable acrylic fits perfectly to your nails.
3. It adds aesthetic beauty to your nails.
4. And lastly, For nail hardener and other nail product to adhere to your nails perfectly.

Aside from these reasons, if there’s any you think we didn’t mention, kindly drop them as comments.

Having said that, let’s look at each of the reasons carefully.

1. It Makes Your Nails Appear Longer.

Pushing back your cuticle is one way you can get longer nail beds. So if you’re that type with extremely short nail beds, pushing your cuticles backward a little bit can actually in a way lengthen your nail beds. Here’s an article on how to lengthen short nail beds.

2. To Enables Acrylics Fits Better

Have you ever wondered each time you take a walk to a nail salon in the quest to wear acrylics, the first thing most manicurist does is, they try to push back your cuticle?

Well, the reason is not far fetched. It’s simply because they want those acrylics to stick perfectly on your natural nails.

By pushing them back, they’re creating a texture that can hold onto those fake nails because glue does not stick well to cuticles.

3. For Beauty

If you’ve ever had polishes on, on your nails without pushing back your cuticle, you’ll agree with me how messed up those polish will look on your hands.

It’s crazy to spend time and money on your nails only for one tiny dead skin – your cuticle to messed things up.

But when you push them back, it creates and adds this aesthetic beauty to your nails and gives you countless accolades.

4. For Nail Products To Adhere Perfectly

Majority if not all nail products don’t do well when applied to bare cuticle. Well, that’s because nothing sticks on dead skin.

But when you take them back, it removes those barriers and creates for even more surface to stick to.

So if you want your nail polishes, hardeners or fake nails to stick and last longer on your nails, do well to always push them back.

Now that I’ve enlightened you on the reason why you should push back your cuticle, lets now look at how to protect them and keep them in the right shape.

How To Protect Your Cuticle From Getting Dry, Peeling Or Torn

A lot of persons knows how to push back their cuticle but only few knows exactly what to do to care for them.

If you’re in that category that does not know how to prevent your cuticle from getting dried or peeling unnecessary, then these tips should help you out.

1. Moisturize More
2. Don’t bite them
3. Avoid pushing them too hard

1. Moisturize More

When you keep the skin around your cuticles moisturized, you’re indirectly protecting and increasing their defense mechanism.

The reason is because most moisturizer like coconut oil contains anti-fungal and anti bacterial properties capable of fighting back infection.

2. Don’t Bite Them

It’s no longer new that when you go after your cuticle, you’re causing more harm to your nails than good.

Biting or chewing at the skin of your cuticle creates an enabling environment for microbes to live in. I guess you wouldn’t want such do you?

3. Don’t Push Too Hard

Pushing your cuticle way too hard can in a way irritate the skin of the proximal fold which may cause them to bleed or leave them swollen.

So as a rule of thumb, I recommend that you only push back your cuticle with orange sticks. Be gentle while at it

Why Push Back Cuticles

What if I don’t like using tools to push back my cuticle? Here are other ways to do that.

How To Push Back Cuticles Without Tools

If you’re that type that does not have much fate in using tools to push back your cuticles then you can consider using

1. Your washcloth
2. Your fingernail itself
3. Medicine leaf

Damaged Cuticle

If your cuticles are badly damaged, the best way to heal them or regrown them back is to be patient with them aside applying anti-fungal cream on them to prevent bacterial or Fungal infection.

How Long Does It Take For Cuticles To Grow Back

This depends on the kind of damage done. On an average, damaged cuticles usually don’t take long to grow back. A week and some days is what they need to grow out back.


Cuticle indeed plays a vital role to our nails. It’s significance is such that can not be neglected..

Not paying close attention to how they behave equates getting ugly unsightly scene which doesn’t tell good of you.

For this reason, any issues concerning them should be taken very seriously if you must keep the overall health of your nails intact.

And one way to care for them is to push them back gently and I’m pretty sure that this article on why push back cuticles has indeed opened your eyes on the importance of taking out time to push your cuticles back at least once in a week.

Also, it’s not enough to push them back, rather they should be cared for as well and one way you can do so is to keep them moisturized, don’t bite them and most importantly, don’t push them too hard.

With this, I’m sure you’ve learnt a thing today? If that’s the case, please take a minute out of your time to SHARE this article with your friends using any of the buttons below.

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