Nasty hangnails can form when small pieces of cuticle or torn nails form. Even though the barbs are inconspicuous, if they accidentally get caught on your clothes or hair, you will feel terrible pain. In addition, barbs may also cause infection, so pay more attention to hand care and use the correct method to remove barbs to avoid deepening the wound, leaving scars, and causing skin redness, swelling, and infection.

Deal with Barbs

Soak your fingers in warm water for about 10 minutes. Warm water softens the skin and nails, making the hangnail easier to cut.

• Drop a little vitamin E oil or olive oil into warm water to deeply moisturize your fingers.

Cut off the barbs with clean, sharp cuticle scissors. When cutting, try to get as close to the base of the barb as possible. The deeper the cut, the less likely it is for the barbs to catch on clothing.

• Do not tear the barbs. Pulling at the barbs can cause the skin to tear unevenly, causing further inflammation. In addition, tearing the barbs can cause bleeding.
• Be careful when cutting. Be careful not to deepen the wound or the skin will easily become infected.

Antibacterial ointment can kill bacteria around the hangnail and prevent bacterial invasion, helping the skin to heal. Just a little antibacterial ointment can be applied to the entire wound.

• If the hangnail is deep, you can put a Band-Aid on it to prevent the skin from getting infected.

Moisturize the skin around the hangnail. If the hangnail is small and not too deep, apply vitamin E oil around it. Vitamin E oil has a good moisturizing effect and is easily absorbed by the skin. In addition to this, any kind of moisturizer can prevent your cuticles from becoming dry and brittle. Dry skin can easily cause hangnails to form.

• Apply nutritional oil or moisturizer several times a day, and remember to moisturize your hands after touching hot water or washing your hands.
• To keep your skin soft and hydrated and prevent hangnails from forming, you can also apply other skin care products such as petroleum jelly, honey, olive oil, or coconut oil.

Prevent Hangnails

Dryness is the biggest cause of hangnails, so it’s important to keep your skin moisturized. You can apply a deep moisturizing cream or nourishing oil to your hands.

• Wear gloves when coming into contact with detergent or water. Cleansers and water can dry out the skin, so just wear gloves to protect the skin on your hands.

Get rid of hangnails when they first “bud”. Tearing off the cuticle will only further irritate the skin and cause inflammation, so it is best to cut off the hangnails as soon as they appear. In this way, there is no need to worry about the barbs catching on the clothes and pulling the wound deeper. Trimming works best with sharp cuticle scissors or nail clippers.

• If the skin around the hangnail becomes red and swollen, it may be inflamed. In this case, you can soak your barbed fingers in hot water three times a day. If it still doesn’t work after a few days, it is recommended to go to the hospital and ask the doctor to prescribe antibiotics.

Do not bite or tear your nails with your hands. Biting your nails can damage the nails and surrounding skin, increasing the chance of hangnails forming.

• A variety of different bacteria live in your mouth, so putting your fingers in or around your mouth increases the chances of your hangnail becoming infected with bacteria.

Trim your nails regularly with nail clippers. Cutting your nails not only prevents them from growing too long but also prevents hangnails from forming. You can also use an orange stick to gently push the cuticles back to prevent them from growing on your fingertips.

• An orange stick is a thin wooden stick used for manicures. One end of the stick is flat, used to push away dead skin; the other end is pointed, used to clean under the nails.
• It is recommended to soak your hands in warm water before cutting your nails to soften them, which will make trimming easier.
• Regular trimming helps control nail growth and keeps nails healthy.

Do not use nail polish remover containing acetone. Acetone nail polish remover is very effective in removing nail polish, but it can also make the skin of your hands and nails very dry, hangnails are formed in this situation, so it is best to avoid those that will make the skin dry.

• You can try mild nail polish removers such as ethyl acetate, isopropyl alcohol, or propylene carbonate. In addition, nail polish remover with added glycerin and soy protein is also a good choice.