Rozy asks…Is it better to cut my nails after they have been soaking or when they are dry? I like how it feels when they have been soaking. I’m not sure why.
The Right Brain responds:
That’s a really interesting question. I haven’t seen anything in the technical literature that would indicate it makes a difference one way or the other but if I had to make a guess I would say that cutting nails when wet could lead to increased damage.
Water damage
Hair and nail chemistry is pretty similar and it’s well documented that repeated cycles of wetting and drying has a damaging effect on hair. My hypothesis is that the mechanism works the same on nails. Water absorption, followed by drying, followed by water absorption, could cause tiny cracks in nails to spread which would ultimately cause damage. Occasional wet cutting is probably fine but prolonged exposure to water could cause a problem.
If it feels good, do it?
So why do you like the feel of cutting your nails when wet? It’s not really that surprising because the flexibility of nails increases with water content (see reference.) The moisture softens the keratin so as the blade of the nail trimmer breaks through the nail there’s a less of an “snap.” But is a more comfortable nail cutting experience worth the potential future damage? That, as we say in the cosmetic science business, is a testable proposition.
Nail cutting experiment
Until someone can find a scientific paper on this subject here is a mini test you can do at home. The hypothesis is that soaking the nail before cutting leaves the nail susceptible to increased damage. The test could be a simple side-by-side test. For some period of time (probably a month) you could cut the nails on both hands differently. One way to do it would be to cut the left-hand dry and the right-hand wet. But that could lead to a handedness bias when you’re doing the actual cutting.(Maybe you cut your nails differently when you use the clipper in your dominant hand for example) It would be better if you could alternate fingers on each hand by soaking every other finger. This is a more awkward process but would ultimately give you better results. Regardless of how you choose to set up the experiment the idea is to compare wet-cut vs dry-cut nails after some period of time and observe the degree of damage in each.
If anyone decides to challenge this brave new frontier in nail science let us know and we’ll publish your results. In the meantime, I’ll stick to dry cutting my nails.
Image credit: http://www.focusandshoot.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/pointing-fingers.jpg
What do YOU think? Do you like to soak your nails before cutting them? Leave a comment and share your thoughts with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Cool, I would do that!
That’s really helpful
Actually thats too hard nvm.
My great-grandmother taught the younger generations to never cut nails while they were wet. Her explanation had something to do with them weakening ‘over time’ (which probably isn’t technically accurate) but I will never cut my nails wet simply because it’s a beauty family tradition.
She also said never to cut hair while wet, but every salon I’ve ever been to won’t cut it dry.
I put Solar Oil on my nails before clipping. It is perfect–no weakening.
I often cut my nails after taking a bath. For some reason, they become easier to trim.
@Jenny: Are your nails in good condition overall? Have you seen any indication that cutting them after soaking in the tub is making them weaker or more damaged?
My nails are hard enough when dry that they splinter and flake horribly when cut, so after a shower is the only way I can cut my nails without ending up with a snaggy nightmare.
Huh. I actually try to cut my nails when wet, because they cut much, much more easily. I wait til they’re dry to file them though. My big toenails, in particular, are a pain to cut otherwise, and the (cheap) nail scissors tends to bend before the toenails do.
Regardless, my nails are very strong (and can easily grow to twice the minimum length, although they look sloppy at that point), so I kind of doubt that cutting them wet hurts. I certainly haven’t noticed any difference from cutting. My nails have only been noticeably weaker than usual following a period of an unbalanced diet. (Admittedly, I have no idea if nail polish impacts this. I cannot stand the way it feels on my nails, even though the colors are very pretty).