How To Clip Your Own Nails

Before you begin, clean the clippers by rinsing them in rubbing alcohol, even if you’re the only one who uses them.

Look at all your fingernails carefully and decide how short you want to clip them.

Position the clipper at one side of the fingernail you’re going to cut first, so that the curve of the clipper is in line with the curve of the nail. Squeeze the clipper until it cuts through the nail.

It should take two or three separate clips per nail to trim the whole thing. Carefully follow the curve of the nail with each snip.

Gently use a nail file or emery board to smooth any sharp or uneven edges. File straight across and in one direction, not back and forth.

To trim your toenails, sit on a chair or the floor and bend your knee so that you can reach your foot. Using toenail clippers, trim each nail straight across, which prevents ingrown toenails—when the nail grows into the skin of the toe.

Rub a little hand cream onto each cuticle, which is the skin between your nail and your finger. It’s there to protect your nails from infection; when it gets dried out, it can let germs in.