If you cut off too much of your cuticles—which, let’s face it, is easy to do—they might look great for a day or two, but they’ll quickly peel and get ragged again. Not to mention, trimming your cuticles is dangerous. If they’re too short or are lifted away from the nail, it allows bacteria, yeast and fungus to infect the nail.

READ MORE: The Great Cuticle Debate: Trim vs. Push