Unless you are very confident, I would not cut them yourself. It is very easy to cut them too short and they will bleed. This can also happen to the proffessional, but you need the proper powder (quick stop) to stop the bleeding. I do not know of any way to stop the bleeding without quick stop. If you have the powder and won't be scared by the possibility of a bleeding nail then go ahead and try. Start by cutting only the tip. On white nails you can see a pink color, that is the quick (blood vessel) do not clip that far down. On black nails you will not see this. Then it is a judgement call. Even people like me, who have clipped pets nails for over 20 years, often clip them too short. Use your best judgement.