Nipple hygiene? Dry nips and turning darker

I know the nipples get darker but mine are so dry I realized it’s actually dark skin and I could scratch or rub it off and so much dead skin came off and now they’re darker at the tips but not so black ( prob that was dirt and the old cells ).

Anyone dealing with this too? Any tips on nipple hygiene ? I had so many clogged nipple pores with my first breastfeeding and now im thinking maybe they were clogged from such dead skin cell?? /“so what can I do to make the nipple skin clean and soft while I can still touch them because they will be soo much more tender when the milk comes in I remembers - should I put Vaseline ? How do I get all the dead skin cells off ?