Rant & Rave: Cuticle Oil

I’ve never found any lotion or cream that really does the job for my cuticles. The best thing I’ve ever used for that purpose is ChG Orange Cuticle Oil.

Unfortunately, packaging it in a regular nail polish bottle isn’t that great of an idea – I’ve fumbled it several times due to residue and will probably eventually drop it and break it. I’d like to see their formula offered in a brush-tip pen format.

My cuticles tend to get very dry, and are prone to peeling. I use cuticle oil religiously. I’ve also figured out that not all cuticle oils are created equally. Sally Hansen has a great one. My current favorite is ProFX Apricot Cuticle Oil. I’ve used various creams in the past, the results are never lasting. I need to constantly apply it throughout the day. A cuticle oil, at least for me, lasts even through washing my hands. Even on the driest of winter days I only need to use it once right before bed.

Maybe I just haven’t found a good cuticle oil, but I don’t feel like they do anything for my nails except make them greasy :/

I have one cuticle oil, but in general I find them too messy and I’ve found better options for me.

I will use lotions/hand creams throughout the day and make sure to massage it into the cuticles, but my main cuticle treatment time is overnight. I’ll put the goop (detailed in the next paragraph) on and massage a bit, then top it off and put on thin cotton spa gloves.

The best cuticle moisturizers for me have been:
– 100% Shea butter (I get a glass jar from Sheamoisture)
– The Naked Bee “Hand and Cuticle Salve” (a little goes a long way, but actually absorbs faster than you’d think! It has Shea and cocoa butters, sunflower oil and beeswax. The beeswax provides a coating to keep the moisturizers on the skin)
– Lansinoh, 100% lanolin (amaaazing stuff! Also makes a fab lip balm in super dry winters).

Also, when applying treatments, take time to really massage the whole finger and cuticle for a bit. It helps stimulate blood flow to the fingers, which really can help nails grow a bit faster and thicker.

I love Burt’s bee. Smells good and softens my cuticle better than any oil I’ve tried before.

I make my own cuticle oil mix. Having listen to Deborah Lippman and Lisa Price (Carol’s Daughter), my mix contains many of their same ingredients. I stumble across my mix while researching oils for my healthy hair journey. I moisturize my nails & cuticles 2-3 times daily; and follow up with either my whipped shea butter mix or a prepared hand cream.

100% pure argan oil is the very best stuff I’ve ever used on my cuticles and it takes the tiniest amount. It absorbs like a charm and doesn’t leave me with greasy hands. 🙂 I buy mine from sheaterraorganics.com

I prefer cuticle balm. Cuticle oil is too runny and sometimes takes forever to sink it. annoying.

Badger’s Cuticle Balm is amazing. It’s like a step up from the Burt’s Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream. For me, using this is the difference between having cracked dry skin around my nails, and not. I have to apply it every night before sleep.

OPI’s AvoPlex oil is nice, but the bottle doesn’t screw closed tightly enough, and it’s overpriced. I’d recommend it if those two issues aren’t problematic.

I also use Lush’s Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter, and it’s all right, but nothing compared to the two I’m recommending here. I think it functions better as a very thick hand/elbow/knee/heel cream than as a cuticle treatment.

‘Californian Mango Magic’ is amazing!!! Absorbs quickly and smells fabulous!!

I know this is old, but I wasn’t using anything specific for my cuticles at the time. This post inspired me to give them more TLC, so I thought I’d go ahead and weigh in after about 6 months. I’ve been using three products from Orly and they’ve really helped me go from dry and unkempt to healthy and smooth. (Upon proofreading, I realize this sounds like I work for them or something, but I promise I don’t! LOL I just really like these products and think they’re worth a mention.)
 
Between manicures (about once or twice a week) I use Cutique cuticle and stain remover with a rubber pusher. It works miracles but is gentler than other brands I’ve tried over the years. It’s in a tiny .3 oz bottle with a brush and is very easy to handle and apply (usability and neatness are important for me).
 
Then I use Cuticle Oil+ one to three times a day. This is in the same little .3 oz bottle as the Cutique and just a tiny drop on each cuticle does the job without making a nasty oily mess (I hate having oily hands). It just takes a minute or two to rub it in. At this rate, this little bottle will last for ages. Plus, it has a subtle orange oil scent.
 
Lastly, almost every night at bedtime I rub in some Cuticle Therapy Creme with vitamins A and E before my hand cream (which is actually a great night face cream, at the moment). I keep a 2 oz jar (will last *forever*) in my nightstand.
 
For travel a while back I also picked up a tiny .5 oz tube of the Cuticle Therapy Cream and a Cuticare Pair, which is a cuticle oil pen with a rubber pusher top. This oil is less greasy (if that makes sense) and even easier to apply and control than the .3 oz bottle. I carry both of these little wonders in my purse on long days. 
 
The Cutique and Cuticle Oil+ also come in larger (and different) bottles but I really like these smaller sizes. They last for months and are easy to hold and use.