DIY Cuticle Oil for Strong & Healthy Nails

DIY Cuticle Oil for Nourished Nails

Most of us have different views on makeup and even skincare. But if there is one thing that almost every lady agrees upon is a deep love for well cared nails. Not only does proper grooming make your nails strong and healthy; it also makes your hands look beautiful.

And like every great architecture has a good foundation to thank for; beautiful nails start with good cuticle care. The skin surrounding the nails, also named as Cuticles, is very much a living entity just as any other skin on our body. Improper care can lead to their dryness which further impacts their respective nails’ growth, increases chance of fungal infections and even longevity of your nail paints.

Good cuticle oils are still hard to find in the Indian market so here is a quick and easy recipe to make a great DIY Cuticle Oil at home.

Ingredients You Would Need & Why Do You Need Them

1. Honey: Honey is a natural emollient. It has the capability to capture moisture from air. This water content helps plump up living cells around the nail bed and makes the shedding of dead cuticle cells an easy task. Plus, honey is enriched with anti-microbials that prevent common cuticle infections. The healing property of honey induces cell growth which increases nail growth and makes nails healthy. Glycerine, being another skin-friendly emollient, is a good substitute for honey.

2. Oil: Plant based oils like Olive, Almond, Sunflower or Coconut Oil are capable of penetrating the skin and provide better moisturization as compared to mineral oil found in commercially available cuticle oils which just sits over the skin’s outer layer. We have am used Sunflower oil today but Coconut oil and Olive oil works well for this cuticle oil too!

How to Prepare Cuticle Oil At Home

1. Take ½ tablespoon Honey in a container.

2. Add 1 tablespoon Oil in it and frisk with a spoon until both the ingredients form a translucent mixture.

Now store the mixture in an air-tight container for future use.

How to Use DIY Cuticle Oil

Take some cuticle oil between your thumb and index finger. Rub the fingers together to warm the oil up a bit. Apply generously into the cuticles and nail bed; keep for atleast 15-20 minutes. Then remove the excess oil with a cotton ball or a soft wash cloth. Follow this routine once a day. The results will be visible within 3-4 weeks. You can also use this oil whilst doing your manicure or pedicure.

Benefits of this DIY Cuticle Oil

This rich cuticle oil has multiple benefits-

1. It moisturizes the cuticles and the skin around the nails.

2. Nails start growing faster.

3. It prevents minor infections in the cuticles

4. Chipping is lessened with regular usage.

5. Makes your cuticles soft so that they can be pushed back during manicure or pedicure.

Precautions

1. Since the ingredients used are completely preservative-free the oil must be used within 1 week of preparation.

2. The oil contains honey which attracts water from the air. To prevent disintegration of the ingredients, an air-tight container is needs to be used for storage.

Bonus Tips

1. If you have very dry hands you may use it as a nourishing hand mask as well.

2. If you have the option, use raw honey because it is packed with nutrition and hence, works better than processed honey. 

3. Those of us with thinner eyebrows and eyelashes can use this oil overnight to induce growth in your brows and lashes. When using for this purpose, use castor oil with honey.

Guest post by Sreeparna G.