Cuticle Health

Okay, I've never really taken care of my cuticles and in turn have been plagued with hangnails, cuts and dry, ragged cuticle skin.  Not good.  The dry skin often tears up the finger causing very painful hangnails :(  My nails have always kinda sucked too - splitting and weak all the time - which is what happens when you don't take care of your cuticles.

Recently I've been paying extra attention to my cuticles and want to share some tried and true tips:

1. Don't cut your cuticles.  This can be very damaging and lead to infections!  However, if there are flaps sticking up, use a *sharp* set of nippers to nip it off.

2. Push your cuticles back gently after applying a good cuticle remover. A good remover contains AHA which will slough away dead skin cells.  If you want a more natural option, you can do the milk bath soak for your fingertips (lactic acid accomplishes the same thing).

3. Don't paint your cuticles when you paint your nails.  Plus, it's just ugly. 

4. Condition your cuticles often.


I've used many cuticle oils and they are all pretty good.  Mineral oil doesn't penetrate the cuticle skin as much as it sits on top, so stay away from products which use mineral oil.  The best oils are almond, jojoba (which is actually a wax, not an oil), and vitamin E.

For the past 4-5 days, I've been using this:



It's  Tuscan Citrus Herb Complex made by Cuccio.  It contains cottonseed, sunflower, & safflower oils, and vitamins A & E.

So far it's been the best for my cuticles! I really see the difference - my cuticles are supple and soft just from a few days. You can go back in the blog pics and see the difference.

I'll continue to use it daily until my cuticles are healthy.  Or until spring because winters in the high desert are crazy dry :)

Shynk!