Nail technicians know one surefire way to keep nails healthy is applying cuticle oil regularly – slathering on some oil is a surefire way to make sure your manicure looks its best while strengthening nails over time. Here are five of the best cuticle oils to do just that.
How does cuticle oil work?
Just like your face, the skin around your nails becomes dry over time. Cuticle oils contain moisturising ingredients to hydrate and moisturize dry cuticles for optimal health. Cuticle oil may also provide a protective barrier against bacteria and fungi, decreasing infection risks.
Cuticle oil can do more than simply support our skin and nail health; it also extends their longevity by keeping acrylic or gel enhancements flexible, decreasing breakage risks and snapping. Regular application ensures we’ll get maximum wear out of our manicures!
Cuticles that are dehydrated may curl into and crinkle, causing natural nails to pull away from gel nail extensions and cause lifting and chipping Additionally, it enhances the shine of your manicure, “keeping it looking fresh for longer”.
Ingredients to look out for in great cuticle oils include sweet almond oil, jojoba oil, castor oil and olive oil, among many others. Anything lightweight soaks into the skin easily to leave cuticles looking healthier. Applying your cuticle oil down along the free edge of the cuticle – prevents dehydration at the top edge and listing at the nail plate!
The best cuticle oils of 2024 include:
Best cuticle oil overall – Famous Names dadi oil:
Leading UK manicurists praise Famous Names dadi oil for its rapid effectiveness and its 21 essential oils formulated to deeply moisturize cuticles and surrounding skin, leaving only a slight greasiness typically found with oils. It absorbs quickly with no unpleasant citrus fragrance lingering after application multiple times daily for noticeable nail improvements in days!
Best budget cuticle oil – Boots eight-in-one recovery oil
Boots Eight-in-one Recovery Oil offers an affordable gem with their Eight-in-one Recovery Oil, perfect for frequent use in nail care routine. While its name might suggest otherwise, this dropper oil’s beneficial citrus scent nourishes cuticles while penetrating skin deeply–an impressive feat for such a small dropper oil! In particular, use it overnight before bedtime as it gives nails essential hydration overnight.
Best serum formula – Beauty Pie cuticle therapy
Beauty Pie Cuticle Therapy: BeautiPie’s Cuticle Therapy offers an ultralight formula that absorbs quickly, making it ideal for daytime use without leaving a greasy residue behind on keyboards or steering wheels. Packed with ingredients like castor oil, glycerin, sweet almond oil and bakuchiol – including castor oil itself! – its ingredients soften cuticles while helping prevent hangnails while moisturizing surrounding skin areas and nails while the mild clean fragrance makes this an excellent pick!
Best cuticle oil pen – Mavala mavapen cuticle oil:
Mavala Mavapen Cuticle Oil This cuticle pen stands out with its distinctive felt-tip applicator, unlike traditional liquid droppers and brushes. Specifically tailored for those who wish to avoid oily sensations associated with traditional treatments, its precise dispensation ensures maximum product usage with minimum spillage for on-the-go use.
As an additional feature, this treatment serves as an ideal spot treatment for dry areas around the cuticle or stubborn hangnails, without completely covering all of them. Furthermore, its felt-tip applicator allows gentle cuticle pushing during application to maximize its usefulness.
L’Occitane Shea Nail and Cuticle Nourishing Oil
Shea oil takes centre stage here with 30 per cent inclusion. Together with sweet almond, castor oil, grape oil and apricot oil (amongst others), this formula delivers powerful moisture without being heavy or heavy-handed on application. Similar to OPI’s formula, this one works like an almost gel-oil hybrid solution – providing enough moisturiser without becoming slippery or sticky when applied – staying exactly where you put it down when applied!
Brush tube applicators make applying L’Occitane shea butter hand cream the easiest and quickest way. Useful when applied at nighttime, this combination can effectively eliminate dryness in just hours!
