By Most women place equal importance on maintaining their nails as they do their hair and skin. The health and appearance of cuticles are influenced by several factors, including the chilly environment, regular hand washing, and abrasive detergents and cleansers. These cause nails to become more rigid and prone to cracking and breaking easily, as well as dry cuticles that appear parched and peel on the ragged edges. You quickly grab for moisturizing creams and lotions when dealing with dry cuticles. However, they might contain additional synthetic substances that do not penetrate thoroughly and do not offer you long-term relief, doing more harm than good. These ingredients include alcohol, which is drying. You should try essential oils for your dry cuticles. They will help with nail development and strength and give you moistened cuticles. In addition, essential oil shields them from splitting, thinning, and brittleness. To use it, you can combine essential oils like geranium oil, hibiscus essential oil etc with suitable carrier oils in the desired proportions in a roll-on bottle and use it on the nails and cuticles 2-3 times a week. You must always perform a patch test on your skin and monitor it for 24 hours before using it. If you feel any discomfort or irritation, consider consulting your doctor.
What Causes Dry Cuticles
There are several factors which can lead to dry or cracked cuticles. It is important to take good care of your nails, otherwise they can become brittle, prone to breakage, little yellow etc. Here are some of the main factors which contribute to dry cuticles:
Frequent Hand Wash: Given the current situation of coronavirus, we end up washing our hands frequently with soap or using a sanitizer. This rips away the moisture from the skin and leads to drying of hands and cuticles.
Lack of Moisturisation: Our hands are the most exposed parts of our body to weather, different surfaces, frequently washing etc. This strips away natural oils from our hands and leads to dryness. It is thus very important to regularly moisturize our hands with moisturizer or oils to keep them healthy.
Use of Nail Polish Remover: We all love painting our nails or pampering ourselves to manicure. However, excessive use of nail polish removers or acetones can not only dry them out but can also make them fragile and brittle.
Best Essential Oils for Cuticles
Geranium Oil
Geranium essential oil helps moisturize your cuticles and guards against the dryness of the nails. It can deeply nourish the nails and cuticles, which helps in increasing their flexibility and storing moisture. As a result, the nails grow, and the cuticles remain healthy.
Frankincense Oil
The most popular historical essential oil for nail development is frankincense oil. It promotes not only nail development but also guards against infection of the cuticle. Its moisturizing qualities go deep in the skin layers, which prevents peeling.
Lavender Oil
Lavender essential oil helps in reducing anxiety, treating headaches improves skin texture and many more. The oil’s antibacterial qualities kill all fungus, germs, and viruses when used for nails. It helps hydrate and strengthen the cuticle, making it a great oil for dry, irritated, or ragged cuticles. For strong, healthy nails, lavender is a fantastic remedy.
Myrrh Essential Oil
Myrrh oil is a good oil for nail growth because it is believed to hasten nail growth and has moisturizing characteristics that keep the cuticles wet and prevent them from drying out, creating a favorable environment for nail growth. After combining it with olive oil or cashew oil, you can use it on your nail cuticles.
Conclusion
The dry and peeled-out cuticle hurts and does not look so good. Fortunately, essential oils are an excellent treatment for dry cuticles and nails. To avoid additional pollutants and potentially harmful additions, select an essential oil for nails that has organic features and is sourced from a reputable company. In addition to applying oils, ensure you eat a balanced diet high in fats and antioxidants because this will help your nails and cuticles stay healthy. Consider keeping oil in a roll-on bottle that you can use whenever possible.
