Treating dry cuticles is a bit of a personal obsession. Despite the fact that I slather my hands with Aquaphor about a dozen times a day, my cuticles are always a mess. And while it’s not very attractive to have dry, flaky cuticles, the real problem occurs when they tear. It hurts like a mother, and can actually be dangerous.
Believe it or not, your cuticles serve a purpose. They act as the protective barrier for your nail matrix, which is the part of your nail that grows. When this barrier is compromised through a tear or cut, it can result in an ugly, painful infection that often inhibits your nail’s ability to grow. So, don’t ever cut your cuticles. It’s ok to trim your hang nails (those hard bits on the sides), but leave your cuticles alone.
While my cuticles are pretty much ragged all year, they definitely get worse with the change in season. Particularly fall. When I lived in New York and Chicago, the switch to fall meant colder nights and radiator heat. Here in LA, it means hades hot and sahara dry. None of which is kind to the skin.
Over the years, I have tried all kinds of things for treating dry cuticles including:
- regular manicures
- cuticle oils
- parafin gloves
- exfoliating scrubs
And every kind of lotion and potion imaginable. Nothing worked. Until now.
Juara Coconut Hand & Nail Balm
100% vegetarian and paraben free, this super rich hand cream is a miracle worker for treating dry cuticles. Containing a concentrated blend of coconut, candlenut and buriti oils as well as illipe and wild mangosteen butters, Juara Coconut Illipe Hand & Nail Balm literally strengthens your cuticles. All while plumping the skin, and reducing the look of fine lines and wrinkles (always a nice side effect).
Another thing that I love about this cream is that while it goes on thick, it doesn’t leave my hands feeling greasy. Very important considering I spend so much time on a keyboard. While the cream is expensive (about $20 a tube), a little goes a long way. You can buy it here.
Eu Genia Shea Butter
Shea butter is the basis of most high end moisturizers, but it’s usually cut with other crap. Not this product. It’s 100% Pure Shea Butter so it’s highly concentrated and highly effective. It’s great for treating dry cuticles, moisturizing your hands, feet, face, and elbows. All without clogging your pores.
The texture is a bit odd since it’s solid, like lard. But the minute that it interacts with the warmth of your hands, the shea butter melts, leaving no greasy after effect. And best of all, when you buy this product, you are helping to provide a fair wage to the female farmers in Ghana who grow the shea as well as educate their children since the company donates 15% of the profits back to an education fund. Personally, I think this is one of the ways that we change the world. So, buy some of this stuff today. I use the dermatological strength.
Healthy Hoof Cream
This product is actually a protein treatment for horse hoofs. But it works great on people hoofs as well. For many years, this was my go-to for treating dry cuticles. And it’s good. Just not as good at the other two. Then, again, it’s also half the price which is always a consideration. It does have a medicinal odor and can be a bit greasy so it’s something that I only used at night. It’s available at most drug stores or you can buy it here.
