Cuticle Oil and a Hand Care Routine That Actually Helps

Cuticle Oil and a Hand Care Routine That Actually Helps

Cuticle oil is the small habit that makes the biggest difference to dry winter hands and nails. Here are the cuticle oils, hand creams and nail treatments I would use for a simple routine that keeps hands soft and nails strong.

In 1911, Northam Warren launched Cutex as a liquid cuticle remover, and the name came straight from the word cuticle. Before that, most people trimmed their cuticles with scissors, and the idea of softening them instead was new. More than a century later, the kindest thing you can do for your nails is still to soften and feed the cuticle rather than cut it. In winter, when cold air and constant hand washing dry everything out, a good cuticle oil is the easiest place to start.

The first row is cuticle oils and creams. French Girl Nail and Cuticle Oil is a plant-based blend. Gelcare Cuticle Oil is made for anyone who wears gel. Londontown Nourishing Cuticle Oil comes with a brush for easy application. DIOR Huile Abricot is a nail and cuticle serum from the brand known for its apricot nail cream. Kure Bazaar Paris Nail Oil is simple and clean. CHANEL L'Huile Camélia is a hydrating oil made with camellia. L'Occitane Strengthening Shea Nail and Cuticle Oil has 30 percent shea oil with apricot and almond, and Paume All-In-One Cuticle and Nail Cream is a rich cream in a small pot.

A quick test: apply oil to one hand only every night for a week. The difference between your two hands will tell you everything.

Tear-off flyer collage over a close-up beauty photo, reading Take care of your hands, with L'Occitane Shea Nail and Cuticle Oil, DIOR Huile Abricot, Nécessaire The Hand Cream, Manucurist Active Smooth and Aesop Resurrection Aromatique Hand Balm
Cuticle oils and creams

Cuticle oils and creams

Hand creams and balms

A hand cream is the other half of the routine. Hands have fewer oil glands than the face, so they dry out faster, and a rich cream after washing keeps them from cracking.

Nécessaire The Hand Cream is loaded with vitamins and made for frequent hand washing. CHANEL La Crème Main is soft and elegant. Clinique Deep Comfort Hand and Cuticle Cream treats both at once. Aesop Resurrection Aromatique Hand Balm has a lovely herbal scent that fills a room. CAUDALIE Vinotherapist Hand and Nail Cream absorbs quickly. Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Touch Hand Cream smells warm and sweet. Grown Alchemist Rich Restorative Hand Cream is rich and nourishing, and Susanne Kaufmann Hand Cream uses broccoli and walnut oils for very dry hands.

Pairing tip: keep one hand cream by the kitchen sink and one in your bag. You will use it after every wash if it is right there.

What I would skip: a strongly scented hand cream if you cook a lot. The fragrance ends up on your food. Keep a fragrance-free one by the kitchen and save the scented ones for your bag and nightstand.

Hand creams and balms

Nail treatments and base coats

Nail treatments and base coats protect nails between manicures, and they make polish last longer when you do wear it.

DIOR Crème Abricot is a classic strengthening nail cream. CHANEL La Base Camélia is a fortifying, smoothing base coat. Londontown Tinted Fortifying Ridge Filler in Petal Pink smooths ridges with a soft pink tint. Manucurist Active Smooth in 00 is a milky pinkish beige treatment that strengthens and evens out nails. Manucurist Green Flash Vitaminized Base Coat helps polish last. Kure Bazaar Paris Clean Base Coat is a simple, clean base. Gelcare High Retention Base Coat grips polish for longer wear, and DIOR Base Vernis is a protective base.

How to use them: wear a ridge filler alone for a clean, healthy look, or use a base coat under every polish to protect the nail from staining.

What I would skip: going straight from polish to polish without a break. Nails can look dry and stained. Give them a few days with just oil and a treatment between manicures, especially after a dark red or gel. A week of oil every night brings most nails back to a healthy color.

Nail treatments and base coats

The ten-second routine

At night, massage a drop of cuticle oil into each nail. After every hand wash, use a hand cream. Once a week, push back your cuticles gently after a shower instead of cutting them. Wear a treatment or base coat between manicures. That is the whole routine, and the nightly part takes about ten seconds. Cuticle oil is the smallest step in beauty, but hands and nails look noticeably better within a couple of weeks. Wear gloves outside on the coldest days, and your hands will stay soft all winter.