Cuticle care roundup

Cuticle care is one of the most integral parts of having nice nails. It moisturises the skin, keeps the cuticles soft and helps strengthen and keep the nail plate flexible. I’m a strong believer that regularly using cuticle oil is the best way to prevent your nails from breaking. So here I’ve gotten together a bunch of mainstream brand cuticle oils to compare. To be honest I think almost any cuticle oil will help, but if you’re going to be using it regularly you might as well get a product you enjoy having on.

A quick note about ingredients – as I’ve said before, I am not a chemist of any sort, just a nail-tech-in-training / long time enthusiast. But this is what I’ve learnt from a lot of reading and watching too much youtube.

Jojoba Oil – the most common ingredient as it a skin conditioner and a great moisturizer. It absorbs better into the nail plate than other oils which is why it’s used so much.

Vitamin E – an antioxidant that is a great skin conditioner that helps prevent against skin damage.

Sweet Almond Oil – is a lubricant for the surface of the skin that makes the skin feel smoother. 

First up is the CND Solar Oil. I have gone through bottles of this stuff since I first got into nails. It absorbs quickly and doesn't feel greasy. The only downside to it is that I think it smells like marzipan which I HATE, but that's just me - I know plenty of people who love it. (Seriously I eat pretty much anything but marzipan is evil. Pure disgusting evil). The main ingredients here are Jojoba and Sweet Almond oils. CND Solar Oil is available for individual purchase at www.cndshop.com.au.

The Sally Hansen Moisture Rehab has a more gel like consistency that you brush on. Even though it feels thicker going on, it still absorbs in quickly and doesn't feel gross on the skin. It does leave a slight residue, but nothing too annoying. I quite like the scent on this one - not sure exactly what it's meant to be, but I'd describe it best as a fresh laundry. It's very refreshing. It has a long list of ingredients, none of which as the usual suspects you see in cuticle oils, but it still seems to work.
Sally Hansen products are availalbe at all good chemists.

When I first got into nails, this stuff was ALLLLL the rage. And I can understand why! First off it smells soooo good. Like a lemon tart - if I didn't know better I would be eating it! It is different to everything else as it is a wax, but I find that even though it is a little harder to apply, it almost works like a protective barrier on your cuticles. It does leave a slight residue again, but nothing irritating. Main ingredients are bees wax (of course), sweet almond oil and cocoa seed butter. Burt's Bees are available through www.burtsbees.com.au or good pharmacies /beauty retailers.

Revlon Essential Cuticle Oil is probably the heaviest of the oils on this list. It leaves quite a bit of residue, although if you can deal with it, it does leave the skin feeling nice after 10 minutes of so. It also smells like marzipan, and probably even more so than the solar oil, so it isn't my fav. The good side is that you can pick it up on sale pretty frequently and it does work - so I do have a bottle of it kicking around in my handbag as my on-the-go oil. This is another one based on Jojoba and Sweet Almond oils. Revlon is available from good pharmacies /beauty retailers.

So the next 3 items are all from Revitanail - this company is great for having a wide range of different treatments that you can really easily get. The nourishing oil is a good every day cuticle oil. It is a lightweight oil, although I would say heavier than the CND one, and leaves a slight oily residue, but it isn't sticky in anyway. It has a light herbal scent to it that is quite pleasant but not noticeable unless you're sniffing your nails! It has a whole long list of different oils in it, including the usual Jojoba oil and Sweet Almond oil, along with Vit A and Vit E. 

All the Revitanail products are available from good pharmacies /beauty retailers. 

If you find that you need more than just cuticle (or are lazy like my and don't oil every day) then you'll want the Revitanail Ultra Hydrating Serum. The first thing that drew me to it, as superficial as it is, is how pretty this looks. It is a little pump bottle and the gel is filled with millicapsules that provide extra moisture. The gel is quite watery and you only need to use a TINY amount. It has a really pleasant coconut scent. It contains Jojoba, Vit E and L22 (which is meant to be great for improving nail flexibility). 

The Revitanail Keratin Strengthening Serum is not just for cuticle care, but also as a nail rehab. If you're like me and you're forever playing with gel polishes or you've just taken off some enhancements and your nails are all gross and peeling, this is what you need. It's actually water based, not oil, so it's very light. It has a slight floral scent that's barely detectable. The main ingredient is of course keratin, but it also has the usual suspects for Jojoba and Vit E.