Dry cuticles that crack over time pose a lot of problems, especially because hands are such an active part of your body. Not only do cracked cuticles look embarrassing, they also look ugly and can be painful for you. Some people suffer more from dry, cracked cuticles than others. The signs of dry cuticles are dried and chapped skin around your fingernails. But dry cuticles do not mean that all hope is lost, and that you have to go around with such unsightly hands. The remedy is easily available everywhere. But first, you have to know what cuticles are and what exactly causes them to dry out and crack.
Cuticles are basically dry skin which gets pushed further back when your nails start growing. Though all cuticles by nature are extremely dry, some cuticles are drier than others. There are endless factors that can lead you to have dry and cracked cuticles, some of which are obvious while others are more complicated.
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The chief reasons for cracked cuticles are as follows:
- These happen when you are having to work outside and doing physical labor
- You can also get dry and cracked cuticles if you have to spend a lot of time working with water or keeping your hands in water. The water over-hydrates your skin and then damages your hands, thereby causing ugly cracks and tears in your cuticles
- Your cuticles worsen when you tear off the skin around the cuticle when cracks start to appear. This is called peeling your cuticles and is the chief cause of terrible cracked cuticles. If your cuticle problem is chronic, this will only worsen the situation and prevent your cracked cuticle from healing permanently
When your cuticles start to crack or become dry, we suggest that you tend to the condition as early as possible instead of peeling them. An early cure will only mean faster healing and will prevent the condition from becoming worse. Cuticle care is easy if you can spare a bit of time and take the necessary measures to groom your hands. We are here to show you the ropes on how to take care of your cuticles. Once you have given this a read, you will realize how easy cuticle care really is.
1. Use a cuticle cream that is homemade
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To do this, all you need is a bit of time, some oils and hand creams. Heat up 1/3 of hand cream in a microwave. Add some grape seed oil, olive oil, and lavender oil, all of which can found at the supermarket. Make sure you don’t overheat this mixture. Next, take a good amount of this cuticle cream and rub it all over your fingernails, around the cuticle, and also in the surrounding skin. Make sure that you spend at least one or two minutes massaging your hands. This cream will be very effective for your cuticles if they are cracked and will also keep your hands and cuticles extremely soft. If you want to make a lot of this oil in one go, you have to make sure that you store this oil only in a glass bottle. However, you have to keep this in your refrigerator and you cannot use this cream after storing it for 3 days.
2. Pamper yourself with a hot wax treatment
This method will require you to invest quite a bit of money, but the effectiveness of this remedy will simply mesmerize you. The oily wax will have to be melted and then applied generously all over your hands and your fingertips. Next, you will need to put on plastic gloves so that the wax remains in place. During this time, your hands will also be placed in a kind of mitt. When fifteen minutes have passed, you will have to take your hands out of your mitts and then the wax will also be washed away. This whole procedure will leave your cuticles feeling extremely supple and tender. On top of all this, you can even purchase a kit of paraffin online and then make use of it in your own home.
3. Petroleum jelly
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This is one of the most effective and cheap solutions if you want to moisturize your cuticles. You will just have to purchase petroleum jelly and then take some of it and rub it all over your cuticles. Repeat this process every night. Though it may feel a little greasy, the great results that petroleum jelly will have on your cracked cuticles will make you one happy person.
4. Use some essential oils
Essential oils can come pretty handy if you want to keep your cuticles moisturized. The even better thing about essential oils is that they smell pretty great. Among the many essential oils that are available in the market, the best ones are orange oil and jojoba oil. You can also give tea tree oil a try, though the main purpose of tea tree oil is to clean up small infections.
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5. Try lip balm
This is particularly a great solution for you if you are out and about and the chapped cuticles around your nails are bothering you. Just carry a stick of lip balm in your bag and rub it over your cracked cuticles whenever they irritate you. Though it does not offer a permanent solution, it is bound to bring a little temporary relief. You can use this until you can find some hand cream.
6. Do an at-home manicure every now and then
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As it may not be possible for you to have a manicure done quite regularly, you can try this method to have the same refreshing effect that a manicure from a salon has. Just soak your hands in a bowl of lukewarm water for at least ten minutes. This process will make your cuticles soft and will also soften the loose skin around your cuticles. If you can manage it, add one teaspoon of lemon juice in the warm water before soaking your hands in it. Instead of lemon, you can also try vinegar. This routine will also exfoliate and clean up all the dead skin cells.
7. Use orange stick to push your cuticles back
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You must try this method only after having soaked your hands in warm water. You will find orange sticks in medicine stores or on the Internet. These sticks are small metal or wooden sticks that are specifically used for this purpose. Take the flat end of the orange stick and then push the cuticle back. Do this as gently as possible, because by pushing too hard you can hurt yourself. Just make sure that you push until you can see the white shape of a half moon, also called the luna, at the lower portion of your fingernails. Make sure that you don’t do this more than once or twice a month. Mind you, your cuticles are pretty sensitive. Also sterilize your orange sticks every time after using. But if you are using wooden orange sticks, you will have to throw it away after each use.
8. Refrain from cutting your cuticles
The cuticles around your nails save the growth matrix of your nails. Cuticles also prevent dirt and any kind of bacteria from getting into your fingernails. Because of this, you must not cut your cuticles, but instead just push them back. If you cut your cuticles, you will remove the only layer of protection in that region, making your nails more vulnerable to infection. As a result of this, your cuticles will become harder and might start to split and peel. It is a myth that your cuticles grow back at a quicker rate if you stop cutting them. Quite the contrary, the growth rate of your cuticles will stay the same even if you have stopped cutting them.
9. Use topical antibacterial ointment
This is only if your cuticles have cracked to a great extent and are causing you serious pain or even an infection. If this is the case, you will have to clean up the infection before the cuticles can even start to heal. Topical antibacterial ointment is the best for this purpose.
10. Use beeswax
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Beeswax is capable of going deep inside to moisturize the cracked cuticle. Try the natural beeswax instead of using a synthetic lotion.
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11. Consume more vitamin E
Vitamin E prevents the drying out of cuticles, so make sure to take in more of it in your diet or as external supplements.
12. Add non-radioactive inorganic iodine in your diet
This is for you if overactive thyroid glands is the cause of your cracked cuticles.
These are all the things you do for effective cuticle care and heal the dry, cracked cuticles, leaving behind soft and cared-for fingernails.
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