Look down at your fingernails — how are they doing? Are they perfectly polished, torn and tattered, or somewhere in between? Whether you love your nail art and time at the salon, or if you’ve completely forgotten you have nails on your fingers all together, we can all benefit from clean, healthy nails and cuticles. And yes — there’s an oil for that!
First, let’s talk about nails.
We all have them — they are living, growing parts of your body made of a translucent protein called keratin (just like your hair!). Their primary purpose is to protect the soft tissue and highly sensitive tips of fingers and toes from damage . If you’ve ever accidentally slammed your finger in a door or dropped something heavy on your toe, you have your nails to thank for absorbing much of that impact. It probably still hurt — a lot— but those tiny, tough shields protected you from even more pain and damage. Nails also serve as visual indicators of your health . They can alert healthcare professionals to fungal infections, thyroid disease, vitamin deficiencies, and a lot more.
Oh yeah — and they’re great for scratching an itch!
And just like your nails protect your fingers, your cuticles protect your nails. They sit over the nail matrix, which is the very important part of your nail that grows. This soft piece of skin is prone to drying out and cracking if not moisturized, which can not only be painful and unsightly, but may become infected and inhibit the health of your nails.
Thankfully, it is really easy to keep your nails and cuticles healthy and strong. Here are some great carrier oils and essential oils that your nails and cuticle will love!
- Organic Jojoba Carrier Oil
- Organic Argan Carrier Oil
- Manuka
- Myrrh
- Clary Sage
- Geranium Egyptian
- Lavender
DIY Cuticle Balm
What you’ll need:
- 1 tbsp Organic Beeswax Pearls
- 2 tbsp Organic Jojoba Carrier Oil
- 1/2 tsp Honey
- 27 drops of Geranium Egyptian
- Empty lip balm tubes or small tins
What you’ll do:
- Melt beeswax in a glass bowl over simmering water.
- Add Jojoba and stir. You’ll notice when you add the cooler Jojoba Oil, it may solidify slightly, then remelt. This is fine!
- Add honey and essential oil, stir to combine.
- Pour into lip balm tubes.
This project makes about 6 tubes — perfect for sharing with friends! Plus, you can keep one in your purse and one on your nightstand, with extras to spare.
References:
Your nails. (2015, May). Retrieved from https://kidshealth.org/en/kids/your-nails.html
Bond-Nelms, C. (2017, Oct. 4). What are your nails saying about your health? Ripples, bumps or splits may be a sign of illness. Retrieved from https://www.aarp.org/health/conditions-treatments/info-2017/medical-condition-fingernail-health-fd.html
