If you want your cuticles to look cuter, soft and clean always, a manicure might help. But, manicure can only keep your finger nails in shape and beautiful and cannot avoid bacterial growth on your fingertips.
Cuticles play an important role in maintaining our hand hygiene by keeping away dirt and bacteria entering the nails. Badly maintained cuticles may lead to infections, fungal growth under the skin layers. If you are removing your cuticles while doing a manicure, stop it right away. Instead, give your cuticles enough nutrition in the form of cuticle creams.
Cuticle creams or cuticle butters come in the right combination of vitamins and minerals and keep the nails healthy. While there are many cuticle creams available in the market, you can make your own by using essential oils along with some natural ingredients.
Beeswax, Apricot Cuticle Cream:
Ingredients:
50 grams beeswax
100 ml apricot oil
1 tbsp honey
Method:
Melt beeswax in a double boiler method. You can also microwave it for 15 seconds at equal intervals till it melts.
Stir in apricot oil and honey.
Pour the mixture in a glass container and allow it cool and solidify.
Use it daily.
How It Works:
Beeswax heals cuticle cracks while apricot oil improves the elasticity of the skin. Honey is known for its antibacterial properties and it protects the skin from fungal infections.
Coconut and Cocoa Butter Cream:
Ingredients:
50 grams cocoa butter
50 ml cold pressed coconut oil
Method:
Heat cocoa butter and coconut oil together on a low flame.
Stir well and store in a container.
Allow it cool completely and solidify.
Use it daily.
How It Works:
Cocoa butter is known for providing hydration and nutrition to the skin and it forms a protective barrier on the cuticles and prevents the growth of bacteria. Coconut oil heals wounds and it reduces inflammation.
Petroleum Jelly and Olive Oil Cream
Ingredients:
50 grams petroleum jelly
½ tsp olive oil
5 ml fresh lemon juice
Method:
Melt petroleum jelly in a double boiler method.
Stir in olive oil and lemon juice. Let is solidify.
Store it in an air tight container.
How It Works:
Petroleum jelly provides instant moisturization, olive oil nourishes the skin and lemon juice helps in fighting bacterial growth.
