Easy DIY Cuticle Oil to Strengthen and Nourish Nails

This homemade cuticle oil recipe is so easy to make! And so good for your cuticles too!

Keeping your nails healthy and strong has never been easier! Now you can forgo the spendy cuticle oils at the store and easily make your own diy cuticle oil!

It’s super easy to do! Plus, my simple diy cuticle oil has no harmful ingredients in it! So you can rest assured that you are treating your nails and body well.

Get ready for your next spa manicure at home with a few drops of this homemade cuticle oil recipe!!

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Nurture your nails with our simple DIY cuticle oil recipe! It’s a nourishing blend that strengthens your nails. Say goodbye to dry cuticles and hello to healthier nails!

The Benefits of Using a Cuticle Oil

Why should you even use a cuticle oil? Is it really necessary?

Well, a therapeutic oil is actually really good for your cuticles and your nail beds. Your cuticles protect your nail beds, keeping bacteria from infecting your nails.

And if your cuticles are cracked, bacteria can actually get into your nail bed, causing a nail infection.

Applying a homemade cuticle oil can keep your cuticles soft and healthy, preventing a nail infection. Plus, cuticle oil improves the overall appearance of your hands too! Cuticle oil repairs dry and cracked skin, not just around your cuticles, but on your fingers and nails as well. 

It’s so good for you! Even the essential oils in this homemade cuticle oil are good for your skin. 

Some essential oils possess antifungal properties, and some are antibacterial, which is really great if you have hangnails. You don’t want those to get infected. This stuff saved me during the cold winter months when I’m really prone to hangnails.

Some essential oils are also good for circulation, increasing the blood flow to your hands. This in turn actually helps your nails grow faster.

If you frequently wash your hands, or they are in a lot of sudsy, hot water, you may want to start using a cuticle oil. Or if you live in a colder climate, it might not be a bad idea either.

Or if you use nail polish remover frequently. These things are all known for drying out your cuticles, and a nourishing diy cuticle oil can prevent this.

How to Use Homemade Cuticle Oil

Using a homemade cuticle oil is super easy.

  1. Start with clean, dry hands. Roll the nail oil onto your nails and cuticles, using a roller bottle.
  2. Massage the cuticle oil with essential oils into your skin thoroughly.
  3. If you want to, you can use a cuticle-pushing tool to gently push back your cuticles.

And that’s it!

You can use this simple diy cuticle oil right before bed, so that it has time to soak into your skin. Or you can use it after showering, to lock in moisture.

What Do You Need to Make a DIY Cuticle Oil Recipe?

To make a homemade cuticle oil, you really only need a carrier oil. But the essential oils offer so many additional health benefits, it’s good to add them as well.

Plus, they smell amazing! You can check out my favorite essential oil brand right here. You can even use the code ESSENTIAL10 for 10% off your first order! 🙂

diy cuticle oil2

For my healthy cuticle oil recipe, you will need:

  • 3 Tablespoons Jojoba oil – Jojoba oil is a great choice for a carrier oil because it is anti-inflammatory, helps the skin heal, and mimics our skin’s natural protective sebum. Plus, it’s super nourishing, absorbs well, and is easy to find almost anywhere.
  • 1 Vitamin E Capsule – This helps prolong the shelf life of your cuticle oil. Plus, it helps nourish and soften the skin, and has anti-inflammatory properties that helps to fight off infections.
  • 12 Drops Rosemary Essential Oil – Rosemary prevents anti-bacterial properties, promotes nail growth, and helps heal nail fungus. 
  • 12 Drops Tea Tree Essential Oil – Tea Tree possesses antibacterial, antiseptic, and antifungal properties. It helps heal cracked cuticles and relieves inflammation.
  • A Small Glass Roller Bottle – You can also reuse an empty nail polish bottle or a glass container and a Q-tip.
  • A Small Funnel

Feel free to mix and match essential oils for different benefits! You can even add an essential oil for its aromatherapy benefits too. Just don’t forget to read up on essential oil safety!

How Do I Make My Own Cuticle Oil?

I’m almost embarrassed to tell you how easy it is to make your own DIY cuticle oil! I mean, something this good should be harder to produce, don’t you think? 

You can literally make it faster than you can buy it!

Here’s how to make your own cuticle oil:

  1. Using the funnel, combine all of your ingredients into your roller bottle. I’ve found that you can puncture the vitamin E capsule with a needle or a pen to get everything out mess-free. 
  2. Make sure the cap is secure and you’re good to go! Then give your natural diy cuticle oil a good shake before applying to your cuticle area as needed.  

See? Easy as pie!

(Uh, no, actually pie is much, much harder….)

If you don’t have a roller bottle and you’re in a pinch, no worries! Keep it in an airtight (preferably glass) container of your choice and out of direct sunlight. You can dip a Q-tip in the nail oil mixture and apply it to your cuticles that way. 

Yield: 1 vial

DIY Cuticle Oil

homemade cuticle oil

Nurture your nails with our simple DIY cuticle oil recipe! It’s a nourishing blend that strengthens your nails. Say goodbye to dry cuticles and hello to healthier nails!

Prep Time 5 minutes
Active Time 5 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Difficulty Easy

Instructions

  1. Using the funnel, combine all of your ingredients into your roller bottle. I've found that you can puncture the vitamin E capsule with a needle to get everything out mess-free. 
  2. Make sure the cap is secure and go! Give it a good shake before applying to your cuticle area as needed. 

Notes

Notes: If you don’t have a roller bottle and you're in a pinch, no worries! Keep it in an airtight (preferably glass) container of your choice and out of direct sunlight. You can dip a Q-tip in the oil mixture and apply it to your cuticles that way. 

Feel free to mix and match essential oils for different benefits! You can even add an essential oil for its aromatherapy benefits too.

Additional DIY Cuticle Oil Recipes

You can make virtually any sort of homemade cuticle oil that you want to, but here’s a couple of my favorite combinations below.

DIY Cuticle Oil for Healthy Nail Growth:

Nail Strengthening Cuticle Oil: 

Play around with it and create your own recipes! Below I’ll go into the best essential oils for cuticle oil, and what they do for your skin. So, you can tailor your own recipes to your own skincare needs.

sweet almond oil

How to Store Your DIY Cuticle Oil

Storing your cuticle oil is pretty easy as well. Just keep it in a cool, dry, dark place. Light can oxidize the essential oils.

Your bathroom cupboard should be good if your bathroom stays cool and dry. But because they often don’t, I’d store it in the bedroom or a hallway closet. 

Your cuticle oil should last for about a year.

The Best Essential Oils for Dry Cuticles and Nails

Okay, if you want to play around with your diy cuticle oil, you can pretty much use any essential oil. So, your favorites will be perfect!

But the following essential oils are especially good for your diy cuticle oil recipe, because they are good for your skin!

  • Rosemary Essential Oil – We covered this one up above, but just to recap; Rosemary oil helps with nail growth and keeps fungus at bay. It has antibacterial properties.
  • Frankincense Essential Oil – Frankincense possesses antifungal, antiseptic, and anti-inflammatory properties. It also encourages healthy nail growth.
  • Myrrh Essential Oil – Myrrh is also antifungal, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory. It is one of the best essential oils for healthy nails.
  • Eucalyptus Essential Oil – Eucalyptus is another with antibacterial and antifungal properties. It helps with overall nail health.
  • Tea Tree Essential Oil Tea tree has….Wait for it…. Antifungal, antibacterial, and antiseptic properties as well! (We’re starting to see a pattern here!) Tea Tree oil helps with cracked cuticles and relieves inflammation.
  • Lavender Essential Oil – Lavender essential oil, too, is antifungal and antibacterial. But its scent makes it ideal for an at-home spa day.
  • Peppermint Essential Oil – Peppermint oil increases circulation, which can help your nails grow longer.
  • Carrot Seed Oil – Carrot seed oil has antifungal and antibacterial properties as well. But it also has an earthy scent that can be fun to use!

So let me know what you come up! Drop your favorite recipe for cuticle oil with essential oils in the comments below!

vitamin E oil

Five Quick Tips for Healthy Cuticles

Besides cuticle oil, there’s a few things you can do to keep your cuticles in tip top shape! Remember, healthy cuticles leads to healthy nail beds and overall beautiful hand health.

  1. Moisturize your cuticles (and hands!) every day with a high-quality moisturizer. If you want to make your own hand cream, I have some awesome DIY skincare recipes. Otherwise I have plenty of natural skin care recommendations to consider, such as the best natural body butters
  2. Wear gloves when gardening or doing housework. This protects your hands and nails, and also helps prevent moisture from leaving your skin.
  3. When doing a manicure, end it by applying a topcoat to your nails. It’ll seal in moisture and protect your nails from damage.
  4. Don’t pick! If you pick at your cuticles, or at hangnails, you can damage your skin, leading to an infection. I’ll admit this has been a pretty hard habit for me to kick during the winter!
  5. Skip the trimming. You don’t need to trim your cuticles. That leads to infections as well. Instead, use a simple homemade cuticle oil and gently push your cuticles back.

And remember to stick to a healthy diet. Your skin needs all the right vitamins and minerals to stay healthy and strong.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here’s the most common questions when it comes to using a diy cuticle oil. But if you have any more questions, don’t be afraid to post them in the comments below. I love helping my readers out! 

What Can I Use if I Don’t Have Cuticle Oil?

Well, the best thing you can do is make your own! Using the easy cuticle oil recipe up above.

But if you don’t want to do that, you can also apply a carrier oil on your cuticles.

The best carrier oils to use are:

Applying any of these oils directly to your cuticles will help repair dry and cracked skin and keep your cuticles nice and healthy.

What Oils Should I Use for Cuticles?

Pretty much any oil will be super beneficial to your cuticles, but some are better than others.

Let’s go over the best oils to use, and why:

  • Jojoba Oil – Jojoba oil is my top choice for a diy cuticle oil recipe because it is super nourishing, absorbs well, and is easy to find. It’s also anti-inflammatory, which helps our skin to heal.
  • Avocado Oil – Avocado Oil is also very nourishing and absorbs well. It’s rich in monosaturated fatty acids, carotenoids, and Vitamin E. And it aids wound healing.
  • Olive Oil – Olive oil is probably one of the easiest oils to find. It is also absorbs really well and is very good for your skin. Olive oil is rich in oleic acid and natural squalene, which helps to create a protective seal over the nails and cuticles. It even has Vitamin E in it. When looking for an olive oil, choose one that is lighter in color and scent.
  • Castor Oil – Another nourishing oil, castor oil contains nourishing fatty acids, strengthening nails and cuticles.
  • Camelia Oil – Camelia oil also contains fatty acids, nourishing and strengthening nails and cuticles.
  • Coconut Oil – Coconut oil is rich in fatty acids and anti-fungal lauric acid. But fractionated coconut oil is better for a cuticle cream than regular coconut oil.

If you have any of these oils on hand, go ahead and use them in your diy cuticle oil recipe!

diy cuticle roller ball

What Essential Oils Can You Add to Cuticle Oil? 

You can use pretty much any essential oil you’d like for your diy cuticle oil recipe. Your favorite essential oils will do just fine!

If you are looking for specific benefits, jump back up to the section where I cover which essential oils are the best for diy cuticle oil recipes – and why.

Otherwise, any of these will do:

When playing around with essential oils in your cuticle oil recipe, add 3-5 drops of essential oil for every tablespoon of carrier oil.

You can use more or less, depending on the potency of your essential oils and your personal preference, but this is a general guideline.

And don’t forget you can get 10% off your first order of these lovely oils by using the code ESSENTIAL10 🙂

How Often Should I Use Cuticle Oil?

You can use cuticle oil daily. I’d also use it after a manicure to lock in all that goodness!

Putting it on right before bed is the best thing you can do, because it’ll give it time to soak into your cuticles uninterrupted. If you’re worried about getting oil all over your sheets, put on some light gloves. This will keep the moisture locked in extra tight!

Can You Use Any Oils On Your Cuticles?

Technically, yes, you can use any oil on your cuticles. 

You want to look for an oil that is heavy in the monosaturated or saturated fatty acids, and low in polyunsaturated fatty acids. The polyunsaturated fatty acids are unstable and prone to oxidation. It’s good to use them sparingly in your nail care products.

Unstable oils, such as apricot oil, grapeseed oil, rice bran oil, sunflower oil, and safflower oil will decrease the shelf life of your cuticle oil.

I’d go with one of the oils mentioned up above. Some oils are definitely better than others!

Before You Go!

I have some great nontoxic nail polish brands for you to complete your manicure! I am very particular about what I put on my nails, and these brands all get a passing grade from me. Check them out!

Give yourself a spa day! You deserve it.

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