Our cuticles play a very important role on our fingers. They protect that tender part where your nail attaches to your finger. Cuticles can become damaged if you work a lot with your hands, wash them often, or are naturally prone to dry skin. They can then become dry, cracked, and ragged. Often times people will pull, tear, or clip their cuticles instead of just gently pushing them down and moisturizing them. That’s really all you should be doing. You should be able to gently glide a cuticle tool or your thumb nail along the base of your nail where it meets the skin, then gently scrape away any dry skin that is left unattached on your nail.
Now, anyone who is really close to me would tell you that my nails aren’t the prettiest all the time. I am constantly digging in dirt, washing something, or using my nails like a tool. Not great for healthy nails. So occasionally I have to use a deep conditioning treatment to get them back under control. I hate the pain that goes along with hangnails, cracked cuticles, or dry hands. It’s uncomfortable, can really hurt, and can even bleed.
4 Steps to Heal Cracked Cuticles
STEP 1 – The Problem
Why are your hands like this? Are you washing your hands constantly? Do you work outside in the winter? Do you naturally have dry skin?
You want to get an idea of why they are cracking so that you can work on preventing it in the future. You may need to wear gloves, or keep moisturizer by your sink or by your bed.
STEP 2 – Begin the Healing
If your cuticles are seriously cracked and bleeding, then they need some serious care. Place some Homemade Antiseptic on them and wrap in a band aid overnight. This will kill all germs and keep them moist so they can begin to heal. If it’s winter, wear gloves the next day as you go out to prevent them from drying out too much. You want to keep them soft until you can do the next few steps.
STEP 3 – Deep Moisturizing
4 Steps to Heal Cracked Cuticles
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tsp Raw honey
- 1 tsp Aloe vera liquid
- 1 tsp Apricot kernel oil
Instructions
- Combine all three ingredients in a small bowl.1 tsp Raw honey, 1 tsp Aloe vera liquid, 1 tsp Apricot kernel oil
- Rub into fingers for 10 minutes. Repeat 3 times per week until fingers are healed.
STEP 4- Maintenance
Use a good shea butter moisturizer like this Homemade Shea Lotion Recipe. Keep it by your bed during the winter and put it on your hands and feet each night as you get into bed. I use it a little less during the summer months, but because of my restless legs I never miss a night during winter (something about how it soothes the nerves in my feet causing the pain and restlessness to subside). Someone gave me a gift certificate for a free pedicure a while back. When I went in, the lady went on and on about how she never gets to work on feet that are so well taken care of. It’s the shea lotion!
Try some or all of these steps to understand what’s going on with your hands, and then address the issue of cracked cuticles. Stop them before they get painful and you’ll be a lot happier!
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