For any nail tech or salon, having a good cuticle oil on hand (both literally and figuratively) is an absolute must. Your clients are coming to you not only for beautiful nail work but also for top-notch care and customer service.
You can deliver on all of these fronts by utilizing cuticle oil to keep your clients’ nails (and the skin around them) healthy.
Read on to learn more about the nine surprising benefits of cuticle oil.
What Is Cuticle Oil?
Cuticle oil is a moisturizing product typically derived from vegetable oils and greatly improves the health and longevity of your client’s nails and cuticles. It is a nourishing product that can positively affect circulation and nail growth.
Cuticle oil can be used regularly to help your client’s nails make it through the demands and wear of everyday life to sustain potential nail and cuticle-harmers like excessive sun, water, and cold exposure. It can also be applied after manicures to protect your wonderful work from chipping or fading too soon, leaving both you and your client happy.
Application Tips and Tricks
Cuticle oil is applied individually and rubbed into the nail and cuticle in order to take full effect. You will want to make sure you are refraining from using too much.
Use a cotton ball, applicator, or brush of choice to lightly dab a few drops of the oil before massaging for a few minutes to ensure that the product is fully absorbed.
If you notice that your client’s nails or cuticles seem dry, you will definitely want to apply some cuticle oil ASAP. Even if the nails seem properly hydrated, you may find it helpful to apply cuticle oil before moving forward with a paint job or manicure to create a smooth, healthy, and strong base upon which to work.
Just make sure that the oil has completely dried on all of the nails before you begin putting polish or any other product on them.
Is It Safe?
You may have clients asking you what exactly cuticle oil is made of, and if it is indeed safe to use and apply, or whether or not it is an environmentally friendly product. We’re here to help you be fully prepared to answer any and all inquiries, as well as to make sure you feel comfortable sharing this product with your patrons.
In short, yes, cuticle oil is generally safe and eco-friendly, especially brands that consist of natural oils, are not made with synthetic preservatives, scents, or coloring, and are dermatologically tested and approved. The most common cuticle oil ingredients are:
- Sunflower oil: This FDA-approved skin-conditioning oil services from the sunflower, and has been found to soften and moisturize skin and nails.
- Jojoba oil: This oil comes from the jojoba seed, and its significant makeup of wax esters makes it somewhat similar to sebum. Jojoba oil hydrates, moisturizes, and conditions skin and nails, and it has been approved for cosmetic use by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR).
- Olive oil: This antioxidant is a natural moisturizer that can make skin and nails appear healthier and younger. It is a botanical oil that can even offer some UVB protection.
- Sweet almond oil: This oil is made by extracting the natural oils out of an almond’s ripened seed kernels. The CIR expert panel has approved it as safe for cosmetic use.
- Vitamin E: This antioxidant conditions skin and nails, and helps to fight and prevent the possibility and severity of skin damage. Vitamin E is often helpful for minimizing wrinkling, redness, and swelling in the skin, promoting overall health.
The Benefits
1. They’re Nutrient-Rich
As you can see from some of the most common ingredients in cuticle oil, one benefit of using it is that it tends to be rich in nutrients and vitamins. The thin nature of these typically vegetable or nut-based oils makes it easier for them to be fully absorbed into the nail area quickly, making for a fast-acting and trustworthy product.
Your clients will feel comfortable knowing that they are being supported by a product steeped in hydrating and strengthening natural vitamins and minerals, and you, therefore, can feel confident that you are providing your patrons with the best.
2. Your Nail Will Shine
Tell your clients to say goodbye to dull and chipping nails and hello to a healthy shine that will glisten even before you have given them a manicure or applied any polish. Bolstered by the nutrients and vitamins within, cuticle oil will give your nails and surrounding skin the hydration and strength they need to create a natural glow that lasts.
3. Strengthens Nails
Those with brittle nails and breakage issues will be begging you for business once they see how strong cuticle oil can make their nails. Once thoroughly applied to the nail, the oil’s ingredients act fast to increase both the durability and elasticity of each nail and cuticle.
After it has dried, the cuticle oil further fortifies the nails by acting as a protective barrier that is less susceptible to scratching or potential irritants like chemical or harsh weather that could otherwise damage the nail and surrounding skin.
4. Makes Manicures Last
Another reason why cuticle oil is a necessary item in any nail tech or salon owner’s arsenal is that it will make your manicures last. This is huge! After all, you have put in the time and effort to give your client a gorgeous look they cannot find anywhere else.
So, just as any painter utilizes a frame to protect their pieces, you can use cuticle oil to encapsulate your creations and make them live the long and glorious lives they were meant to. The oil will prevent your work from premature chipping or breakage, which should be reason enough to go all-in on using it for your next appointment.
5. Heals Damage
Cuticle oil is a gentle product that is safe for clients with sensitive skin. Therefore, not only should its application be free of irritation, but it also will likely heal the damage that may have accumulated around or on your client’s nails, cuticles, and surrounding skin.
The antioxidants that come naturally to the central ingredients of many cuticle oils will promote regrowth and regeneration on a cellular level, leaving the area stronger than before.
Cuticle oil can hydrate and heal the damage that has accumulated on your client’s nails and skin throughout the wear and tear of daily life and is able to benefit people of all lifestyles and habits as a result.
6. Prevent Infections
Many ingredients of cuticle oil are naturally infused with antibacterial properties. This is an amazing built-in benefit since it releases you and your clients from potential stress over any bacterial and fungal growth that could negatively impact the nails and surrounding skin.
7. Stimulates Growth
One of the great things about cuticle oil is that the combination of its nutrient-dense makeup and the massaging process used to apply it thoroughly amounts to increased circulation in the nail area, thereby stimulating growth.
Not only will the nails then grow in faster, but the cuticle oil will also end up helping your client’s nails to come in even stronger and healthier than they were before. This is due to the naturally hydrating and fortifying properties of the product.
8. Easy To Use
Another wonderful thing about cuticle oil is that it is as simple as it is effective. As we detailed in our application tips and tricks section, using cuticle oil is as easy as putting a few (emphasis on the few) drops of your oil of choice onto your nail and gently blotting.
After you have blotted the product onto the nail, make sure you do not skimp on massaging it thoroughly over all of the nail and cuticle area. Those few extra minutes you spend massaging the oil into each nail just may be what makes it possible to fully achieve your sturdiest and healthiest nails yet.
9. Affordable
You will not have to worry about walking away from a good cuticle oil option because it is too expensive. There are many good cuticle oils out there that you can purchase for under $20, like our own $7.64 oil easily found and ordered on our site, making you absolutely spoiled for choice as you look to buy the best without breaking the bank.
Cuticle oil has an average shelf life of between six months to a year before going bad, so you have plenty of time to use up whatever brand you’ve got before you need to worry about stocking up once more.
In Conclusion
Cuticle oil is an incredible product for hydrating and strengthening nails naturally, and is therefore integral to any nail tech and salon’s business. Hopefully, these nine benefits convinced you that cuticle oil has what it takes to take your looks from good to great, leaving you with happy clients and beautiful looks that last.
For even more helpful nail tips and tricks, be sure to keep up with us at V Beauty Pure.
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