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 [1]. 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 [2]. 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:
[1] Your nails. (2015, May). Retrieved from https://kidshealth.org/en/kids/your-nails.html
[2] 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
nice !
I’ve been trying for years to help my daughter stop biting her nails and and fingers- I’m so excited to try this- praying it works, we’ve tried everything else
Can I substitute coconut oil for the jojoba?
Of course!
Just tried this for the first time. Next time I’m going leave the honey out – it doesn’t really mix in well enough for pouring into lip balm tubes and separates at the bottom. Might be fine to put into tins where you can get away with stirring the mixture as it cools enough for the honey to stay mixed. I did a blend of geranium, Clary sage and lavender but used more Clary sage (12), lavender (9), geranium (6). Smells wonderful without being too overwhelming with geranium or Clary sage.
Going to give this a try
I’ve been looking for something to help my nails. Thank you!
I plan to make this. Thanks!
AMAZING!!! Way better than any lotion/moisturizer I’ve used on my cuticles. This is a keeper for sure. . . and gifts all around my friends 🙂
Thank you, Plant Therapy!
I have rosemary that I really don’t like diffusing. I will have to try this recipe using the rosemary. My cuticles are always cracking.
I need to get a few more oils, and some of the other supplies, but I totally want to make this!!
This sounds fun! Thanks!
Definetly trying this one! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
The colder, dry weather has arrived in my part of the country and my cuticles are suffering. Going to give this a try and see if I can find some relief. Thanks for sharing it!
Thank you so much for sharing this. Can’t wait to make and try it!
Thanks for this recipe! I am starting to gather all the materials for various DIYs and your blog posts are so informative.
Great recipe and I poured some of mine in chap-stick tubes and some in small containers.
Great idea, LuAnn! Thank you for sharing!
I absolutely love this recipe. I’ve forwarded this page to all my friends.
I have been looking for something for my nails! Awesome!
Can u substitute the jojoba oil? Say use the marvelous massage carrier oil?I only ask because the therputic properties of that oil contain a blend of different carriers that could be useful with this diy article?as well as a lip balm recipe?
You can definitely sub for another carrier oil
I’m so glad I found this blog! I have been looking for a DIY cuticle balm. I’m going to be making some this weekend!
We’re happy you found it as well! Hope you have fun with this DIY
Is there an alternative for honey in this recipe or can you leave it out all together?
You could leave it out.
This looks awesome!!!! How often would you recommend applying?
This looks fantastic, can’t wait to try it!
We hope you love it, Kathy!
Can’t wait to try this!
We hope you have with it, Melody!
In the list of eos, it says ‘or’ – should you only use a single oil, or can you use some of them in combination, as long as the total drops remain the same?
Great question, Christie! All of those EOs listed in the recipe are great for nails and cuticles, so it is entirely up to you how you want to blend! As long as the total amount of drops stays at 27, to ensure proper dilution, you can use an oil alone or try your hand at mixing. I like this recipe because you can customize it however you like, and make an aroma that is totally unique to you!
This wouldn’t be weird to use on lips also right?!? Because I add Vitamin E tablets to my lip balm recipes and I think this is a wonderful idea. I just won’t let anyone see me using the same tube lol!
I will try this out. My hands and cuticles need all the help they can get. Does this recipe need a preservative or be used quickly since it has honey added to it? Is honey considered a water based item or is it like the carrier oils that doesn’t need a preservative?
This recipe doesn’t need a preservative as-is. I would suggest using it within 3 months or so, however.
Honey is the one food that NEVER spoils. No preservative necessary.
I will be using this DIY soon! I have everything on my wish list! It will also be my first DIY as my cuticles need some much needed TLC. I can not wait to try this recipe!
Thank you for sharing, Kathy! We hope you have fun making it and really enjoy the benefits!
Going to try making this one tomorrow! Thanks for the great natural solutions!
You are so welcome, Amber! We hope you love it!
Are the EOs in this chosen more for benefits to the cuticles / nails or for scent? I’m wondering if the EOs could be switched up for scent or if more attention would need to be paid to their therapeutic properties.
Hi Katie! The oils in this recipe were chosen specifically for their therapeutic benefits. If you need help with substitutions feel free to email us at [email protected] and we would be more than happy to help!
This was so fun to make! I also use the recipe to make a sore joint balm. Thanks!
Rebecca, we are so glad you had fun and also made another balm! Thank you for letting us know!
This is incredible! Much needed on my poor cuticles. Thank you for sharing this DIY!
Lindsay, thank you for giving this DIY a try! We are so glad it helped your cuticles!