Above shot of female hands on a manicure table
Soothe and slough hangnails with these nourishing conditioners, oils, and balms.
Whether you want to admit it or not, winter is coming and if you’re anything like us, your skin is already feeling it — especially your hands. The dry air, combined with nonstop handwashing, takes its toll, ravaging cuticles and leaving them split and peeling. Not cute, and definitely not comfortable either. We are constantly on the hunt for softening hand lotions or creams, and if we’re too late and our cuticles start to crack, that leads us on a whole different (and less luxurious) search for a bandaid. Luckily, we found the antidote for our dry cuticle woes — 17 of them, in fact.
We’ve rounded up the most effective cuticle conditioners to get your fingertips back into a double-tapping (maybe even Instagram manicure modeling?) shape. Below, we have picks that are Best of Beauty Award-winning creams and cuticle serums from Olive & June and CND to options for every budget from retailers like Amazon, Ulta Beauty, and Sephora. These solutions will help you get your cuticles back in working order — and they may even compel you to try some DIY nail art. Either way, hangnails, and dry fingertips will be a thing of the past.
Nailtopia Orange Cuticle Conditioner
For New York City-based manicurist Miss Pop, Nailtopia’s Orange Cuticle Conditioner is a go-to. “When I don’t have time for cuticle oil but need moisturizer, this is what I reach for,” she says. Pop adds that the formula is so creamy and quick-absorbing, making it great for on-the-go application.
CND Solar Oil Nail and Cuticle Conditioner
CND’s Solar Oil Nail and Cuticle Conditioner is a nail-salon staple (and a Miss Pop staple) and for good reason. Over time and with regular use, the jojoba oil and vitamin help restore and heal really dry or cracked skin on and around your fingers and nails. Keep it close to your work-from-home space and slather liberally whenever you feel dryness setting in.
Tenoverten The Rose Oil
Tenoverten’s The Rose Oil squeezes more than six types of nourishing oils — rose flower, jojoba, argan, pomegranate, sweet almond, and hemp seed among them — into one slim tube that tucks easily into a clutch or desk drawer. This 2022 Best of Beauty winner has a rollerball applicator that ensures the lightweight formula goes exactly where you want it and nowhere you don’t.
Olive & June Cuticle Serum
Easily one of the most mess-free ways to keep your cuticles from getting ragged, Olive & June’s Cuticle Serum was a shoo-in for a 2019 Allure Best of Beauty Award. It’s perfectly portable and the soft foam tip lets you fully control the application of the hydrating yet fast-drying formula, which is packed with avocado and jojoba oils. While it’s only available in a two-pack at Olive & June (honestly convenient, because you’ll want to stock up), you can always pick up a singular serum at Target.
Essie Apricot Cuticle Oil
This bright orange Essie Apricot Cuticle Oil absorbs in seconds, leaving behind softer, unscraggly fingertips and a sweet fruity scent.
Sally Hansen Cuticle Rehab Oil Balm
The bullet-shaped tip of Sally Hansen’s Cuticle Rehab Oil Balm makes for an easy and mess-free application. There’s moisture-attracting glycerin, volcanic sand to softly scrub away dead skin, and a blend of aloe, safflower, and vitamin E oil to rehydrate parched cuticles.
Dr. Dana Nail Renewal System
“Dr. Dana’s Nail Repair Kit is incredibly good at caring for and reviving cuticles and nails,” says Miss Pop. She adds how it’s also so gentle and easy to use. Plus, the results are gorgeous natural nails —even if you start with super damaged nubbins
Nails Inc. Superfood Repair Oil Hydrating Nail Treatment
In addition to the sweet almond and argan oils that moisturize, the rosehip oil in Nails Inc. Superfood Repair Oil is loaded with vitamin A to help strengthen nails. There’s also castor oil, which has been shown to help with growth.
Butter London Quickfix Moisturizing Cuticle Balm
Coconut oil and avocado oil make Butter London’s Quickfix Moisturizing Cuticle Balm super moisturizing and helped the handy tube win a 2018 Best of Beauty Award for best cuticle treatment.
French Girl Nail & Cuticle Oil
You’ve likely heard of the hydrating benefits of fatty acids for skin. Well, French Girl’s Nail & Cuticle Oil pulls its fatty acids from argan and pomegranate oils to deeply nourish brittle nails and dry cuticles. There are also rosemary and rose geranium essential oils to help with growth.
Deborah Lippmann Cuticle Remover
Miss Pop says that Deborah Lippmann’s Cuticle Remover can tackle any cuticle situation. “I really love it because it’s great at removing stains from nails, along with keeping them moisturized ad healthy,” she adds.
Dr. PawPaw Shea Butter Balm
Every dry area of your body can benefit from the papaya fruit at the base of Dr. PawPaw Shea Butter Balm. There are seven different variants of the multipurpose salve, but this one in particular has shea butter, aloe, and olive oil for healing any chapped skin around your nails.
OPI Pro Spa Nail & Cuticle Oil
A blend of grape seed, sesame, kukui, sunflower, and cupuaçu oils in OPI’s Pro Spa Nail & Cuticle Oil absorbs into your cuticles rather than sit on top of nails to hydrate and condition from the inside out. Although it’s filled with several different oils, hands won’t feel greasy or slippery after it’s applied.
Orly Argan Oil Cuticle Drops
Much like many of the other effective treatments on this list, Orly Argan Oil Cuticle Drops taps into the potency of argan oil in its formula to help soothe and soften hangnails and other signs of dryness around the nail bed. The dropper top makes it easy to dab onto fingers without making a mess.
Burt’s Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream
Cocoa seed butter and sweet almond oil make Burt’s Bee’s 100 percent natural Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream insanely hydrating. And it’s not just the cuticles that get all the love — there’s also a dose of vitamin E and sunflower oil to help rebuild and nourish brittle nails.
Philosophy Hands Of Hope
An intense moisturizer that dries to a powdery finish, Philosophy Hands of Hope keeps skin soft and screens pristine. This 2018 Best of Beauty-winning cream not only hydrates rough cuticles, but can also be used as a hand moisturizer. Perfect for colder or dryer seasons, you can keep a travel-sized bottle of this in your purse for when your hands need a little TLC.
L’Occitane Nail & Cuticle Nourishing Oil
With a 30-percent concentration of shea oil, the L’Occitane Nail & Cuticle Nourishing Oil packs a major moisturizing punch, and the handy brush-tipped tube makes for easy on-the-go application.
