While keeping your cuticles hydrated is an important and well-known nail care step, it's not always the easiest to adhere to. But as far as the best time to apply cuticle oil, our beauty team - and the experts - have the answer...
With the 2024 nail trends offering such a chic array of looks, particularly around neutral and natural-looking manicures, the health of our talons has become a top priority. Cuticle oil, as many will know, is touted as a crucial nailcare step, for all - but particularly for those who opt for long-lasting treatments like Bio Sculpture and BIAB nails. That said though, it can be as inconvenient as it is beneficial, what with the fiddly droppers and brushes, not to mention the slimy residue it leaves on your fingers.
Even just finding a good opportunity to apply your cuticle oil can feel like an impossible task most days - but on that front, our team of manicure enthusiasts might just have cracked the code...
The *precise* time of day our beauty team swears by for applying cuticle oil
When asked for their tops on how to make a manicure last longer - or more specifically: how to maintain your cuticles, post-manicure - one of the most common answers experts and beauty writers, alike will give is cuticle oil. As qualified nail tech and founder of London Grace, Kirsten White explains, not only does it provide instant hydration to your nails, but it also, "stimulates blood circulation when massaged in" and aids in the repair and growth of your nails.
That's not to say though, that we can't sympathise with what a pain it is to apply. Or at least it was...before we went ahead and let you in on our secret to consistent cuticle application...
When should you apply cuticle oil?
The answer is a simple one: just before you go to bed, once you've slipped under the sheets and are just about to switch off the light.
"I know how important it is to keep on top of applying cuticle oil to my BIAB manicure, but it can be a particularly messy task," woman&home's Digital Beauty Writer, Sennen Prickett quips: "After lots of trial and error though, I found the perfect time to apply it is before I head to bed as I can relax and let the oil work its magic, without the fear of the oil wiping off onto clothing and other surfaces." Application-wise, she adds: "I typically place a drop of oil onto each cuticle, before rubbing my fingertips on both hands together and letting it soak in."
As for what the nail pros advise, Gaëlle Lebrat Personnaz, Founder of Manucurist says: "After washing hands or taking a shower, after a manicure, before bed.. really any time is a good time to apply cuticle oil!" Personnaz also adds that a good trick for remembering your cuticle oil step is to keep it by your bathroom sink, or "next to all your nightly or daily beauty routine products."
White shared a similar sentiment about applying before bed, adding: "My top tip is to keep your cuticle oil on your bedside table. Apply it before bed to allow it to absorb and work its magic overnight while you sleep!"
This also just so happens to be something Digital Beauty Writer, Naomi Jamieson swears by: "My consistency with cuticle oil used to be awful until I started keeping it on my bedside table - along with my favourite L'Occitane Shea Butter hand cream. Now, whenever I go to set my book or phone down for sleep, I see my cuticle oil and quickly apply." Like Sennen, Naomi also rubs the oil in by rubbing the fingernails on both hands together as this, "prevent the oil getting on my fingertips and transferring on my face, bedding and phone screen."
And while you shouldn't judge a cuticle oil by its packaging, Naomi does add that opting for an aesthetic and sleek bottle might also encourage you to keep it pride of place on your nightstand and recommends Manucurist's Huile Verte (at Selfridges), for that very reason.
Our team's cuticle oil favourites
So, now that we've shared our top tip for remembering to apply your trusty cuticle oil, daily, allow us to do the same with our formula picks...
RRP: £15
Featuring a blend of six nourishing oils, including sweet almond oil, passion fruit and walnut, this vegan and cruelty-free cuticle oil delivers an ultra-rich treatment, to help hydrate and promote nail growth.
