super dry cuticles - tearing hair?!?!

[bryana]

I have always had a battle with super dry cuticles, they tend to crack, esp now in the Baltimore cold! I have tried many things, most recently tons of cuticle oil, argan oil and I have also put on ointment and Burts Bees butter and then put gloves on before I go to bed at night. I can FEEL my cracking cuticles catch my already fine hair and it pains me to know I could be damaging my own hair by doing simple things such as finger combing or even just braiding my hair or pulling it up. Anyone had similar issues or can recommend some heavy duty cuticle advice? I appreciate it!

[ejking2]

Yep, this happens to me all the time as well. I've been using lotion on my hands as often as possible and it helps somewhat. Curel Intensive Healing seems to work pretty well. I could use more tips too! Wearing gloves at night seems like a good idea.

[Lyv]

Mine do that too sometimes, I've been using aquaphor on mine and it works really well. If you can't find anything to keep them from getting dry and cracking maybe you can get some cuticle scissors and trim them so they don't catch your hair at least.

[schnibbles]

Same here. I have gotten into the habit of lotioning-up every single time after I wash my hands or do dishes. It really helps if you are religious about it. My cuticles are disgusting all year, not just in the winter, but now they are especially gross. O'Keefe's Working Hands is a pretty good product, you could try it. I find it at Hardware stores like Lowe's...or I'm sure Amazon has it. (it's in a neon green tub) I also second the suggestion of Aquaphor or even plain old Vaseline.
I am also guilty of picking at my cuticles. I know that makes it worse.. Sometimes I will paint my nails with a really light pink neutral polish and when they look halfway nice that keeps me from picking. HTH.

[AmyBeth]

The only way mine stay manageable is to keep them moisturized on a constant basis. As in, oily fingertips, all the time. My lips are crazy dry too, so whenever I apply lip balm (probably every 20 waking minutes), I apply cuticle moisturizer.

[Sillage]

Another vote for Aquaphor and Vaseline. I like Bag Balm too, which is a blend of petroleum and lanolin. Petroleum based products are barrier making and can really protect your cuticles giving them a chance to heal. Since both Aquaphor, Bag Balm, and Vaseline are anhydros, try putting them on damp skin to help seal in moisture. If you want a heavy, rich cream that contains water, Eucerin Original Healing is a great choice.

Another option is a product like Eucerin AHA hand creme (http://www.drugstore.com/eucerin-intensive-repair-extra-enriched-hand-creme-with-buffered-alpha-hydroxy/qxp148952?catid=182927) which contains AHAs and urea to increase moisture and gently exfoliate.

Gloves at night are great. Load up with lots cream or balm and then put them on. Having your hands "marinating" all night will work wonders. Hope you keep this thread updated on what works for you :)

[Anje]

I'm known to cut mine if they get hugely thick and cracked, but that's obviously something that you don't want to overdo.

Eucerin's great stuff, but I tend to smear my cuticles with just about anything thick and oily with good results. Shea butter and lip balm are both particularly good.

[velorutionista]

I break out the cuticle cream when mine get dry or I get the same results... I really like Burt's Bees lemon cuticle cream--it's cheap, smells good, and works. Also love Lush's Lemony Flutter cuticle cream, but it's spendy, so that doesn't get used everyday! Neutrogena also has a "Norwegian formula" hand cream that works wonders (but I'm not a huge fan of the smell, so it's a last resort for me).

[jrmviola]

... I like Bag Balm too, which is a blend of petroleum and lanolin. Petroleum based products are barrier making and can really protect your cuticles giving them a chance to heal. Since both Aquaphor, Bag Balm, and Vaseline are anhydros, try putting them on damp skin to help seal in moisture...

...Gloves at night are great. Load up with lots cream or balm and then put them on. Having your hands "marinating" all night will work wonders. Hope you keep this thread updated on what works for you :)

Bag balm always works for me too. Sometimes i have a buildup of rough skin that needs to be removed before i use a product. U can use a mild nail file or whatever works to removed the dead skin. Then i apply the product. Bag balm needs time to work so gloves are a great idea...

[Agnes Hannah]

When your cuticles are soft, ie when they have been in warm soapy water, try to ease them back using an orange stick, then rub moisturising cream into them specifically. Try cotton gloves at bedtime after giving your hands a real good moisturising with something like Atrixo, its quite thick in texture. I found it has helped me. Good luck x

[Jean Stuart]

I wear gloves. The cotton manicure gloves from the dollar store I wear all day and put wool gloves over them when I go out in the winter and rubber gloves for house work.

[meteor]

I experience the same every winter.
From my experience, the best products for this problem are:
- cocoa butter;
- shea butter;
- olive or avocado oil (I like to do olive oil soaks for 5-15 minutes and massage it into cuticles);
- Vaseline and other heavy occlusive creams applied as often as I can remember.

[bryana]

thank you for all of the tips!! i definitely want to try a bunch of your suggestions. I try not to cut my cuticles, I used to. I wear rubber gloves when I do the dishes, and I wear the manicure gloves to sleep. Burt's Bees shea butter hand repair cream and Burt's Bees Almond Milk Beeswax Hand Creme on under the gloves. I apply the Burt's Bees lemon butter cuticle cream before both lotions. Can you tell I had a BB gift pack? :-) ha! I like the products alot, but I still manage to snag on my hair! I'm so fed up with them I just try not to even touch my hair. I need all the help I can get! Thank you~

[Pamala513]

Bag balm at night before bed, and once they are healed, solar oil at night, and always organic moisturizer throughout the day.

[lunalocks]

Do be sure you are drinking enough water. That will add moisture to your skin.

[YamaMaya]

Slather your hands in oils before bed, focusing a lot on the cuticles, then cover your hands with cotton gloves. Also, use rubber gloves for any kind of cleaning including doing the dishes. Also, consuming fats like Coconut milk is a great skin improver, and we all know what coconut oil can do for hair, and it can do the same for your skin :). Olive oil is also a great moisturizer. Improving your skin overall should improve those snaggy cuticles.

[Kimberly]

No amount of lotion works for me. The only thing that does is humidifying the house. Before my cuticles (and the little lines on my knuckles) crack and bleed, before I start getting nosebleeds, I find my hair getting tangly dry. So I run hot water in the shower and let it steam the place up. This doesn't happen often anymore, though, because I purposely moved to a really humid place -- agrees with my skin and hair, and eases my dried out nasal passages, too. So instead, I get to fight mildew. Whee! :-)

[Firefox7275]

I have always had a battle with super dry cuticles, they tend to crack, esp now in the Baltimore cold! I have tried many things, most recently tons of cuticle oil, argan oil and I have also put on ointment and Burts Bees butter and then put gloves on before I go to bed at night. I can FEEL my cracking cuticles catch my already fine hair and it pains me to know I could be damaging my own hair by doing simple things such as finger combing or even just braiding my hair or pulling it up. Anyone had similar issues or can recommend some heavy duty cuticle advice? I appreciate it!

I used to have major issues with this until I totally changed my skin and haircare regime - primarily eliminating all sulphates and other anionic surfactants. Now if I wash ONE dish in regular dish soap or use certain cleaning products without gloves I get hangnails again. I sometimes carry my own hand wash (actually my betaine rich shower gel/ clarifying shampoo) since no other body part gets washed /stripped so frequently as hands.

As far as moisturising goes, try a product containing the lipids the skin barrier actually needs (ceramides, cholesterol, the saturates stearic and palmitic acid). If you prefer natural look for medical grade lanolin and/ or lecithin. Other good ingredients that bolster normal skin function include aloe vera inner leaf gel, urea, lactic acid.

Avoid oleic acid it is a proven barrier disruptor and penetration enhancer. If natural oils rich in this do anything it's likely they are simply protecting your hands somewhat from harsh cleansers.

[jessj48]

As far as moisturising goes, try a product containing the lipids the skin barrier actually needs (ceramides, cholesterol, the saturates stearic and palmitic acid). If you prefer natural look for medical grade lanolin and/ or lecithin. Other good ingredients that bolster normal skin function include aloe vera inner leaf gel, urea, lactic acid.

Avoid oleic acid it is a proven barrier disruptor and penetration enhancer. If natural oils rich in this do anything it's likely they are simply protecting your hands somewhat from harsh cleansers.

Based on this, what are your recommendations for oils to use on skin? What ticks all the boxes?

[Firefox7275]

Based on this, what are your recommendations for oils to use on skin? What ticks all the boxes?

Nothing natural ticks all the boxes, as I said lanolin and lecithin are closest. Liquid oils tend to be rich in unsaturated fatty acids which the skin simply does not need and may even disrupt normal function. West African shea butter, cocoa butter and palm fruit oil do contain stearic acid and palmitic acid but also rich in oleic acid. Personally I save oils for hair and eating.