Rehab your nails: Carrier Oils

carrier oil
 

Todays post is a quick one about choosing the right cuticle oil for your nails.

Cuticle oil has one simple purpose: to moisturize your nail and cuticle.  There are lots of kinds, colors, oils and fragrances to choose from, which begs the question, 

"What is the right cuticle oil for me?"

The main thing to watch for in these oils is the base oil and the oil content. Esesntially, you want to choose one which has more oil than "fluff" and which has a carrier oil (or even more than one carrier oil) in order to be sure that it's going to penetrate your nail instead of just sitting on top of it.  Application is important too. I don't know why, but I see a lot of people, even at salons, slap some on quickly, rub it around and then swipe the nail with remover or primer and continue the manicure.  You're really doing yourself a disservice this way.  The BEST time to apply cuticle oil when doing a manicure is after the entire process is complete. That's right, even AFTER polishing!  The right cuticle oil will not only assist in drying your nails, but it will penetrate right through it to the nail below. Plus, since you're already waiting for your polish to dry, you have plenty of time to let it soak in so it can do it's job.



So what is a carrier oil? Carrier oils are oils that "carry" into our skin.  In other words, they SOAK INTO the skin instead of sitting on top.  When combined with other ingredients, like Vitamin E, they can also assist in carrying those vitamins or ingredients into your skin.  Here are some of the most common carrier oils:

Sweet Almond Oil     Kukui Nut Oil
Apricot Kernel Oil
Macadamia Nut Oil
Avocado Oil
Meadowfoam Oil
Borage Seed Oil
Olive Oil
Camellia Seed Oil (Tea Oil)
Peanut Oil
Cranberry Seed Oil
Pecan Oil
Coconut Oil
Jojoba
Grapseed Oil
Rose Hip Oil
Hazelnut Oil
Sesame Oil
Hemp Seed Oil
















































































You probably won't see most of these in cuticle oils and that's mainly to do with the texture and absorbancy of them. Of these, the most absorbant are Grapeseed Oil, Coconut Oil and Jojoba because they are thin and absorb well without leaving residue on your hands. That said, some cuticle oils blend heavier oils, like avocado oil, with thinner oils so that you get the benefit of a more fatty oil which absorbs more rapidly.  You'll probably want to experiment a little before choosing the one that best suits you. Remember to apply it, rub it around gently and then allow it five minutes to absorb. During that time, if you need to add more, do so. Anything left over after five or ten minutes can be massaged into the skin with a light lotion. I really love to use CND Solar Oil and Almond lotion for this. The Solar Oil soaks in well for me and when the lotion is massaged in with the remaining oil it leaves no trace of oily residue on my hands. I'm also a fan of the OPI avocado oils.  If you need an extra boost, use the oil with hot towels or a paraffin treatment. 

 

Here are some of the most common cuticle oils along with the carrier oil used:

CND Solar Oil: Sweet Almond, Jojoba and Vitamin E
OPI Avoplex: Avocado, Grape Seed, Sunflower, and Sesame Seed
Essie Apricot Cuticle Oil: Cotton Seed,Sweet Almond, Soybean
Deborah Lippmann: Jojoba Oil, Coconut Oil, Mineral Oil*
Butter London: Safflower Seed Oil
Sally Hansen Vitamin E: Vitamin E, Wheat Germ, Apricot Kernel,
Zoya Qtica Solid Gold: Sweet Almond, Jojoba and Tea Tree Oil
China Glaze Orange Oil: Sweet Almond, Jojoba, Castor Seed


*A carry over point from yesterday: AVOID Mineral Oil and Petroluem. Mineral oil and petroleum jelly are byproducts of petroleum production. Mineral oil is used in baby oils and many commercially available moisturizers because it is an inexpensive oil to manufacture. It, however, can clog pores, prevent the skin from breathing naturally, prevent essential oil absorption, prevent toxins from leaving the body through the natural process of sweating. These same concerns apply to petroleum jelly.


Rehab Your Nails: Anatomy of a Nail

anatomy of a nail

This is a pretty simple chart which shows you the basic parts of your  nail.  The free edge is the white-ish area of the nail which grows beyond the nail bed.  This is the part of the nail that is not attached to the skin of your finger.  The nail plate is the actual nail which sits on top of the nail bed.  It is the hardened nail which IS attached to your finger.  The nail BED is the area of your  nail which is attached but it refers to the actual skin underneath of the nail plate.  The lunula is the little half moon at the base of your nail.  Some can see this and some cannot and still others can only see it on some of their nails.  Whether you can see it or not makes no difference in the health of your nails.  Then we have the cuticle...which I think we've thoroughly covered on this blog!!  Why am I showing you this?  There is a lot of buzz on the web lately as to what makes a long nail bed and before I get into showing you what is or is not a long nail bed, I want you to understand what it is.  

If you were to think about your actual bed (you know, the one you sleep in!) you can think of the nail plate as your sheets.  They cover and protect your mattress and, like your nail plate, you can change them to any color you want!  The mattress would be like your nail bed.  It's there, under the nail plate but you don't expose it (well...maybe on laundry day!) it's there just for support.  Most of us probably don't pay any attention to our nail bed but it's really very important to our nail health.  Damaging the nail bed can cause irreparable damage to your nail plate. How?

 Did you ever bite your nails?  If you have you might have experienced the pain of biting too far and hitting skin. Even if you haven't you may have gotten hurt and had a cut under your nail plate which hurt for sometime.  It probably healed and now looks pretty normal but repeatedly injuring the bed can cause the skin to form a "scar".  When this happens the nail bed becomes part of your paronychium and the nail will no longer attach to it.  This shortens your nail bed.  The damage can be temporary and some people who are chronic biters may be able to have normal nail beds again after many years of not biting.  For others, the damage is too much and the nail bed will be shortened for life.  Serious injury can cause this as well as long term nail diseases and disorders.  

If you have short nail beds whether they be self inflicted or genetic, then the next series of posts will be of some interest you!  I'm going to show you, not only what makes a long nail bed but also what you can do to increase your nail bed length and to fake a long nail bed.  I'll even show you how to make your fingers appear longer and slimmer simply by shaping your nail.  Stay tuned next month for my New Year New Nails series! And if you are a biter...make it a resolution to stop right now!!

What's in your arsenal?

1/4 jaw

It's tool day!!  OK, that sounds a little silly, but today I'm going to give you a basic rundown of some tools I use and love.  Nail care is important, not just for those of us doing nail art or running blogs, but for everyone.  It will help you feel better, look better and be healthier.  Just like anything else though, having the right tools is essential to caring for your hands and nails.  What you see above is my 'tool' box.  I have a self lowering box which cleans my tools for me while they're not in use.  Do you need one? Probably not!  If you're just using your tools for yourself you can rinse them in water after use, dry them and store them.  If you're using them on other people you'll want to at the very least invest in some barbicide to properly clean them between clients.  My box has all my basic tools for nail care inside.  You can see from the top: nail clippers, a spoon pusher, two sizes of curette, flat and rounded edge toe nail clipper, and to the far right, my cuticle nippers.  These are your basic tools for care.   So how do you choose your tools and where do you get them?  Well here we go!! If you look back on my Did You Know... post about nail clippers there is PLENTY of info for choosing the right ones so we're going to focus today on cuticle pushers, curettes, and cuticle nippers.

We'll start with cuticle pushers:



Here we have a selection of pushers. These range from cheap (on the left) to expensive (on the right).  One, two, and three are you standard drugstore pusher/nipper combo.  Honestly, while you can snag these for $1 or less sometimes, they are useless.  The cuticle nipper end can work well for beginners who want to fully remove cuticle BUT it dulls quickly and will then simply tear the cuticle. Bad news.  Number four is a pusher I ended up snagging for free at Ulta. I think the regular cost is between $10 and $12.  It's not my favorite but it works well and is the one I generally use. It has a spoon on one end and a squared end which CAN be used for cuticles but shouldn't be. The one I've linked to has a UNC (under the nail cleaner) on the other end which is preferable.  Number five is a fancy OPI titanium pusher. I believe it's called a pusher plus and it costs around $26 at pro stores. I don't love it. The angle is great for some people but for me it's awkward to hold.  So why choose a spoon pusher over a flat, square or angled one?


The first picture here is a basic, flat spoon pusher. Notice the way it curves like your nail bed? The second picture is the OPI angled pusher.  It has more of a curve and therefore should work better (and does presumably!) however, you have to hold it differently.  It's a great investment if you want really great cuticle work but I feel that a standard spoon pusher when used properly will yield the same results so it's up to you if you want to learn to use the flat or the angled. To the far right we have a series of different cheap pushers. Notice that there is no curve to them? They just don't have the angle to give you great results. They are not going to last as long because they're plastic and they're not as easy to clean.  Remember when you're investing in these tools that stainless steel versions CAN last years so it's really a great time to splurge a little!

So what about a curette?


I have two curettes.  You only need one!!  The important thing here is the size of them.  You really want a smaller end on the curette because a larger end is not going to do any good.  I have one with larger ends which I bought before I knew about sizes.  Then I got a smaller one.  You can use the larger end to clean under the nail and also for toes.


See the difference? This is the smallest end on each of my curette's.  It really makes a big difference.  Again these can be costly.  I got both of mine at a professional shop for less than $10.  I recommend this one by Mehaz. Just be sure when searching online that you're looking at nail curette's and not dermatological ones or ear ones!!

So that just leaves us with nippers!! All my nippers pics came out blurry. :(  But I have three pair and the ones I love the most are my Mehaz 1/4 jaw.  They are not cheap. At pro stores they run about $35.  And on top of that nippers are really only good for about six months to a year. BUT it really makes a difference.  You may get longer use out of yours if you're using them less but since mine get used on clients regularly I'm not getting more than 6 months out of them!  You can grab cheaper ones almost anywhere.  Just be sure when you nip they cut cleanly and don't pull the skin. 

Here's a size comparison for you!



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Did you know...

did you know
...you should never clip your nails by putting the clippers at the center of your nail bed?  When you put the clippers at the center of your nail, you're putting unnecessary stress on the apex (stress point) of your nail and you can actually cause your nail to crack down the center! Ouch!  When clipping, always use several short clips, moving side to side.  And never peel off a nail which is "mostly" clipped or you'll risk a serious hangnail!  Which clippers are right for you? Let's take a look:

For fingernails, a standard, curved pair of clippers is all you need.  Don't be tempted by fancy slanted clippers or or "one click" clippers.  You should also avoid nail scissors as these weaken the structure of the nail and are difficult to use properly. If you prefer, you may opt for a pair with a rubberized coating for better grip but remember, clippers are only good for six months to a year. Just like scissors or knives, they get too dull after awhile and need to be replaced.  

For toenails you're going to have two acceptable options.  Both are standard clippers but you'll notice one has a straight cutting edge where the other has a curved cutting edge.  Either is fine for clipping, I prefer the straight edge since it's easier to slide under the nail.  Remember when cutting toenails that they should always be clipped straight across and with slightly rounded (think DULL not actual round) edges.  This is the best way to prevent in-growns.  Again, you can opt for rubberized clippers for better grip.  How often should you clip toe nails? This varies from person to person but the safest and most acceptable length is just to the end of your toe or slightly below.  Too short and you'll risk infections, too long and you can actually damage the nail, the matrix, OR your entire foot!  Yikes! 

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