The Easiest Way to Moisturize Your Nails All Year Long

Why Moisturizing Your Nails Is Important

If you’ve ever dealt with nails that peel or split easily, it’s likely you’re dealing with dry nails. “Moisturizing your nails is so important in preventing hang nails,” explains Seney. “The dry skin around your cuticle and nail walls is easy to pick at,” she explains, and more so when nails are dry. However, Seney explains that hydrating nails and putting vitamins back into them is the simplest way to make your nails stronger over time, and there are a few easy ways to put some TLC back into your nail beds. 

Best Products for Moisturizing Nails and Cuticles

Depending on how damaged your cuticles and nail beds are, you might want to consider a thicker product. Here are a few products you need on hand to maintain healthy nails and cuticles.

1. Cuticle Oil 

When applying your skincare, experts recommend applying products in order of thinnest to thickest. The same can be true of your nail car. However, it’s important to assess the severity of your nail condition when trying to figure out what product to start with. If your nails are extremely dry and brittle, you might want to skip ahead to a nail balm. Cuticle oils, however, are great for everyday maintenance. 

Look for a cuticle oil that has “castor oil and jojoba oil,” says Seney. “These oils put back moisture and leave your nails hydrated.” One ingredient you should always avoid? Alcohol. This actually does the opposite of hydrating your nails. “They are often in big brands because it helps them last longer and a lot of them use perfumes,” adds Seney. “You really want to look for an oil/cream with natural ingredients.”

2. Nail Balms

A nail balm is slightly different from an oil in that it will have a thicker consistency and take longer to absorb into the nail bed, which makes it perfect to use on severely damaged nails, especially overnight. Nail balms will usually have a combination of ingredients like butters (most common is shea), oils (like the ones you’d find in cuticle oil), waxes, and vitamins. 

3. Hand Cream

Think of hand cream like the cherry on top of your nail care routine. This acts as the final seal of your routine to lock in extra hydration. Look for similar moisturizing ingredients in your hand cream like shea butter, ceramides, and even a skincare favorite: hyaluronic acid. You can intensify the moisturizing effects by sleeping with gloves on overnight. 

How to Create a Nail Moisturizing Routine

Seney suggests creating a nail moisturizing routine in the evening, so “ingredients can marinate overnight.” This is when your nails and hands can really “sit with the product on versus the day time when you’re touching things and moving around,” she says. 

Start by applying a nail balm to the base of the nail (polish-free), and work it into the cuticles and the surrounding skin of the nail bed. Then add a thick hand cream on top of your fingers and hands. It’s optional to add gloves, but it can be a great way to really lock in the moisture of the products overnight. 

Seney says to think of cuticle oil as your touch up throughout the day when you need a boost of hydration. “But at night is when you’ll see such a difference,” she says.