It’s kind of ridiculous that I’m dealing with splits and cracks in my nails as early as August, but such is my life. You don’t even want to look at my nails in the winter. I had to resort to expensive cuticle butters to restore moisture to my nails to have them looking even halfway decent, and it was frustrating to deal with. This year, I decided I was going to try to make my own cuticle butter, because I was in pain and tired of spending so much money on cuticle butters that weren’t even that moisturizing. I came up with something that does a good job and costs a fraction of what I used to buy, and I’m going to share it today in the hopes that you’ll find use for this stuff too.
Begin by melting ¼ cup shea butter with 1-2 tablespoons of coconut oil over low heat—you can pop the oils in a bowl on top of a pot of boiling water to achieve this, but when I’m in a rush I just microwave everything for a few seconds. Once everything is melted, add in a tablespoon each of vitamin E oil and jojoba oil, and a few drops of essential oils. I use between 15 and 20 drops of each essential oil, never adding more than two. I usually use lavender and tea tree oil.
Let the mixture cool for about an hour, or until it begins to solidify and turn white. Use a hand mixer or a stand mixer to whip the oil on high speed—you’ll want to carry on mixing the oil until it becomes thick, resembling body butter or thicker body lotions. If you’re having trouble getting it to that consistency, just pop everything in the fridge for a few minutes and try again.
Store the finished cuticle butter in jars, and use a bit on your cuticles every night before bed. Depending on how much oil you decided to use, the cuticle butter can feel a bit greasy when you put it on, but I promise everything absorbs really quickly and is extremely moisturizing!
