As the weather gets a little colder and the air a little drier, your skin responds by becoming cracked and damaged. This happens all over your body, including your cuticles.
Your cuticles are the u-shaped areas around your nailbeds. The skin here is vulnerable and prone to damage even when the weather is nice.
Things like excessive moisture, excessive dryness, poor nail hygiene, vitamin deficiencies, and physical damage can cause your cuticles to become cracked and can lead to painful hangnails.
If you’re experiencing this type of cuticle damage, it can be extremely frustrating. Not only does it feel uncomfortable, but it also makes your nails look quite unhealthy.
What would you do if you knew there was an almost-instant fix to this problem? It may seem impossible, but it turns out there is more than one way to get rid of your cuticle problem overnight.
Thankfully, your cuticles behave just like the rest of your skin, and with a few nourishing products and mindful steps you can soften and transform them.
Wondering how to heal cuticles overnight? You can heal your cuticles overnight by softening and moisturizing your skin all night, and there are a few simple ways to do it.
In this post, we will go over all of the methods of healing your cuticles overnight so that you wake up with healthier skin and nails.
Moisturizing Is Key
Your cuticles might feel dry or damaged for many reasons. As we mentioned, cool weather and humidity (or lack thereof) can trigger a lot of issues in the cuticles and other parts of the skin.
But that’s not the only reason your cuticles might be giving you trouble. A few other things can cause issues as well, such as:
- Overexposure to acetone and other harsh nail products
- Nail biting
- Exposure to harsh chemicals
- Excessive nail filing
- Sanitizing or over-washing your hands
- Heavy manual labor
Most of the activities above can be summed up as activities that dry out the skin. This is why moisturizing is key to healing your cuticles.
Developing a good habit of moisturizing and protecting your hands will go a long way in preventing cuticle issues.
However, if you’ve already gotten to the point where your cuticles are damaged and need help, there are a few things you can do to infuse them with moisture and vitamins in order to return them to a healthy state.
How To Repair Cuticles Overnight
There are a few ways to heal and repair your cuticles overnight, and most of them involve similar steps. The general framework looks like this:
- Soften the skin and make it easier to absorb moisturizing agents
- Rub oil or moisturizing cream to the cuticles
- Protect hands all night long to allow the products to soak in
The result? You’ll wake up with soft hands, healthy cuticles, and shiny nails! The steps above can be accomplished in a few different ways, so you can choose the method that works best for you.
Heal Cuticles Overnight: Cuticle Oil And Gloves Method
The best method to heal your cuticles overnight, in our opinion, is the cuticle oil and gloves method. We have yet to meet someone who this technique doesn’t work for.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- A bowl of warm water
- Cuticle oil
- Moisturizing gloves
First, soak your hands in a bowl of warm water for 10-20 minutes. This helps open up your pores and soften the skin around your nails to better absorb the cuticle oil you’ll be putting on next.
You can use any cuticle oil you want. Most cuticle oil on the market is infused with vitamins and nurturing ingredients that your cuticles need to be healthy.
If you don’t have cuticle oil, you can replace it with regular oil like coconut oil, olive oil, or jojoba oil. As long as it’s hydrating and skin-friendly, you can use it!
If you don’t have any oils on hand, you can also use cuticle cream as a substitute for the cuticle oil. Cuticle cream is similar to cuticle oil, it just has a slightly lighter and less greasy consistency.
After you’ve finished soaking your hands, make sure to dry them with a towel before proceeding with the next step.
When you’re ready, gently massage the cuticle oil into your nailbeds and the skin around it. When it comes to healing cuticles, it’s important to moisturize the nails along with cuticles to keep the whole area healthy.
Spend some time massaging the cuticle oil – about a minute per finger. This will help increase blood flow to the area to facilitate faster healing.
Lastly, put some moisturizing gloves over your hands and go to bed. Moisturizing gloves are special fabric gloves that protect your hands and improve the absorption of creams and oils. You can find them online or in the personal care section of many department stores.
If you don’t have gloves like this, you could also use latex or plastic gloves, although the absorption won’t be as good.
The goal here is to keep the moisture from your cuticle oil locked in all night. When you wake up and remove your gloves – your cuticles should be healthy, soft, and pain-free!
Heal Cuticles Overnight: BandAid Method
The BandAid method is similar to the method above but requires no gloves. Instead of gloves, you’ll be using BandAids to protect your fingernails while you sleep.
Again, the goal here is to protect your cuticle areas and keep the moisturizing product locked in for the whole night.
You’ll need:
- A bowl of warm water
- Cuticle oil
- BandAids for each finger
As usual, you’ll want to start by soaking your fingertips in warm water in order to soften up your cuticles and open up the skin. This helps your skin absorb moisturizing products more effectively.
Massage cuticle oil or cuticle cream onto each nail and the skin around it. This will increase blood flow to the area and help the product absorb deep into the skin.
Next, wrap a BandAid around the tip of each finger to protect them while you sleep. Ideally, the BandAid will act as a barrier to keep the cuticle oil from getting wiped off on your sheets. The closed environment will also encourage moisture to penetrate your skin deeper.
In the morning, remove the BandAids and enjoy your soft and healthy cuticles!
Heal Cuticles Overnight: Vaseline Method
The vaseline method is an easy one because it requires few ingredients that most people have in their homes.
All you need is:
- A bowl of warm water
- A jar of Vaseline
First, you’ll want to soak your fingertips in the bowl of warm water. If you choose, you can add some essential oils into the water for an extra luxurious experience. Try lavender for calming or lemon for cleansing.
Make sure to soak your fingers in the water for at least 10-15 minutes. This will soften your skin and open up the pores which help your skin absorb moisture better.
Once you’re done soaking your hands, dry them with a clean towel.
Pick up a small amount of vaseline with your finger and massage it over each nail and the skin around it. Make sure to be gentle so that you don’t aggravate your cuticles further.
Gently rub the vaseline into your skin. Vaseline serves two purposes: it adds moisture and it protects the skin.
You can go to bed just like this or choose to protect your fingers further by adding gloves. We found that vaseline alone does a good job at protecting your cuticles all night, however, if you’re worried about vaseline leaving stains on your sheets, you might want to consider the gloves.
Alternatives
The three methods above are great at moisturizing and nourishing your skin and nails so that you wake up to transformed cuticles the next morning.
But what if you don’t have all the right equipment or products?
Here are a few alternatives that you can use instead:
- Nail restorer can be used instead of cuticle oil and cuticle cream. Nail restorer is a common name for the type of cream that you can put on and around your nails to moisturize and provide healing vitamins to the area.
- Ointment can be used instead of the cuticle oil and instead of Vaseline in the methods above. An ointment is mainly used for cuts and scrapes because it has antibacterial properties. If your cuticles are bleeding or seem to have open cuts, using ointment is highly recommended!
- Oils, as in regular oils, can be used in place of cuticle oil as well. Most oils would work, such as coconut oil, olive oil, almond oil, jojoba oil, argan oil, and shea butter.
- Hand cream can also be used in place of oil. Just make sure to use a thick moisturizing cream for the best results.
- Gloves of any kind can be used to “trap” the moisture and products overnight. If you don’t have moisturizing gloves or even BandAids, get creative and use winter gloves, latex gloves, or crafting gloves.
- A hot shower is a great alternative to soaking your hands in a bowl of water. If you’re already showering before bed, just make sure to spend a little extra time with your hands under the water. You don’t need to soak them separately if they’ve been in hot water for 10-15 minutes already.
Keeping Your Cuticles Healthy
Although it’s easy to transform your cuticles overnight, preventative measures work even better. Adopting good practices can help avoid the problem, to begin with.
The key to keeping your cuticles healthy, as you’ve probably guessed, is keeping your hands moisturized. But in addition to that, you should be taking good care of your nails and practicing good hygiene to prevent some of the most common cuticle problems.
Don’t Bite Your Nails
If biting your nails is one of your vices, now is a good time to stop. Biting your nails can irritate the skin around your nails, cause soreness, and even create open wounds. Your cuticles don’t respond well to the constant tension and exposure to saliva.
As a result, not only do your nails look bad, but your cuticles might be suffering too. Infections are common because bacteria from your mouth make their way into irritated skin.
The best way to avoid biting your nails is to focus on stress-reducing activities. Many studies show that nail biting is a response to stress, so look into other techniques that won’t damage your body.
Get Your Vitamins
Another reason your nails and cuticles might be struggling is that you’re not giving them enough vitamins and minerals to thrive. Without the right amount of biotin, collagen, keratin, and other nutrients, your skin and nails become weak and fragile, making it easier for cuticle problems to arise.
The best way to get your vitamins is from food – eat a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and fiber. You can also supplement with a multivitamin or take specific supplements for biotin, collagen, and a B-complex.
Moisturize Every Night
Even if your cuticles look great, you should be moisturizing your hands every day. We recommend creating a ritual for yourself where you rub some nice-smelling lotion all over your hands before bed.
This will keep your nailbeds properly hydrated through the night and give you a nice and relaxing way to drift away to sleep.
You can even incorporate a hand lotion with aromatherapeutic oils in it to help you sleep better!
Push Them Back
Make a habit of gently pushing back your cuticles every few weeks. If you neglect to do that, your cuticles can overgrow over the nail. Eventually, they get too thick and begin cracking, which can lead to many of the issues you’re trying to avoid.
Pushing your cuticles back is not going to harm them, as long as you do it right. Always apply cuticle oil first to soften the cuticles before you start working on them.
To push them back, use a cuticle pushing tool to gently push them back. If there is any resistance, stop. This means they’re already pushed back enough.
Avoid Harsh Chemicals
Throughout the day, you likely encounter a lot of harsh chemicals that you need to touch with your hands. Cleaning spray, dishwashing soap, stainless steel cleaner, rubbing alcohol, and acetone, to name a few.
It’s best to wear gloves when you’re dealing with any of these. Buy a pair of reusable rubber gloves and wear them whenever you’re doing the dishes or cleaning the house. This alone can save your cuticles so much trouble!
Acetone might be necessary for you if you regularly get your nails done at a salon. Many nail treatments, including most manis and pedis, have to be removed with the use of acetone. If you notice that your nailbeds are becoming drier after each application, it might be time to take a break and allow your cuticles to heal.
Remove Hangnails
If a hangnail develops, fight the urge to bite it off or pick at it, as tempting as it is. This will only lead to more cuticle damage. Instead, gently trim off the excess skin using clippers to avoid damaging the healthy skin it’s attached to.
Put some ointment over the area where you removed the hangnail to prevent infection and allow it to heal quickly.
Final Thoughts
Healing your cuticles overnight is possible. With the right tools and products, you can soak, moisturize, and protect your fingers and wake up with healthy cuticles the next morning.
We hope you found these tips helpful!
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