Saturday, March 22, 2014

Homemade Cuticle Cream/Balm

Homemade Cuticle Cream/Balm

I discovered this cuticle and nail cream quite by accident.  You may remember the painter/instructor Bob Ross who used to have a TV series on teaching how to paint with oils.  I always enjoyed watching him because he made it look so easy.  I'm not a painter by any stretch of the imagination, so the way he painted looked like magic to me.  He always said that there were no mistakes in painting, only "happy accidents".  Well, this product is a "happy accident".

It started out as a lip balm, but the flavor and color weren't working well for me.  So, one day I was in the car going somewhere and noticed my cuticles looked a bit dry.  While applying the lip balm, I decided to put it on my nails, and, surprise, a great cuticle cream was born!
Here are the ingredients, and their benefits to the skin:

  • Coconut Oil - For skin it is a moisturizer, antibiotic, multivitamin, multi-nutrient, anti-aging, anti wrinkle and an anti-oxidant.  Coconut oil provides deep and real moisture. It helps strengthen underlying tissues and helps remove excessive dead cells on the skin's surface that makes your skin rough and flaky in texture, making it perfect for those dry cuticles.
  • Shea ButterThe benefits of Shea Butter for the skin are many. The traditional use of the butter is to reduce the appearance of fine lines, stretch marks and scars, and to ease many skin irritations, such as psoriasis, eczema and sunburn. Shea butter contains several derivatives of cinnamic acid, a compound common to cinnamon and balsam trees. "Shea butter not only demonstrated anti-inflammatory benefits, but one compound, lupeol cinnamate, also prevented tumor development in a carcinogenesis test, a procedure in which cancer cells are literally "grown" in a culture dish." (Source: National Geographic) Shea butter contains vitamins A and E, as well as catechins, which are plant antioxidants found also in green tea. While it is unclear how well vitamins A and E in raw Shea butter are absorbed, there is evidence to suggest that cinnamic acid esters in Shea fat help to prevent skin damage from ultraviolet radiation.  Shea butter is also used to soften and condition leather and wood, so musicians use it to improve the flexibility of leather tuning straps, and the pitch and timbre of animal skin drums and other percussion instruments. In addition, Africans use Shea butter in cooking, and in other parts of the world, manufacturers add Shea butter to margarine.  
  • Cocoa Butter - It is a rich butter that is made by pressing roasted seeds of the cacao tree.  Cocoa butter has been around a long time, for centuries in fact. Africans have used it for hundreds of years for moisturizing, healing and protecting their skin against damage caused by sun and wind. Cocoa butter has been known to treat eczema and dermatitis. Cocoa mass polyphenol (CMP) in cocoa butter inhibits the production of immonu globulin, which tends to worsen the symptoms of dermatitis and asthma. It may help prevent cancer. Studies have shown that CMP helps inhibit the growth of cancer cells. It does this by preventing the oxidation of good cholesterol and also the production of inflammatory cells.  Ever wonder why pregnant women reach for cocoa butter enriched products to rub on their bellies? Cocoa butter is full of vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, C, and E. It has the ability to moisturize like no other.
  • Bees Wax - Bees wax improves the condition of skin.  It is totally nontoxic, and has superior healing properties. Beeswax is an excellent emollient and support for moisturizers.  It provides skin protective action which does not clog the pores. It is nonallergic, promotes elasticity, and has excellent staying power on the skin.
Homemade Cuticle Cream/Balm

There you have it, just four simple but extremely high quality ingredients that couldn't be better for your skin.  An added benefit, it puts a lovely glow on your nails if you like the natural look.  They look like you spent a lot of time and effort buffing them up to a beautiful soft sheen, when in reality all you've done is spent 30 seconds applying cuticle cream!  My cuticles are looking so much better since I started using this product.  It's been six months since I've had a professional manicure.  To those of you that have this product, why not start using it on your nails and cuticles, and get a lip balm that smells and tastes yummy!


Carpe Diem! Lil and Bill




8 comments:

  1. My cuticles were in terrible shape from overusing my hands lately. The cuticle was peeling back terribly on one finger and after just two days of using your balm only once each day the skin looks so much healthier and is less sore and inflamed. Really amazing. Thank you! -- EP

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  2. You're welcome! I love getting feedback from these products, especially such a great success story. Thank you for your lovely comments!

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  3. Its like you read my mind! You appear to know so much about this,
    like you wrote the book in it or something. I think that you can do with a few pics to
    drive the message home a bit, but other than that, this is wonderful blog.

    A great read. I'll definitely be back.

    My page: wrinkle remover

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    Replies
    1. Well thank you! I'll be sure to keep your suggestions in mind. Come back again to check on our progress! Have yourself a wonderful day!

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  4. can you tell me step by step doing the cuticle. i want to try it, sound really good though. thanks

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    Replies
    1. Sure, I'd be happy to. Use equal parts of the four ingredients listed above, I used 1 ounce of each. Melt them together in a double boiler, then pour into your container. That's it! Simple, right? Hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Thank you for visiting!

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  5. Ana Dé Sãnìta4/12/2017 08:14:00 PM

    This is my favorite thing to use for my dry hands! It works great, feels great: it's great! Would totally recommend to a friend. My hands have never felt softer or silkier. Thank you!

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  6. I have very, VERY dry skin. My hands were always dry and rough, the skin around my nails were always dry and flaky and my lips were always so chapped I'd carry chap-stick in my POCKET instead of my purse because I needed to use it SO frequently. The first time I used this was just before going to sleep and I used it on my hands, cuticles, and lips and when I woke up the next morning, I couldn't believe the difference I had witnessed within such a short amount of time! The roughness and flakiness was GONE and my skin was/is SO soft and smooth! I don't worry about people seeing my hands anymore, in fact, I show them off AND I don't carry chap-stick in my pocket anymore.

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