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A nail strengthening cuticle and nail oil recipe with essential oils you can DIY at home in just a few minutes.
This homemade, natural, essential oil cuticle recipe is so good, you could sell it.
This is the very same cuticle oil recipe I used to sell when I had my own soap and body products business. I would take this nail strengthening cuticle oil to markets and craft shows and always sold out. My customer’s RAVED about this cuticle oil. They said it smelled divine (it really does), worked wonderfully and quickly on rough cuticles, and strengthened their nails.
I originally came up with this homemade cuticle oil for my mom, who called me from the store one day to ask which cuticle oil she should buy. After she read me some of the ingredients on her top choices, I told her to put them all back and that I would make her one. They were all filled with chemicals, preservatives and artificial fragrances – yuck!
Do you want to know the best part about this cuticle oil recipe? It is SO EASY to make. Plus, it’s made with completely natural and good for you ingredients (okay, that was 2 best parts, but I couldn’t pick just 1). This recipe will be ready in minutes and your cuticles (and nails!) will be thanking you.
What are The Best Oils for Cuticles?
There are lots of wonderful, skin-healthy oil choices to use in your homemade cuticle oil. I’ve chosen olive, avocado and jojoba oils as the base because they are nourishing, absorb well and are all relatively easy to purchase. If you haven’t tried jojoba oil for nails before, you are going to love it in this cuticle oil! It is a rich and nourishing oil that is so wonderful in homemade skincare products.
Fun fact: did you know jojoba oil is the closest of any oil to the oils your own skin creates?
If you don’t have all of these on hand, don’t worry! You can use pure olive oil for your cuticle oil and it will still turn out lovely. Almond oilis also a very nice substitute for either avocado or jojoba oil.
You can also leave out the jojoba if you need to (although it is SUCH a wonderful addition, I hope you don’t ;). I have made this recipe with half olive oil and half avocado before and it did the job well.
note: When choosing an olive oil for skincare products, I look for a mild or ‘pomace’ oil that is lighter in color and scent. I keep a small bottle of mild olive oil on hand specifically for making my own skincare products at home.
Looking for the perfect hand cream to pair with your homemade nail oil? Try this Wild Rose hand cream from NYR Organics. It’s so nourishing and works like a charm!
What Essential Oils are Good for Cuticles and Nails?
There are a number of great essential oils to choose from that are beneficial to cuticles and nails. The 3 I have selected for this recipe are lavender, rosemary and lemon. These 3 essential oils smell fabulous mixed together, they are known to strengthen nails and are all antibacterial.
Other amazing essential oils for nails and cuticles to consider are:
My absolute favorite essential oils are from Plant Therapy. They are high quality, reasonably priced and they have a wonderful selection. I especially love their KidSafe line, with special blends that include only kid safe essential oils.
If you’d like to purchase direct from Plant Therapy, you can get 10% off sitewide with a $60 purchase plus get free shipping. Use code 10OFF60.
DIY Homemade Cuticle Oil Recipe
This recipe fills 2 regular size (0.35 oz) roller bottles. I prefer to put cuticle oil in roller ball bottles for ease of application, but you could also use a glass dropper bottle, empty nail polish bottle, or even an old lip gloss tube.
I do like to reuse containers for projects like this whenever I can, so if you have something around the house that will work for you, please give it a try and let me know what you used!
3 Tsp olive oil
1/2 Tsp avocado oil
1 Tsp jojoba oil
12 drops lavender essential oil
12 drops rosemary essential oil
12 drops lemon essential oil
Blend ingredients together and pour into containers. What did I tell you – this cuticle oil recipe couldn’t be any easier!
I used myfavorite aromatherapy bookfor guidance on the essential oils to use in this cuticle oil recipe. I have had this book for 10 years and it never fails me!
Make it a Mani-Day
Pair this nourishing, DIY cuticle oil with an herbal nail soak to strengthen nails and a easy, exfoliating hand scrub. You’re hands and nails will look (and feel) so good you’ll forget you skipped the salon!
63 thoughts on “DIY Cuticle Oil Recipe with Essential Oils | Strengthens Nails”
Hi lovely!
Im so sorry this is my first time making my own cuticle oil! For the jojoba, avocado, and olive oils, is that like the carrier oils? xx
Hi Karla,
Thanks so much for the recipe! I’ve been using it for about 2 months now and it’s great. I was wondering if I want to add some vitamin E oil, what would be the recommended amount?
Thanks,
Janeth
Hi Janeth! So funny you asked this, I just made a batch of cuticle oil and decided to add some vitamin E oil to it myself! I did 10 drops total for the recipe 🙂
Sure, you could leave it out if you like. Orange might be a nice replacement. I’ve not found lemon to be drying in this recipe since the carrier oils are so nourishing and the lemon is used in a small amount!
The oils all work together to make the mixture nourishing, easily absorbed and great for your nails! Jojoba oil is wonderful for nails and skin, but it is very thick and rich and would be too much used alone. It is typically used as a small percentage of recipes for skin, and that’s all you need to get the benefits. Olive oil is a great base for the recipe because it’s easy to find and it’s lightweight, which counters the richness of the jojoba oil. Avocado oil also gives a richness and is great for skin, but I don’t love it by itself (I find it doesn’t absorb quickly!). So all 3 oils together make a very nice consistency, and you get the benefits of each oil that you wouldn’t get from a single oil!
Hi Kelle – no, I don’t think regular coconut oil would work since it’s solid at room temperature. It would likely solidify in the roller ball! You could try a liquid coconut oil, or avocado oil would also be nice in this!
Karla,
I know this nail oil recipe is geared towards the cuticles. Is it also good for nail growth or do you have a different formula for nail growth? I ask because my nails grow at a snail’s pace and they break and peel all the time.
Yes, this recipe will also help your nails grow stronger, less likely to break and can help them grow longer as well since they will be stronger 🙂 I don’t have another recipe since this one works so well for cuticles AND nails 🙂
Hi Christina, I stick with essential oils mostly, which are not usually fruity, but you could try vanilla or almond extract for a sweeter smell. These are typically alcohol based, so they won’t dissolve quite as well as essential oil – make sure to stir vigorously!
Thanks for this recipe. Smells amazing! I didn’t have any jojoba oil so I used a little argan oil. All I had was an empty medicine bottle so I used that and apply with a cotton swab. I dip one end for one hand and the other end for the other hand as to not contaminate
I just made this cuticle oil two days ago, and have used it once, maybe twice each day. My cuticles already look MUCH better. My cuticles vary from either not growing on one finger or over growing on others. The nail where I have issues with my cuticle not growing, the cuticle has started growing!
Hi,
I’m wondering if I can substitute the Avocado oil for Flax seed oil. Also I don’t have rosemary so could I use Myrrh or Frankincense?
Thank you in advance
Hi Jessie, I think those substitutions should be just fine, although I have not not made it that way myself. I don’t use flax oil often, but if you like it on your skin then give it a try in this recipe! Frankincense would blend nicely with the lavender and lemon and is a great oil for skin so sounds great!
Hi Karla,
Thanks for this awesome recipe, Im excited to try. What would you say is the shelf life of a concoction like this? Im thinking of making this for myself but if I made enough, maybe they could make great gifts too but want to make sure they last.
Hi Emily! This will keep for at least 6 months and up to a year. If you use high quality ingredients that are not old, it will last longer 🙂
Hope you love it – let me know how it turns out!
Hi Clara. Great recipe.
My nails feel so much healthier. Thank u. I had no access to jojoba oil and avocado oil so replaced them with almond oil and it turned out great. Thank u so much.
Hello Karla,
I don’t have on hand olive and avocado oil. Can I use almond oil and jojoba oil? If so, How much should I measure for both oils? Thank you in advance for your reply.
Hi! Yes, almond oil and jojoba oil would work nicely! I would keep the jojoba oil the same and replace both the olive and avocado oils with almond. So 3.5 tsp almond oil and 1 tsp jojoba oil 🙂 Let me know how it turns out!!
Hi Holly – great question! I have never used SNS dip nails before, so can unfortunately not speak from first hand experience on this one. But my gut tells me it would not damage it. Especially since SNS needs to be removed with acetone, that makes me think essential oils would cause no harm. I have used this cuticle oil over regular nail polish with no issues. But again, I can’t speak from experience on this, so if you don’t feel comfortable using the essential oils you could always leave them out while you have the SNS nails on. The other oils alone would still be a nice softening blend, and you could add the essential oils to use as a treatment when you remove the SNS.
Hello I am a License Nail Technician. Cuticle oil is perfectly fine to use with nail enhancements. As nail techs we love it when our clients keep up with their cuticles. They wont be any lifting or anything because its already sealed (if tech prepped your nail enhancements correctly)
I have read a few excellent stuff here. Definitely value bookmarking for revisiting.
I wonder how so much effort you put to make one of these wonderful informative site.
Thanks for the information. I was wondering if you could answer something for me. Can you use essential oils everyday? My wife just ordered some so I’m trying to get some info about them. Thanks in advance for your answer!
Hi Elliot – I do use essential oils every day! I make sure not to ingest them and take care to not use certain oils around my kids. I have found this book to be super useful in my essential oil education: The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy https://amzn.to/2G7as6h
Best of luck!
Thank you for sharing your recipe! I’ve searched high and low for a good cuticle roller recipe and I haven’t found any that I’ve loved. I’m excited to try this one — it seems like it really really nourish my cuticles. It’s so dry right now they need care every day! 🙂 Great post — thank you so much for sharing!!
Thank you so much Amanda! I think this cuticle oil will do the trick, it is super nourishing and you can feel a difference right away 🙂 Let me know if you try it out!!
I made your nail oil this morning I used Grapefruit, Lavender, Euccalyptus, with Olive and Avocado oil, used it and can already tell a difference in my nails.
Hi Sylvia! I would keep the jojoba oil amount the same and just replace all of the olive oil with avocado oil. Should turn out nicely. Hope that helps!
Hi Brenda! You can use this oil as often as you need, and it will probably be a little different for everyone depending on your own skin and nails. I use it daily when it’s dry out or when my nails are in need of extra TLC. However most of the time about 3 times a week is plenty for me. I’d start with daily use, especially if you’re working on strengthening your nails, then you can probably scale back a little once you begin to see results.
Hi Meaghan, yes you could substitute either of those if you’d like. Since Tea tree is such a strong oil, I would probably use half the amount.
Let me know how it turns out!
Karla
Hi Christine! I have not tried lemongrass in my cuticle oil, but if it’s an oil you enjoy then I say go for it! Since it is such a strong oil, I might start off with a little less than I would use of lemon to see how you like the smell, and then add more if you’d like.
I have not used a pre-blended oil mix before for this recipe, as I like to control how much of each I’m using. You could certainly give it a try, I’d just make sure there is nothing else mixed in or added as fillers. You want just pure avocado and olive oil for the best results.
As long as your ingredients are high quality I think it will turn out well. This is a very forgiving recipe that can turn out wonderfully with lots of variations.
Let me know how it turns out for you! I’m always curious to know what combinations others use 🙂
Hi lovely!
Im so sorry this is my first time making my own cuticle oil! For the jojoba, avocado, and olive oils, is that like the carrier oils? xx
Yes, those are carrier oils! Those are your main oils that make up the bulk of the product. The essential oils are used in very small amounts.
Hi Karla,
Thanks so much for the recipe! I’ve been using it for about 2 months now and it’s great. I was wondering if I want to add some vitamin E oil, what would be the recommended amount?
Thanks,
Janeth
Hi Janeth! So funny you asked this, I just made a batch of cuticle oil and decided to add some vitamin E oil to it myself! I did 10 drops total for the recipe 🙂
That’s fantastic! I shall try that. Thanks very much. 😚
I’ve heard that lemon EO is drying for skin. Could I leave it out, or replace it?
Sure, you could leave it out if you like. Orange might be a nice replacement. I’ve not found lemon to be drying in this recipe since the carrier oils are so nourishing and the lemon is used in a small amount!
Why the three different types of oil and not just one of them?
The oils all work together to make the mixture nourishing, easily absorbed and great for your nails! Jojoba oil is wonderful for nails and skin, but it is very thick and rich and would be too much used alone. It is typically used as a small percentage of recipes for skin, and that’s all you need to get the benefits. Olive oil is a great base for the recipe because it’s easy to find and it’s lightweight, which counters the richness of the jojoba oil. Avocado oil also gives a richness and is great for skin, but I don’t love it by itself (I find it doesn’t absorb quickly!). So all 3 oils together make a very nice consistency, and you get the benefits of each oil that you wouldn’t get from a single oil!
Would coconut oil work?
Hi Kelle – no, I don’t think regular coconut oil would work since it’s solid at room temperature. It would likely solidify in the roller ball! You could try a liquid coconut oil, or avocado oil would also be nice in this!
Fractionated Coconut oil is a great carrier oil. It doesn’t solidify at room temp. It’s one of the most popular carrier oils.
What is that metal thing called that you use to pour in the oils in the roller glass?
I use either a funnel or a glass measuring cup with a spout on it 🙂
Karla,
I know this nail oil recipe is geared towards the cuticles. Is it also good for nail growth or do you have a different formula for nail growth? I ask because my nails grow at a snail’s pace and they break and peel all the time.
Yes, this recipe will also help your nails grow stronger, less likely to break and can help them grow longer as well since they will be stronger 🙂 I don’t have another recipe since this one works so well for cuticles AND nails 🙂
Hi Karla do you have any recommendations for adding a fruity or different fragrances? Thanks
Hi Christina, I stick with essential oils mostly, which are not usually fruity, but you could try vanilla or almond extract for a sweeter smell. These are typically alcohol based, so they won’t dissolve quite as well as essential oil – make sure to stir vigorously!
Thanks for this recipe. Smells amazing! I didn’t have any jojoba oil so I used a little argan oil. All I had was an empty medicine bottle so I used that and apply with a cotton swab. I dip one end for one hand and the other end for the other hand as to not contaminate
I just made this cuticle oil two days ago, and have used it once, maybe twice each day. My cuticles already look MUCH better. My cuticles vary from either not growing on one finger or over growing on others. The nail where I have issues with my cuticle not growing, the cuticle has started growing!
Wonderful! Isn’t this stuff amazing?! Thanks so much for sharing Prudence!
Hi,
I’m wondering if I can substitute the Avocado oil for Flax seed oil. Also I don’t have rosemary so could I use Myrrh or Frankincense?
Thank you in advance
Hi Jessie, I think those substitutions should be just fine, although I have not not made it that way myself. I don’t use flax oil often, but if you like it on your skin then give it a try in this recipe! Frankincense would blend nicely with the lavender and lemon and is a great oil for skin so sounds great!
This looks wonderful! Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Do you know whether this will weaken the adhesive/nail glue used with press-on nails?
I have not personally used it with press-on nails, but have heard from others that it works perfectly fine with them and does not weaken the glue.
Hi, can I use on my toenails??
Absolutely! This is also great for toenails 🙂
I just want to make sure of something. Does Tsp stand for tablespoon or teaspoon? We don’t have avocado oil. What can I use as a substitute?
TSP is teaspoon, TBS is tablespoon 🙂
You could use all olive oil if you don’t have avocado.
Hi Karla,
Thanks for this awesome recipe, Im excited to try. What would you say is the shelf life of a concoction like this? Im thinking of making this for myself but if I made enough, maybe they could make great gifts too but want to make sure they last.
Hi Emily! This will keep for at least 6 months and up to a year. If you use high quality ingredients that are not old, it will last longer 🙂
Hope you love it – let me know how it turns out!
Hi Clara. Great recipe.
My nails feel so much healthier. Thank u. I had no access to jojoba oil and avocado oil so replaced them with almond oil and it turned out great. Thank u so much.
So glad it worked for you Richa!
Hey Karla, thanks for the wonderful recipe. However can lemon oil be replaced with sweet orange oil.?
Sure, I think orange oil would work nicely!
Hello Karla,
I don’t have on hand olive and avocado oil. Can I use almond oil and jojoba oil? If so, How much should I measure for both oils? Thank you in advance for your reply.
Hi! Yes, almond oil and jojoba oil would work nicely! I would keep the jojoba oil the same and replace both the olive and avocado oils with almond. So 3.5 tsp almond oil and 1 tsp jojoba oil 🙂 Let me know how it turns out!!
Can I use this with my SNS dip nails? I can’t find any info if nail serums using essential oils will weaken or damage the SNS or acrylic nails.
Hi Holly – great question! I have never used SNS dip nails before, so can unfortunately not speak from first hand experience on this one. But my gut tells me it would not damage it. Especially since SNS needs to be removed with acetone, that makes me think essential oils would cause no harm. I have used this cuticle oil over regular nail polish with no issues. But again, I can’t speak from experience on this, so if you don’t feel comfortable using the essential oils you could always leave them out while you have the SNS nails on. The other oils alone would still be a nice softening blend, and you could add the essential oils to use as a treatment when you remove the SNS.
Hello I am a License Nail Technician. Cuticle oil is perfectly fine to use with nail enhancements. As nail techs we love it when our clients keep up with their cuticles. They wont be any lifting or anything because its already sealed (if tech prepped your nail enhancements correctly)
Great info Suticha – thanks so much for sharing!
I have read a few excellent stuff here. Definitely value bookmarking for revisiting.
I wonder how so much effort you put to make one of these wonderful informative site.
Looks great cant wait to make it a part of my Sunday Mani day.
Sunday Mani day sounds wonderful – I may have to implement that myself 😉 Hope you love the cuticle oil!
Thanks for the information. I was wondering if you could answer something for me. Can you use essential oils everyday? My wife just ordered some so I’m trying to get some info about them. Thanks in advance for your answer!
Hi Elliot – I do use essential oils every day! I make sure not to ingest them and take care to not use certain oils around my kids. I have found this book to be super useful in my essential oil education: The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy https://amzn.to/2G7as6h
Best of luck!
Thank you for sharing your recipe! I’ve searched high and low for a good cuticle roller recipe and I haven’t found any that I’ve loved. I’m excited to try this one — it seems like it really really nourish my cuticles. It’s so dry right now they need care every day! 🙂 Great post — thank you so much for sharing!!
Thank you so much Amanda! I think this cuticle oil will do the trick, it is super nourishing and you can feel a difference right away 🙂 Let me know if you try it out!!
I made your nail oil this morning I used Grapefruit, Lavender, Euccalyptus, with Olive and Avocado oil, used it and can already tell a difference in my nails.
Wonderful Terri! So happy to hear it is working well for you. Your combination sounds lovely – I always love grapefruit in anything for the skin 🙂
This looks lovely. Thanks for sharing!
I have jojoba oil and avocado oil. How much of each should I use if not using the olive oil? Thank you.
Hi Sylvia! I would keep the jojoba oil amount the same and just replace all of the olive oil with avocado oil. Should turn out nicely. Hope that helps!
How often should the cuticle/nail formula be used?
Hi Brenda! You can use this oil as often as you need, and it will probably be a little different for everyone depending on your own skin and nails. I use it daily when it’s dry out or when my nails are in need of extra TLC. However most of the time about 3 times a week is plenty for me. I’d start with daily use, especially if you’re working on strengthening your nails, then you can probably scale back a little once you begin to see results.
Keep me posted on how this works for you!!
I don’t have rosemary on hand. Could I substiture tea tree or eucalyptus instead?
Hi Meaghan, yes you could substitute either of those if you’d like. Since Tea tree is such a strong oil, I would probably use half the amount.
Let me know how it turns out!
Karla
I seriously need this! My hands get so dry in cooler weather and I feel like my nails instantly crack as soon as it gets below 70 degrees!
You do need this! I hope you make it, your nails will LOVE it. Thanks for checking out my recipe Natasha.
Can I use lemongrass in exchange for lemon? And i have a bottle of organic avacodo and olive mix for cooking…is that the same?
Hi Christine! I have not tried lemongrass in my cuticle oil, but if it’s an oil you enjoy then I say go for it! Since it is such a strong oil, I might start off with a little less than I would use of lemon to see how you like the smell, and then add more if you’d like.
I have not used a pre-blended oil mix before for this recipe, as I like to control how much of each I’m using. You could certainly give it a try, I’d just make sure there is nothing else mixed in or added as fillers. You want just pure avocado and olive oil for the best results.
As long as your ingredients are high quality I think it will turn out well. This is a very forgiving recipe that can turn out wonderfully with lots of variations.
Let me know how it turns out for you! I’m always curious to know what combinations others use 🙂
Thanks so much for checking out my recipe!
Karla
Many thanks for the cuticle oil recipe. I really need something to nourish my dry, cracked cuticles.
You are most welcome Marci! Let me know how it works for you after you try it!