Professional Nail Treatments | Cuticle Oils & Nail Strengtheners

What is on this page

This page gathers the bottles that sit around a manicure or pedicure rather than in it: cuticle oils, a cuticle remover, nail conditioners, hand care, callus gel and a few station supplies. These are cosmetic and service products. Nothing here is presented as a medical treatment, and the section further down explains what to do when a nail looks like more than a cosmetic problem.

Today about 26 of the 49 listings show stock, so this table sticks to what you can order now.

Which cuticle oil should you choose

All three oil lines do the same basic job, so the choice comes down to how you plan to use them.

• For the desk: LAVIS 24K Gold comes in a 30 mL bottle, the largest oil size in stock here, and it lets you pick a scent for your station.
• For a retail add-on: the DND tube holds 0.25 oz and has a built-in brush, so the oil goes straight onto the cuticle with no dropper. It is small enough for a purse, and the set gives you one of each scent.
• For take-home minis: CND Solar Oil comes in 0.125 oz bottles, and the 40 pack suits a salon that hands one to clients after a service. Its blend is jojoba, sweet almond and rice bran oils with vitamin E. Sweet almond oil means you should check the label for any client with a nut sensitivity.

Some scents and sizes are out of stock today, including LAVIS 24K in Orange and Peach and the CND Solar Oil 0.5 oz, so check the badge on the grid before you plan a display.

How to use cuticle oil

1. Finish the service first. Oil goes on last, after the top coat has cured.
2. Apply one drop per nail at the cuticle, or brush it on if you are using a tube.
3. Massage it into the cuticle and the skin around the nail for about 30 seconds.
4. Tell clients to repeat at home, daily or whenever hands feel dry.

For more detail, read our guide to using cuticle oil, and for dry skin around the nail, see cuticle care tips.

Using a cuticle remover

CND Cuticle Away softens overgrown cuticle and non-living tissue on the nail plate so that you can push it back. This is a different job from an oil, because a remover is rinsed away before the service goes on, and it should stay off living skin.

1. Apply a small amount around each cuticle.
2. Wait 30 to 60 seconds, or the time on your bottle if it differs. Do not leave it on longer.
3. Gently push back with a metal pusher.
4. Rinse thoroughly, dry the nail, then carry on with prep.

Skip the water soak before a gel service, because moisture in the nail plate works against adhesion. Keep the remover away from eyes. Pushers and nippers are on our cuticle tool page, and our cuticle remover review covers the category.

Conditioning thin or peeling nails

Clients often ask for help after enhancements come off. Two products here are made for that request, and both go on bare nails, so neither fits under a current gel service.

OPI Nail Envy is sold by OPI as a nail strengthener for thin, peeling, splitting or weak nails, and it can be worn alone or as a base coat under lacquer. OPI's routine is simple: one thin coat on clean, bare nails, another coat every other day, then remove and refresh after 7 days. Repeat for 2 to 3 weeks. Only the Original is in stock today.

CND RescueRXx is CND's daily keratin treatment. Apply one drop per nail, massage it into the nail and cuticle area twice a day, and keep going for 3 to 4 weeks. The 0.5 oz bottle is out of stock, so the 40 pack of 0.125 oz minis is the available size. It also contains sweet almond oil.

Set realistic expectations with clients: these are care routines, and the brands describe results that depend on regular use.

Hand care and callus gel

The two VOESH Hand & Cuticle bottles are lightweight products for the end of a manicure or pedicure. Imperial Gold contains 24K gold and arginine, and Noble Diamond contains diamond micro powder, olive oil and arginine. For more of the line, visit the VOESH page.

VOESH Callus Remover Gel is an AHA and BHA gel with aloe extract and olive oil, sold in single-use pouches with a dispenser tip. You can buy one pouch, a 5 pack or a box of 50, which makes it easy to try before stocking a pedicure station. Other spa items are on the pedicure and manicure page, the hand and foot mask page and the lotion page.

Station supplies in this group

• Classy Nail Art Gel Remover: an acetone-free gel remover. Buff the top coat lightly, wrap the nail with saturated cotton or foil, and leave for 10 to 15 minutes. The 38 mL size is in stock. You can compare it with acetone options on our gel remover page and the gel removal tools page.
• CND CoolBlue: a 6 oz hand cleanser for use before a service.
• LAVIS Brush Cleaner: sold by the gallon.

Tool hygiene is its own subject, and our guide to cleaning manicure tools covers the basics.

Antifungal and medical-style products

A few listings here carry names such as Antifungal, Fung-Off, Clear Nail or Styptic. We list them under their product names and make no claim about what they do. Read the label on the bottle and follow it.

A nail tech is not a doctor. If a client has a nail that is discolored, thickened, painful, lifting from the bed, or a nail or skin that looks infected, do not service that nail. Suggest that they see a physician or podiatrist. No oil, conditioner or remover on this page is a substitute for that visit.

Building out a care shelf

If you stock only one item, a cuticle oil is the natural fit, since it goes at the end of every service. From there, add a remover for prep and one conditioner for clients who come in after removal. For a full spa service in one packet, see the Classy 4 step pedicure boxes and the wider VOESH spa kits.