Cuticle Cream Comparison and Review: Burt's Bees Lemon Butter, Lush Lemony Flutter and Qtica Balm

I used to have a problem with my cuticles: they were ragged, very dry and create ugly, painful hangnails on the sides of the fingers. I thought that applying cuticle oil would solve the problem, but it didn't. Yes, you read that right: cuticle oil made my cuticles look worse. I read on the internet that cuticle creams are better on your cuticles than oils, so I experimented with them. I couldn't be happier.

Here's my declaration of war against hangnails and ragged, dry cuticles: I remove excess cuticles (the ragged growth you see on the nails) by applying the chemical cuticle remover you can get at any nail or beauty supply store (I use Be Natural® Cuticle Eliminator). I wait for 45 seconds and scrape the dead skin and gunk off the nail bed using a cuticle pusher. You don't even need a nipper as it makes your fingers and nails vulnerable to infections if you take out the entire cuticle. After doing my manicure, I apply one of the cuticle creams below, and I apply them frequently, especially after washing hands. My cuticles are a lot more presentable now and I owe it to these products. Here are my thoughts on these:


Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream





This is my daily go-to cuticle cream especially when I'm on the go. The packaging is very convenient for travel as it comes in a compact tin case. I only have an issue with the inconsistent quality of the lid. I have two of these tins and one of them has a very tight lid that is quite difficult to pry open. Nonetheless, the product itself is great and it really moisturizes my cuticles and keeps hangnails at bay. I use it every time I wash my hands. I also like the lemony butter scent. However, I would say that out of the three creams that I am reviewing, this is the least emollient, and therefore if you have really bad, dry cuticles, you need an extra product to soothe them. Living in the desert and having dry cuticles mean that I have to have a backup cuticle care cream.

PROS: convenient for travel, good everyday moisturizing cream
CONS: not as emollient as the other two products being reviewed, lid can be hard to pry open

LUSH Lemony Flutter Cuticle Cream




This is how the product settled after being shipped.

Lemony Flutter by LUSH is a very popular cuticle cream among nail polish addicts. This is a very emollient cream and even though it seems that they only filled the jar half-way in the photo, this is a big container and there is a ton of product in it. It supposedly smells like lemons but it smells plastic-y or chemical-like to me. I am not a fan of the scent. However, the moisturizing properties are great and I love how it makes the hands supple and soft as well.

PROS: large amount of product, very moisturizing
CONS: strong smell

QTICA Intense Cuticle Repair Balm





If you have serious cuticle issues, this product is for you. As claimed by the manufacturer, Qtica Intense Cuticle Repair Balm is the most intense cuticle therapy for severely dry cuticles, damaged cuticles and hang nails. The formula is very thick, very rich, very sticky. However, this is like magic potion for your cuticles. This is so rich that I cannot use it during the day because it will get everywhere, but I use this before I sleep at night and I awake with nice, soft, great-looking cuticles. It is an intense treatment for really dry skin, not just cuticles. You can use this for the lips and your significant other can also use this for his rough hands. This balm literally saved my cuticles.

PROS: very intense nourishment for your skin, very emollient and rich, great for rough hands; great night-time treatment
CONS: very sticky to be used during the day

So all in all, these three are my favorite cuticle creams/balms.  It all boils down to how intense your cuticle problems are, or if you just want an everyday cuticle cream.  However, these are all great creams and I love how they greatly improved the appearance and condition of my cuticles.