When you get engaged, people stare at your hands more than they ever have before. Some overbearing relatives need to inspect the size of “the rock” to ensure that the symbol of your everlasting love and devotion meets their personal standards for size and clarity. (Don’t tell them you went with a sapphire or no ring unless you want their heads to explode.) Other people don’t want to judge you, they just enjoy looking at shiny things. Even if you’re excited about boring others with your corny enagement story, this can be a bit stressful if you’re bad at nail maintenance.
I’ve always been mystified by how nail salons stay in business, because I’m cheap and will only throw down $25 for a basic mani-pedi once or twice a year for special occasions. The rest of the year, my cuticles are a dry, gnawed-on, and occasionally bloody mess. I’ve tried various lotions that didn’t fix the problem, and found that nothing works as well as coating my fingers in Vaseline before bed. However, there are some days when a lady doesn’t want to go to sleep looking like a sock-handed freak, so I needed to find something that would work instantly. That’s where One Minute Manicure moisturizing scrubs come in.
I first spotted a jar in my mom’s medicine cabinet about a year ago, and since I have no compunctions about pilfering her stuff, I poured a little into my hand. The directions say you should “shake or stir” before each use then “apply a small amount to hands and gently massage, concentrating on problem skin and nail bed area.” My method involves washing my hands to at least pretend I’m being hygenic, drying them, fishing around in the bottle until I have enough liquid or sediment, and rubbing the stuff all over my hands. After rinsing, my once-cracked cuticles are soft and hydrated.
There’s a bit of controversy surrounding One Minute Manicure. The ingredients include:
Dead Sea Salt, Walnut Seed Oil, Avocado Oil, Grapeseed Oil, Apricot Kernel Oil, Jojoba Seed Oil, Peppermint Oil, Bitter Orange Oil, Lemon Peel Oil, Rosemary Leaf Oil, Spearmint Leaf Oil, Grapefruit Peel Oil, Fragrance.
As you might have noticed, it’s basically just a bunch of oils and salt. Many internet denizens say One Minute Manicure scrubs are a massive waste of money because you’re paying about $2 an ounce for a product you could make yourself. I attempted to do this, but I couldn’t locate all 11 oils, and Whole Foods wanted $14 for just one of them. I could probably spend time experimenting with less expensive ingredients, but in addition to being cheap, I’m also kind of lazy (plus, I dig the scent). I decided it was easier to wait for One Minute Manicure’s 50% off sale and buy a big jar for $15. If you have economical recipes for One Minute Manicure alternatives, please share them in the comments! However, if you’re just looking for a quick and easy way to avoid questions about whether you leave the ring on while doing your chores around the farm, you can’t go wrong with this stuff.
13 Oz Spa Treatment Moisture Scrub – Sunset (Floral), $29.95 at OneMinuteManicure.com.
Other sizes and fragrances available here.
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