To use a cuticle oil pen, twist the base clockwise until oil reaches the brush, brush it along each cuticle and over the nail, then massage it in. A new pen can take 20 to 40 clicks the first time because the tube has to fill. One click a day is usually enough for ten nails. If nothing comes out, keep twisting and warm the pen.
- A new cuticle oil pen can take 20 to 40 clicks the first time, because the tube has to fill.
- One click a day is usually enough oil for all ten nails.
- A stalled pen is usually still filling: keep twisting, warm it in your hands and rinse a dried brush in warm water.
How do you open a new cuticle oil pen?
Take the cap off, hold the pen with the brush pointing down and turn the base clockwise until a small bead of oil appears on the brush.
Ok, so you've got your new nail serum pen and there's no serum in the brush tip. Don't stress, this is normal. The tube has to fill before anything reaches the brush, so twist the bottom and keep twisting. A new cuticle oil pen can take 20 to 40 clicks the first time, so if nothing's happened by click ten, you're not doing it wrong. It's filling, not empty, and you only do the long fill once. After that, one click brings oil to the brush.
How much cuticle oil should you use, and how often?
One click of the pen a day is usually enough oil for all ten nails.
Yes, just the one. I know it feels stingy after all that twisting, but that's all ten nails sorted. Keep the layer thin: if your nails look wet rather than glossy, rub the extra into the backs of your hands. Once a day is the habit to build, at whichever time you know you won't skip.
Here's what works best for my clients: keep the pen where the phone charges. In a drawer it never happens. Next to the charger it takes 20 seconds before bed.
And resist clicking three times to be safe: every extra click uses the 3 ml pen up faster. I've done it myself.
How do you use a cuticle oil pen?
Click the base once, brush the oil along the cuticle and over the nail, massage it in and cap the pen.
The whole routine takes about 20 seconds, so once you've done one nail you've done them all. That's quicker than boiling the kettle.
- Click once. Cap off, brush pointing down, one click of the base. That's usually enough for all ten nails, so don't click for every finger.
- Brush along the cuticle. Paint the oil along the base of the nail, where skin meets nail. That skin works hard and dries out easily, so give it the most.
- Sweep over the nail. One stroke from the cuticle to the tip covers the whole nail, free edge included.
- Massage it in. Use your other thumb to rub small circles around the cuticle. The warmth works the oil in. Stop when your fingers don't feel slick.
- Cap on. Press the cap back on so the brush stays clean and doesn't dry out.
Pusher pen or brush pen: what is the difference?
A pusher pen has a small tool on one end for pushing the cuticle back, and a brush pen paints the oil on with a soft brush.
If you like pushing your cuticles back, go gently after a shower when the skin's soft, and please, please don't cut them. If all you want is the oil exactly where it needs to go, a brush is the simpler tool.
Ours is a brush pen, and the brush does the work: the Body Collective Nail Growth and Strength Serum pen is 3 ml and A$16.95.
Why is my cuticle oil pen not working?
Most stuck cuticle oil pens are still filling, so work through these five fixes in order.
Deep breath, we'll get it going.
- Keep twisting. A new pen can take 20 to 40 clicks the first time, so if you gave up at ten, go again. Yes, really.
- Check how you're twisting. Cap off, hold the middle of the pen still, and turn only the base clockwise. If the whole pen turns as one, nothing will move.
- Point the brush down and give it a moment. Oil travels slowly and gravity helps, so after a few clicks, give it a few seconds.
- Warm the pen in your hands. Cold makes oil thicker and slower, so a pen left overnight in a cold car moves faster once it's warmed in your hands.
- Rinse a dried brush. If the brush looks dry or sticky, rinse it under warm water, pat it dry and twist again.
Still nothing? Email hello@bodycollectiveco.com.au with a photo of the pen and we'll take a look, or use our contact page.
Can you use a cuticle oil pen over gel, acrylic and polish?
Yes, the Body Collective serum works on natural nails and over gel, SNS, acrylic and dip, so you can use the pen over a set of gel or acrylic.
No need to wait until the set comes off, just oil the cuticle and the skin around the nail. With regular polish, let it dry fully first, then oil just the cuticle and the skin around it, so your colour doesn't smudge.
Which scent should you choose, and what about sensitive skin?
If fragrance bothers your skin, choose the unscented pen.
If it doesn't, pick a scent you like, because a pen you enjoy using is a pen you'll remember to use. There are nine scents, plus unscented.
What's in the pen? Four certified organic oils: fractionated coconut, argan, jojoba and sweet almond. The unscented pen is the four oils only; scented pens add fragrance.
Before you buy: sweet almond oil is a nut derived oil; people with nut allergies should talk to their doctor first.
Do cuticle oil pens work, and what should you expect?
Cuticle oil pens work for what they are made for: they hydrate and condition the cuticle and the skin around the nail, and they support the new nail as it grows.
What a pen can't do is change the nail you can already see, which was made two to three months ago. A serum changes the next millimetres, so give it time.
- Within days
- Most people notice softer cuticles.
- Within one to two weeks
- Most people notice visible growth.
- Month by month
- A fingernail grows about 3 mm a month, so the growth you start today takes two to three months to reach the tip. Results vary.
If you'd like the longer story, I've written about why cuticle care changes how your nails grow.
Nail Growth, Strength & Repair Serum | Easy Twist Pen
A$16.95
Hand blended on the Gold Coast, and one click a day covers ten nails.
Add to cartSweet almond oil is a nut derived oil; people with nut allergies should talk to their doctor first.
Questions people ask
How do you open a cuticle oil pen?
Take the cap off, hold the pen with the brush pointing down and turn the base clockwise until oil appears on the brush. A new pen can take 20 to 40 clicks the first time, because the tube has to fill.
Why is my cuticle oil pen not working?
Most often the pen is still filling, so keep twisting, up to 40 clicks if it is new. Check the cap is off and you are turning only the base clockwise. Warm the pen in your hands if the oil is cold, and rinse a dried brush in warm water.
How often should I use a cuticle oil pen?
Once a day is a good habit, and one click is usually enough for ten nails. Pick a time you will not skip, such as last thing before bed, and keep the layer thin. Most people notice softer cuticles within days; results vary.
