If you derive a certain kind of joy from getting your nails done, you’ll understand the heartbreak that comes with a premature chip. Or that sinking feeling when your gel polish starts to lift – something that’s especially annoying when in the shower. Or when you feel a single hair get caught right at the base.

A good gel manicure should last around three to four weeks, depending on the general health of your nails, the type of polish used (BIAB can last longer), the prep work your tech does and – arguably most importantly – how you look after them once you get home. 

Alongside religiously wearing washing-up gloves (which is something that took me a while to start doing properly), being very careful when I open a can of Coke Zero and not doing anything else that might cause harm to my manicure, I’ve also started applying cuticle oil as often as possible.

Inspired by a beauty editor friend who saw a serious increase in the longevity of her manicure when she did the same thing, I jumped aboard the same train, and let’s say I haven’t looked back. Of course, like most salon-goers, I had the odd bottle of cuticle oil lying around my flat that I used when I remembered, but I’ve forced myself to turn it into a regular habit. 

I’m now the sort of person who carries a cuticle oil pen in my handbag so I can apply it on the train or the bus. I have a bottle on my bedside, one on my desk and one on a table next to the sofa I reach for while watching TV.

And honestly? I wish I’d done it sooner. Not just because I’ve noticed a real difference in how my manicures wear, but because there’s a whole host of other benefits, too – and that also goes for people who don’t have regular manicures.

“Cuticle oil is vital for maintaining strong, healthy nails that are less likely to split or become brittle,” says Leon Lester, owner of LB Studio in Greenwich. “As well as hydrating the cuticles, preventing them from growing back as quickly, it also nourishes the nail plate which provides more flexibility and helps to stop breakage.”

I’ve truly noticed a huge improvement in the appearance of my nails since enforcing the habit, I also get fewer hangnails and my manicures are definitely lasting a whole lot longer, too.

When it comes to choosing the right oil, Lester says it’s best to look for those with smaller molecules, like almond, jojoba and apricot. “The latter two resemble the sebum that skin produces, meaning they absorb more quickly and tend to be less greasy,” he says.

Plus, there’s no such thing as applying it too often, which is music to my ears. Here are the cuticle oils I’ve been powering through the most…

Images: Getty; courtesy of brands