I have been knitting an afghan for my mother in law in a yarn that is (gasp!) acrylic.
My cuticles look awful now. They are so dry and are splitting and cracking in some places. Does anyone have any suggestions on healing them and making them look normal, if not pretty, again?
Misty
Use a good moisturizer. I really like Avon’s Silicon Glove. It’s fairly inexpensive. Also their Moisture Therapy hand lotion. If my cuticles get really bad I’ll sleep with Lansinoh (yes; the stuff for breastfeeding mothers made from sheep wool oils) on my cuticles and the next morning they are very soft and pretty again.
Oh, and there is this wonderful hand lotion from Bath and Body Works which I can’t remember the name of, but it is for gardeners. It’s a silver tube with a dark green label. It’s very nice for rough hands. I used it all the time when I worked as a barista and my hands were always wet all day and would get terribly dried out.
I must have 20 or 30 different kinds of hand lotion and cuticle creams.
I love and had been using the Burts bees cuticle butter for a while now. But this summer my mom had knee surgery and her surgeon recommended cocoa butter with vitamin e for her scar. I was putting it on her scar and rubbing any extra into my hands. I was shocked at how much softer my hands were and less icky my cuticles looked. A pretty big bottle was $4-5 at Walmart. I think the brand is Palmers. Now I use it after every shower and massage it into my cuticles at night.
Rub some warm olive oil on your cuticles and nails daily. No need to buy another bottle of lotion. 
Thank you all! I am going to try the olive oil first, just becuase I ALWAYS have that on hand, and I don’t have to buy more.
I like the burts bees cuticle stuff too. It smells so nice and lemony, and it is such a little tin it fits anywhere.
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I’ll show you what I have found at Bath & Body works…
And … I LIKE THIS.
Or…
http://www.bathandbodyworks.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2648712&cp=2484528.2496755.2126168
But I like the manicures I get at Paragon. Also… The Parafin Dips there are great! So if you have a Paragon Spa where you live, try it! cloud9
I know they can be expensive… I first went there when my son gave me a certificate for Paragon. I asked him how he knew I wanted to try it out. He said I pointed to a Paragon Sign once and said to Dad ( my Dh )that I want to go there sometime. And he heard me mention it. 
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