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These 17 Strengthening Polishes Are Just What Your Dry, Brittle Nails Need
Cute little thing about me: My nails are ridiculously brittle—like, the year-round peeling and chipping kind of brittle. Sure, my nails look fine after I slap on a few coats of nail polish, but the majority of polishes don’t do much to help my nail health (and, tbh, can actually make weak nails even weaker—especially if you remove it the wrong way). That’s why I like to call in the big guns every so often—yep, I’m talking about nail strengthening polishes and treatments that help restore your nail beds with vitamins, proteins, and hydrating oils.
BTW: There are so many nail strengtheners on the market rn that anyone can benefit from them, whether you’ve got naturally weak nails like me or you just need something to counteract your gel mani habit. Plus, they’re kinda a genius way to level up your at-home spa days (just sayin'). So keep scrolling for the 17 best nail strengtheners that target everything from peeling and breaking to rough textures and dullness.
sues.
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$18.00
The best thing about this nail strengthener is that it also works as a base coat. Prep your nails with a couple coats and the formula's botanical extracts and vitamins work to condition and harden your nails while also creating a smooth, glossy base for your polish.
Best Plant-Based Nail Strengthener
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$10.00
The hero ingredient in this nail-strengthening kit is spinach (yes, spinach), which blasts your nails with an epic combo of vitamins A and C. This kit comes with a strengthener and a cuticle serum, so you can really get the full spa-like experience.
Best Nail Strengthening Pen
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$12.99
Looking for an easy way to treat your nails on this go? This strengthening pen makes things v convenient—just massage the formula on your nails and cuticles one to two times a day and it'll help breath some life back into your weak-ass nails (without, you know, needing to take off your polish).
Best Soothing Nail Strengthener
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$11.00
A strengthening blend of lavender extract, ginseng root, and calcium fluoride all come together in this cute polish for brittle nails. Pro tip: This one is especially great for applying post acrylics or gels—it'll help soothe some of that damage you probs incurred in the removal process.
Best 10-Free Nail Strengthener
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$18.00
Some nail hardeners rely on harsh chemicals, like formaldehyde, to strengthen nails, but not this formula. It’s free of 10 controversial ingredients, including DBP, xylene, and parabens, but packed with nail-fortifying ones, like biotin, B vitamin, and calcium. This base coat works to treat your nails as it primes them for polish.
Best Nail Strengthener for Flaky Nails
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$15.00
Although the pale-green formula might look like a spring nail polish, it’s far from just a nail color. With ingredients like kale, lemon, and pomegranate extracts, this base coat is basically a green juice for your nails. But the real star here is the added keratin, which works to restore the protein, fight flaking, and harden your fragile fingernails. But don’t just take my word; it has more than 16k loves on Sephora.
Best Post-Gel Nail Strengthener
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$20.00
Those of you who routinely get gel manicures, acrylic nails, or any other type of manicure with an extensive removal process, listen up. This nail strengthener, which uses a combo of biotin, panthenol, and hydrolyzed soy protein, is ideal for repairing any damage left behind.
Best Nail Strengthener for Brittle Nails
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$280.00
I get it—$21 on essentially clear nail polish is a lot, but this three-in-one formula works as a base coat, a nail strengthener, and a shiny top coat, so it’s worth the splurge. This formula relies on the benefits of calcium pantothenate (vitamin B5), which studies show helps to improve the flexibility of nails, to prevent your tips from breaking off.
Best Nail Strengthener and Nail Polish
If you refuse to take time off between manis because you despise the look of bare nails, but your peeling, broken tips could really use some TLC, try this nail polish and treatment combo from the cult-favorite nail polish brand Essie. It has what your fragile nails need (collagen) but also all the color and sheer coverage you want—the best of both worlds, really.
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$18.00
This nail strengthener, which doubles as a base coat, uses vitamin E to restore nails. You already know how great vitamin E is for your skin, but the fat-soluble ingredient can also be helpful in repairing lost moisture in your hard, dry nails that are prone to cracking and breaking.
Best Nail Strengthener for Peeling Nails
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$7.70
One of four different versions, which target everything from hard, brittle nails to weak, damaged nails, this specific formula reinforces soft, peeling nails, thanks to the hydrolyzed wheat protein. The only drawback is that it needs to be reapplied every day for a week, but if you have the time and patience to commit to it, reviewers say it’s one of the best nail products for hardening weak nails.
Best Nail Strengthener Treatment for Damaged Nails
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$59.00
Okay, so this four-part nail polish set is a captial-P Process, but for those with truly damaged nails, each step is important. Complete with the Rejuvenail Fortifying Nail & Cuticle Treatment, Launchpad Nail Strengthener (which is infused with keratin protein), High Maintenance Instant Nail Thickener, and Makeover Ridge Filler, this system addresses all the possible problems.
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$17.95
Packed with both hydrolyzed wheat protein and calcium, this formula works to make your nails harder by reacting with the protein in your nails. Shown here is the original formula (a fan favorite), but you can also find it in a ton of different versions to target everything from soft to dry to sensitive nails. And for full nail recovery, pair it with a cuticle oil because you know those are looking pretty tragic rn too.
Best Nail Strengthener for Splitting Nails
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$10.50
Another moisturizing, vitamin-E–based nail strengthener, this formula goes one step further and is also free of seven controversial ingredients, including formaldehyde, DBP, and TPHP. Grab a bottle of this if your nails are weak and splitting, or if they’re showing any signs of dryness.
Best Nail Strengthener for Weak Nails
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$19.90
You can only hide your raggedy nails under shellac for so long. Another genius product from CND, this daily keratin treatment works to thicken weak nails with, you guessed it, keratin, but also hydrating oils like jojoba and almond.
Best Nail Strengthening Cream for Moisturizing
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$9.99
$7.94 (21% off)
Yes, this is a cream, but hear me out. If your nails are hard and brittle, what they need is a little hydration. This nail-strengthening cream is an Amazon best seller for good reason: It uses jojoba oil and calcium to condition both the nails and the cuticles. In other words, it’s so much more than your average hand cream.
Best Nail Strengthener and Base Coat
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$100.00
If you can’t take a break from regular manis, use this top-rated nail strengthener as your base coat to stop both chipping nails and chipping polish. Once you’ve nursed your nails back to life, you’ll be ready to try all the nail trends come spring 2020.
This story originally appeared on: Cosmopolitan - Author:Ruby Buddemeyer
