Just like with our skin and hair, nails can become brittle and dry when we don’t drink enough water, so make sure to get your two litres a day. With over five years’ experience in beauty and health journalism, Florence has written for ELLE, Women’s Fitness, Sister Magazine, National Geographic Traveller and many more, with a strong sustainability angle thread through much of her work.

Cutex All-in-One Strengthener 13.6ml | Wilko - Wilko Site Cutex All-in-One Strengthener 13.6ml | Wilko - Wilko Site

Hydrating strengtheners contain hyaluronic acid, butylene glycol, lactic acid, panthenol, etc. Some of their hydrators may also contain lipids like triglycerides, and glycerin which moisturize the nails. This is great for those with peeling, textured, hard, and/or sandpaper nails. We’ve also noted whether the below products contain formaldehyde, phthalates and toluene. They’re most commonly found in industrial cleaning products, so it’s understandable to be wary of applying them to your skin, but in beauty products they’re used to prolong shelf life. While they do have a bit of a bad reputation, they don’t cause any damage at this low potency or in this format. How we test

Pharmacy product

Most strengthening treatments include proteins and nourishing oils to help relieve any brittleness and peeling, leaving nails looking and feeling stronger. My nails are ridiculously brittle—like, the kind of brittle that causes year-round peeling and chipping. Sure, they look fine after I slap on a few coats of polish, but the majority of nail polish brands don’t do much to help your nail health (and, tbh, can actually make your weak nails even weaker—especially if you're using gel nail polish or removing your polish the wrong way). That’s why I like to call in the A-team every so often: nail strengtheners. Yup, I’m talking about nail-strengthening polishes and treatments that help restore your damaged nail beds with vitamins, proteins, and hydrating oils. There are two types of nail “strengtheners”—those that harden and those that hydrate. Board-certified dermatologist, Karan Lal, MD breaks it down for us:

Cutex All-in-One Strengthener 13.6ml | Wilko - Wilko Site

Wearing rubber gloves when handling detergents and bleach is also a must, as overexposure to these chemicals can make nails soft, resulting in them splitting or breaking. However, all these methods do require a bit of patience. A strengthening product, on the other hand, can make a huge difference to the appearance of your nails in weeks. What do nail strengtheners do? At the end of the day, brittle nails and thin nails may be from genetics, poor diet, thyroid disease, anemia, or underlying diseases. Make sure you see a dermatologist for a thorough diagnosis as brittle nails may actually be nail psoriasis, lichen planus, or even eczema. Based on the cause of nail issues specific supplementation may be helpful and/or treatment of the underlying cause. Consider supplementing the nail strengthener with other methods Ripping off gel nails or getting acrylics without a break in between appointments will also weaken them. Always get them removed professionally, or give them the proper DIY removal treatment at home.