Brittle Nails? Not When You Use These Strengthening Treatments (2024)

The best nail strengtheners are vital to maintaining healthy nails and cuticles, especially if you can't go a couple of weeks without a manicure. Daily activities can be tough on nail health, and the removal process of gels and acrylics can wreak havoc on nail health. So, like you would protect your hair before using heat, it's essential to protect your nails between salon visits to keep them strong, shiny, and smooth. So, we rounded up the best nail strengtheners the web has to offer, tinted, clear, basecoats, alike, for your shopping pleasure. Plus, we chatted with board-certified dermatologists and nail artists for essential insight into the importance of caring for your nails.

Our Top Picks

• Best Nail Strengthener Overall: CND RescueRXx, $21
• Best Keratin-Boosting Nail Strengthener: Essie Hard to Resist Advanced Nail Strengthener, $10
• Best Splurge-Worthy Nail Strengthener: Chanel La Base Camélia Base Coat, $32
• Easiest Application: Isdin Si-Nails Nail Strengthener, $39
• Best Nail Strengthener for Between Manicures: Orly Nailtrition, $15
• Most Durable: OPI Nail Envy Nail Strengthener, $14

Frequently Asked Questions

• How do nails become weak or unhealthy?
• How should I choose a nail strengthener?
• Meet the experts
• Our staff and testers

Best Nail Strengthener Overall: CND RescueRXx

Why it's worth it: For best results, this oil-based keratin treatment by CND asks that you keep your nails entirely bare for a week or two after application, which is how you know the formula isn't playing around. It's designed as a deep conditioning treatment for cracking, splitting, and peeling nails with white spots caused by wear and tear like picking, buffing, and scraping. Take it from New York City-based nail artist Miss Pop, who calls RescueRXx "one of the best strengtheners out there."

Key ingredients: jojoba oil, almond oil, keratin | Size: 0.5 fl oz. | Who it's for: people taking a mani break

Best Keratin-Boosting Nail Strengthener: Essie Hard to Resist Advanced Nail Strengthener

Why it's worth it: Essie is a mainstay in the manicure game so it's no surprise the brand's also serious about healthy nail growth. The Best of Beauty-winning Hard to Resist Advanced Nail Strengthener formula uses MSM (methylsulfonylmethane), a compound rich in sulfur to boost keratin production in the nails, which helps with overall strength. Just prep your nail beds with a quick clean and apply the product.

Content director Kara McGrath wasn't always sold on nail strengthening treatments, but now, she can't go without Essie's. "I put it on whenever my nails are feeling worn down from too much dishwashing or gardening," she previously told Allure. "And they feel way less prone to bending and breakage."

Editor's tip: If you're struggling with yellowish nails, you might be better off with, Neutralixe & Strengthen, a purple-tinted formula designed to neutralize discoloration.

Key ingredients: MSM, vitamin B5, silica | Size: 0.5 fl oz. | Who it's for: everyone

Best Splurge-Worthy Nail Strengthener: Chanel La Base Camélia Base Coat

Why it's worth it: Who knew nail care could be so…designer? The Chanel La Base Camélia Base Coat is soothing, strengthening, and protecting, whether you're prepping for a manicure or just doing some upkeep. The titular camellia oil offers hydration, and the formula's cellulose makes nails look smoother with each coat. Plus, the pinky-beige color of the coat even the look of any discoloration you may be experiencing.

Key ingredients: camellia oil, cellulose, ceramides, vitamin E | Size: 0.4 fl oz. | Who it's for: people looking for a luxury option

Easiest Application: Isdin Si-Nails Nail Strengthener

Why it's worth it: The super lightweight Isdin Si-Nail Strengthener brushes on for quick, mess-free, and hydrating TLC on worn-down nails and cuticles. This hydrosoluble contains hyaluronic for immediate hydration and increases the nails's thickness and durability by boosting the production of silicon and keratin.

Key ingredients: silanediol salicylate, pistacia lentiscus gum, hyaluronic acid | Size: 0.08 fl oz. | Who it's for: people looking for increased nail density

Best Tinted Nail Strengthener: Butter London Jelly Preserve Strengthening Treatment

Why it's worth it: We're sure you know (and love) the K-beauty jelly nail trend. The sweet thing about the Butter London Jelly Preserve Strengthening Treatment is that it combines color with protection. The strengthening treatment offers a sheer but tinted jelly hue in several colors and is infused with nail-loving ingredients like hydrolyzed vegetable proteins, tea tree oil, and olive oil. Hadley King, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City, is a fan of this formula, too, who notes, "It contains argan oil, which has emollient and occlusive properties," and adds it's free ofpotentially harmful ingredients such as formaldehyde, toluene,and formaldehyderesin.

Editor's tip: If you want a see-through treatment, skip this one—it only comes in colors. Instead, try Butter London's clear Base Coat Nail Polish Horsepower. Regardless of which base you choose, Dr. King recommends using Hardwear Shine UV Topcoat to shield nails from UV damage.

Key ingredients: hydrolyzed vegetable proteins, tea tree oil, vitamin E, calcium, arginine | Size: 0.4 fl oz. | Who it's for: jelly nail lovers or anyone who wants a dose of color

Best for Acrylic Nails: Orly Nailtrition

Why it's worth it: Orly's Nailtrition is a 14-day recovery routine for breakage-prone, damaged nails caused by wear and tear from gel or acrylic manis. Apply the treatment to clean, bare nails daily for one week, remove the treatment, and then start back up for your second week. The pinked formula is boosted by botanicals like green tea and algae extract, cannabis satik seed oil, and bamboo extract.

Key ingredients: algae extract, bamboo extract, vitamin C, glycerin, green tea, satik seed oil | Size: 0.6 fl oz | Who it's for: people who get acrylics

Most Durable: OPI Nail Envy Nail Strengthener

Why it's worth it: You know OPI for their stunning array of lacquer hues, but they also know how to knuckle down for a dose of tough love. The Nail Envy Nail Strengthener Treatment imparts fortifying wheat protein and calcium to promote long nails and strong nails. It employs the brand's proprietary Tri-Flex Technology, which builds a wet-to-dry shell around the nail using a blend of vitamins and chemical compounds.

Editor's tip: Clear isn't your thing? Pick up a version of this strengthener in one of 10 colors.

Key ingredients: biotin, calcium, vitamins A, C, and E | Size: 0.5 fl oz. | Who it's for: people who want a physical barrier of protection

Most Protective: Olive & June Nail Strengthener

Why it's worth it: Made with fortifying celery seed extract, 's Nail Strengthener helps protect against future peeling while repairing roughness and white spots. Just apply this nail treatment to bare nails and if you're still craving color, add a coat of your favorite Olive & June shade right on top.

The more you know: Some people find that while this formula significantly improves the look of brittle nails, it requires a little extra effort (read, several coats) for the nails themselves to harden.

Key ingredients: celery seed extract, rosemary extract, sage leaf extract | Size: 0.6 fl oz. | Who it's for: people who don't want downtime with bare nails

Most Versatile: Deborah Lippmann Hard Rock

Why it's worth it: Deborah Lippmann's Hard Rock works as a strengthener and a base and topcoat. Swipe a few coats of the protein-rich formula over clean, bare nails daily until it's time for your next polish. It's super quick-drying, so you can apply it whenever you want without factoring in wait time.

Key ingredients: diamond powder, safflower seed oil, biotin | Size: 0.5 fl oz. | Who it's for: people who want a quick-drying solution

Frequently Asked Questions

What do nail strengtheners do?

"Nail strengtheners help to prevent brittle and damaged nails and help the nail bed to stay healthy—if nutrients are incorporated in the formulation," says cosmetic chemist Ginger King. "The strengthening part usually uses proteins and polymer resins to nourish and form a seal." The result? Stronger nails.

But how do nails become weakened and brittle in the first place? Manicures and the process of removing gels and acrylics can be particularly damaging—especially if you're removing them by at-home ripping or picking. "Nails are composed of cells called keratinocytes that look like tiles on a roof if you examine them under a microscope," Dana Stern MD, a New York City-based board-certified dermatologist, previously told Allure. “By peeling off a gel manicure, you are not only removing the gel but also the top layers of these delicate cells. This can result in white patches and textural irregularities throughout the nails."

Aside from gels and acrylics, other factors can weaken nails, such as "a fungal infection (onychomycosis), contact dermatitis (from nail polish), psoriasis of the nails, nutritional deficiency (iron, biotin, etc.), and eczema," David Kim, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in New York City. Consult your dermatologist to get down to the root of the issue.

How should I choose a nail strengthener?

Dr. Kim explains that to choose a suitable nail strengthener, you must consider the underlying cause. If it's picking at gels, first and foremost, try to stop doing that and moisturize. "Moisturizing with your favorite cuticle oil or cream will help damaged cells stick together, thus improving the appearance of the surface of the nail," Dr. Stern explained.

When shopping for nail strengthening treatments, read the ingredient list for vitamin-rich minerals and rehabilitators like hydrolyzed keratin protein. Mona Gohara, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in Connecticut previously explained that applying this protein—naturally found in nails and hair—helps create a protective barrier that improves with time.

Meet the experts

• David Kim, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in New York City at Idriss Dermatology and founder of Lightsaver
• Dana Stern, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in New York City
• Mona Gohara, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in Connecticut
• Miss Pop, a New York City-based nail artist
• Hadley King, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in New York City
• Ginger King, a cosmetic chemist

Our staff and testers

A beauty product is a personal purchase. You might be searching for a face cream to address persistent dryness or a new nail product to add to your Sunday self-care routine; you may simply be browsing around for the latest launches to hit the hair market. No matter what you seek or your individual needs and concerns, Allure wants to ensure that you love anything we recommend in our stories. We believe that having a diverse team of writers and editors—in addition to the wide range of outside testers and industry experts we regularly call upon—is essential to reaching that goal.

After all, can we really say a skin-care product is the "best" for people over 50 if the only testers we've solicited opinions from folks who have yet to hit 30? Can we honestly deem a high-end diffuser worthy of your hard-earned cash if it's never been tested on curls? We're proud that our staff spans a wide range of ages, skin tones, hair textures, genders, and backgrounds, which means that we are able to fairly assess any beauty product that comes into the beauty closet.

Read more on manicures:

• The Gel Manicure Lowdown: UV vs. LED
• 3 At-Home Gel-Manicure Kits Worth Trying
• Can You Use a Gel Topcoat Over Regular Nail Polish?

Now, watch 100 years of manicures:

You can follow Allure on Instagram and Twitter, or subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date on all things beauty.