- How to use: Apply to bare nails, making sure to coat the area under your nail tips as well. Unlike some nail strengtheners on this list designed to wear alone, you can also use this as a strengthening base coat under polish.
- What we’re into: Lower price point; recommended by multiple nail experts; you can top it with polish
- Things to consider: Although it’s technically clear, some reviewers thought it had a rosy tint
Best Nail Concealer: Blue Cross Illuminating Concealer
Original image by Glamour tester Breeonne Reed
This two-in-one strengthener and filter is a “holy grail” for Breeonne Reed, nail artist and founder of The Salon 2 You. While Reed also shouts out OPI and Sally Hansen’s strengtheners, she says nothing beats Blue Cross’s “multitasking wonder.” Designed to leave a super-sheer pink on your nails, it contains light-reflecting particles that make your nails look better while they heal and grow. “I love how this is like a soft-focus filter for my nails, creating a flawless finish while protecting and strengthening them in tandem,” she says. “I use this product on my clients, it’s a staple in my kit, and I recommended it to everyone I can!”
- How to use: Apply to bare nails. The brand recommends one coat for sheer coverage and a second coat if you want a more opaque, milky glow.
- What we’re into: Makes nails look instantly healthier; sheer-pink shade almost looks like polish
- Things to consider: Need to apply on bare nails
Best Nail Strengthener-Polish Hybrid: OPI Nail Envy Nail Strengthener
“I’m pretty loyal to my biweekly gel manicure, so my nails are often in need of some extra TLC whenever I take a break,” says Kayla Greaves, a beauty editor. “OPI’s Nail Envy is one of the few strengthening products I swear by to do the trick.” She points out that the 9-free formula (meaning it doesn’t contain nine specific harmful ingredients, including formaldehyde and phthalate) is a blend of all the good stuff—including biotin, calcium, and vitamins A, C, and E—and she typically notices a difference in just a week or two. Another plus? “While the OG product will still give you a beautiful milky, nude finish, Nail Envy also comes in a variety of colors, so you won’t have to feel like you’re sacrificing the benefits of a normal manicure while nursing your nails back to health,” says Greaves.
- How to use: Apply two coats to bare nails, followed by an additional coat daily, removing after one week of wear. Greaves likes to apply this whenever her nails are taking a break between manicures.
- What we’re into: It comes in colors, so you get treatment and polish in one formula; 9-free formula
- Things to consider: You need to apply two coats
Best for Nail Growth: CND Rescue Rxx Daily Keratin Treatment
You can apply this nail oil nightly before bed or whenever your cuticles look dry. It helps prevent breakage and splitting, nourishing your nails with a combination of keratin and jojoba seed oil, which moisturizes the cuticle and the skin surrounding the nail. “I’ve tested a bunch of products that claim to make my nails stronger, longer, prettier, and healthier,” says Saskia S., a Glamour reviewer. “My nails were always a mess, splitting and peeling no matter what I did. I dab a bit of [CND Rescue] on each nail in the morning and at night, and my nails are finally tough, split-free, and growing like crazy. I have to trim and file them regularly now!”
