If you have brittle nails, this best-selling strengthener is your best bet for growing healthier ones

Weak, brittle nails can be the result of a few things. Maybe you peeled off your gel polish (don’t do that!), have been over washing your hands or even have a nutritional deficiency. While drinking extra water could help hydrate your skin, it doesn’t work to give you strong and supple nails. Instead, you’ll want to use a nail strengthener like OPI’s Nail Envy.

OPI Nail Envy Nail Treatment, $19.95

Credit: Amazon

The OPI Nail Envy Nail Treatment is on of Amazon’s best-selling nail strengtheners, and it has over 1,000 five-star ratings. You can use it as a standalone treatment or a base coat, but just beware, it’s not an overnight fixer. It may take a couple of weeks or even months for you to really notice the results, but if you put in the work, you will be rewarded. Think of it like skin care but for your nails.

Highly recommend,” wrote one reviewer. “My nails were dry, splitting and weak. They were a mess. And they were not only ugly, but I had painful hangnails because of the dry cuticles. I used OPI faithfully and saw results in a few weeks. After three months, I’m very happy with my healthy nails.”

To use, gently push your cuticles back, and apply two coats of the Nail Envy to clean nails. You should reapply one coat every other day. After one week, you can use OPI Polish Remover to remove the Nail Envy Treatment and repeat this process until your nails are as long and strong as you want them.

According to the product description, OPI Nail Envy contains hydrolyzed wheat protein and calcium to help you grow stronger nails. However, OPI offers a few different types of its Nail Envy Treatment. You can get the standard clear coat, a matte coat, one for specifically dry and brittle nails, one for soft and thin nails and another for sensitive and peeling nails. (The latter is formaldehyde-free.) Additionally, you can get Nail Envy in light pink and light beige colors.

If you want to attack your weak nails full on, you can also keep your hands and cuticles moisturized with cuticle oil, use less acetone-based products and even speak to your doctor about taking a biotin supplement. However, starting with OPI’s Nail Envy is an easy way to treat your nails — and it costs about $20 on Amazon.

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