The 14 Best Nail Strengtheners to Treat Brittle, Damaged Nails, According to a Celeb Nail Artist

Best Overall

Duri Rejuvacote Nail Growth System

$13 at Amazon View on Duri.com

When it comes to nail strengtheners, this one can't be beaten. We reach for it time and time again, whether to use it as a healing treatment after a gel manicure, as a base coat, or as a top coat. It’s even great when our nails are bare and looking kind of blah. 

What makes this product so versatile? Two different proteins, plus added calcium and keratin, work together to stimulate growth. Furthermore, the formula is designed to seal in necessary moisture and fatty acids naturally produced by the nail plate to minimize dryness and peeling.

Who It's For

If you're looking for a top-notch, multi-use nail strengthener treatment, base coat, and topcoat, you can end your search here. This three-in-one formula is ideal for anyone short on time, space to store multiple nail treatments, or money to spend on multiple nail treatments.

Active Ingredients: Keratin | Size: 0.6 fl. oz. | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best Overall, Runner-Up

Olive & June Nail Strengthener

View on Oliveandjune.com

If your nails have breakage, peeling, white spots, or ridges, reach for one of Olive & June's popular nail treatments (after you’ve spoken to your doctor and ruled out any potential health conditions, of course!). The company claims this strengthener can boost nail strength up to 77 percent thanks to nourishing ingredients like celery seed extract and the brand’s flora extract. Note that if you wish to use it as an intensive treatment for really damaged nails, you'll need to apply it nightly to see the results—otherwise, feel free to use it in lieu of your usual base coat when polishing your nails weekly.

Who It's For

This catch-all nail treatment is a welcome addition to any nail care routine, but it can be especially beneficial for those who experience lots of breakage, peeling, discoloration, or ridges after ruling out a potential health concern with their doctor.

Active Ingredients: Celery seed extract | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best Drugstore

Orly Nail Defense Nail Strengthener

$9 at Amazon $13 at Ulta $10 at sallybeauty.com

Affordable and effective, this protein-packed treatment contains horsetail oil to help with nail growth and stop peeling. It works as a base coat, but if you want to sport it solo, its extra-shiny finish looks like clear polish. This buy also features the brand's special grippy brush handle, making precise swiping a breeze. Plus, it's most likely available at your local drugstore and on Amazon Prime, so you can start treating your nails within hours.

Who It's For

If you want the benefits of a nail strengthener without having to dish out the big bucks, consider this option. 

Active Ingredients: Horsetail extract | Size: 0.6 fl. oz. | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best Splurge

Chanel Protective and Smoothing Nail Treatment

View on Chanel.com

If a bag or pair of slingbacks from Chanel isn't in your budget (same), this nail treatment is the next best thing. It serves as a nail treatment and a base coat all in one and effectively hardens and smooths nails. Plus, natural mineral pigments neutralize the look of discoloration. Although it is on the pricier side, it adds a subtle touch of luxury to your nail care routine, and it actually works to enhance the look of your nails while you wear it. The only thing we don't love is the fact that it sells out easily, making it harder to find.

Who It's For

Those who value little luxuries won't be disappointed in this pick from Chanel. And this product won't simply just look boujee on display in your vanity; we tried it ourselves, and it does exactly what it says it will—deliver hard, strong, even-colored nails.

Active Ingredients: Camellia oil, cellulose | Size: 0.4 fl. oz. | Cruelty-Free: No

Best for Chips and Peeling

Nails Inc. Nailkale Base Coat

$15 at Amazon View on Nailsinc.com

True to its name, this formula contains kale extract in addition to other antioxidant-rich botanical extracts and keratin. It's also made with camellia oil, which is super nourishing and moisturizing. This fave of ours can deliver five different benefits: hardening, hydrating, and nourishing nails while also stimulating growth and preventing breakage and splitting. While it has a minty green tint in the bottle, the base coat goes on clear, imparting nails with a glass-like sheen.

Who It's For

Experiencing nail peeling? Look to this option for help. It hardens, strengthens, and grows nails for fewer chips and peeling in the future.

Active Ingredients: Pomegranate extract | Size: 0.5 fl. oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best for Natural Nails

OPI Natural Nail Strengthener

$12 at Amazon

If you like to keep things simple, aren't sporting acrylics or lots of gels, and want something to make your natural nails look that much better, try this formula. We love that this product contains vitamins A and E (to nourish and strengthen nails) and is free of formaldehyde and parabens. Along with protecting nails to ensure long, strong growth, it doubles as a silky base coat, preventing staining and discoloration and helping color adhere better.

Who It's For

Consider this your go-to treatment if you don't usually wear nail polish. Apply it on bare nails to prevent staining, discoloration, and weak nails.

Active Ingredients: Vitamins A and E | Size: 0.5 fl. oz | Cruelty-Free: No

Best Kit

Zoya Naked Manicure Starter Kit

$30 at Amazon View on Zoya.com

To create the look of truly healthy nails—no matter how beat up they might be—reach for this four-step system. Step one is a nutrient-packed base coat full of vitamins, proteins, and amino acids that keep nails both strong and flexible to ward off peeling and breakage. Follow that with two perfect coats and a shine-enhancing top coat to seal the deal. The result: a gorgeous manicure in place of nails that look like they've been through the wringer.

Who It's For

Perfect for those with seriously beat-up nails, this multi-step system replenishes the vitamins and proteins needed to address breakage, so we highly recommend it if you need an intensive approach.

Active Ingredients: Sunflower oil | Size: 0.5 fl. oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best Base Coat

Butter London Horse Power Nail Rescue Base Coat

$18 at Amazon $12 at Target $18 at Walmart

If you like to have your nails polished at all times, then you're probably a fan of base coats. Might we suggest one with benefits, like this formula that transforms nails from brittle to super strong? The recipe has four key ingredients that truly deliver results: horsetail extract and biotin (promote healthy growth), plus vitamin B and calcium (improve brittleness). We also love how this product is fast-drying, making it an easy option if you're constantly reapplying.

Who It's For

This is a smart option if you wear nail polish on the daily. Paint each nail before layering on the colored polish of your choice to reap the strengthening benefits while also ensuring the polish adheres to your nails better—a win-win.

Active Ingredients: Ethyl acetate, butyl acetate, biotin | Dosage: One coat | Size: 0.5 fl. oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best Base Coat, Runner-Up

Dr.'s Remedy Hydration Clear Moisturizing Nail Treatment

$18 at Amazon

This effective formula, a favorite of Gerstein, relies on biotin, wheat protein, and pentavitin to help keep nails long and strong. "I use this as a base coat, especially during the cold winter months, to help seal moisture into my nails," she says. It also smells amazing, which we credit to tea tree oil and lavender oil, which appear in the formula for their nourishing and aromatic properties.

Who It's For

If you value more natural ingredients, this is a product to consider, as it contains organic, all-natural ingredients. It's also a good option if you have super dry, brittle nails that could use some hydration.

Active Ingredients: Biotin | Size: 0.5 fl. oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best for Nail Biters

Barielle No Bite Pro Growth

View on Barielle.com

Nail biting can cause weak, brittle nails—not to mention that it's not the most hygienic habit. While this product goes on invisible and odorless (so it can be used alone or over nail polish), it has a nasty, bitter taste that will definitely discourage biting nails and cuticles. It's also infused with ingredients like sunflower seed oil, vitamin E, and horse chestnut seed extract to boost growth and strengthen the nails, helping to transform them from bitten-down and brittle to long and strong, all in one step.

Who It's For

For those who can't seem to let go of their nail-biting tendencies, this treatment could really help you kick the habit.

Active Ingredients: Sunflower seed oil, vitamin E, horse chestnut seed extract | Size: 0.5 fl. oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best Tinted

Pear Nova Enhance Nail Strengthener

$14 at pearnova.com

Dryness can make nails brittle and prone to breakage—but think of this product as a moisturizer for your nails. Start with clean nails and apply this nail strengthener two to three times weekly for two weeks. It can be used as a base coat or all on its own to add a sheer, subtle pink hue to your bare nails. We love that the nourishing formula includes aloe vera, which is a great option for nail hydration. The only downside is that the brush is a little thin. We’d prefer if the bristles on the brush were denser, as the formula itself is somewhat thick and harder to deposit with such fine bristles.

Who It's For

This tinted nail treatment is great if you're in the market for something subtle and natural that helps nails look more even-toned—good news if you have discolored or stained nails.

Active Ingredients: Aloe vera | Size: 0.34 oz. | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best 17-Free

Ella + Mila First Aid Kiss Nail Strengthener

$11 at Amazon $11 at Target $18 at Walmart

Buckle up because this formula is—wait for it—17-free. But what does that mean? It’s essentially another word for non-toxic nail polish, indicating the formula is free from 17 of the potentially harmful ingredients that are commonly found in nail products. What it does contain is good-for-your-tips vitamin E, which is helpful for weak, thin, and splitting nails. FYI, it's best when used in the brand’s four-week regimen. 

Who It's For

We recommend this option if you're looking to avoid toxins (as much as you can) in your everyday life. This one, as we mentioned above, is free from 17 potentially harmful ingredients.

Active Ingredients: Ethyl acetate, butyl acetate | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best for the Entire Nail Area

CND RescueRXx

$21 at Amazon $21 at Ulta View on Beyondpolish.com

Think of this as a cuticle oil and nail strengthener hybrid. The formula contains jojoba and sweet almond oils, both of which impart tons of moisture—not only to the nail but to the surrounding skin, too. In addition to the benefits of hydrating cuticle oil, there's also protein-rich keratin in the mix to help bolster the strength of the nail. All you have to do is swipe it on and rub it into the nail and across the entire nail bed area. If you do so twice daily, the company claims you might see improvements in one to four weeks. The only caveat: It's not a base coat, you'll have to call upon another product to serve as a base for polish.

Who It's For

If you take your nail game seriously or suffer from dry cuticles, this formula is for you. It targets both weak nails and cuticles, leaving the entire nail region nourished and healthy afterward.

Active Ingredients: Sweet almond oil, jojoba oil, keratin | Size: 0.5 fl. oz. | Cruelty-Free: No

Best With Keratin

Lights Lacquer Magic Strengthener

View on Lightslacquer.com $13 at Anthropologie

Nails need a little help in the growth department? Research shows that keratin can help treat brittle nails. With that in mind, we highly recommend this strengthener. The formula, which contains keratin (duh), calcium, and safflower seed oil, is designed to strengthen nails and support nail growth. The proteins in the formula work to lay the foundation for longer, healthier nails in the future. Wear it on its own or as a base coat underneath your favorite polishes.

Who It's For

This formula works best for those struggling with nail growth and seeking a formula to help achieve longer, sturdier nails. 

Active Ingredients: Keratin, calcium, safflower seed oil | Size: 0.43 fl. oz. | Cruelty-Free: Yes