The $18 Trick to Strengthening Brittle Nails and Softening Cuticles, According to Reviewers

A big reason why I don't wear nail polish on a regular basis is that my nails tend to become incredibly dry and brittle after I remove it. It's like being caught between a rock and a hard place: Not removing the weeks-old polish means walking around with chipped, jagged colors, but wiping them off with polish remover always dries out my nails so badly that they end up looking more like wood chips.

I'm sure I'm not the only one—excessive exposure to acetone, which is common in nail polish removers, can result in dehydration, leading to fragile, brittle, peeling, split, or broken nails. That's why it's important to pamper your nails with moisturizing treatments formulated with natural ingredients, such as Dermelect's Rejuvenail Fortifying Nail and Cuticle Treatment. It's a shopper-favorite, with some saying it "saved" their cuticles and nails.

To buy: $18; dermelect.com.

To strengthen your nails, the Rejuvenail treatment uses a combination of keratin protein peptides (nails are made of keratin, after all), hydrating hyaluronic acid, skin-smoothing shea butter, antioxidant-rich green tea extract, and vitamins A, C, and E. It's also a "five-free" nail product that lacks the five main toxins commonly found in nail products, including formaldehyde, toluene, dibutyl phthalate, formaldehyde resin, and camphor.

Some call it "the best cream" they've ever used to keep cuticles soft; "I actually have nails again," wrote a reviewer. Another added that their nails were "peeling constantly" prior to using the Rejuvenail treatment, but in conjunction with Dermelect's Launchpad Nail Strengthener Base Coat and High Maintenance Instant Nail Thickener Top Coat, they've finally grown to look smooth.

The brand recommends using the treatment daily (or up to three or four times daily for damaged nails), and reviewers say it's easy to absorb without making a mess since it's a cream and not a cuticle oil. Even people with damaged nails and cuticles from powdered gel manicures rave about it, saying their hands looked much better just weeks after using it. "My nails are stronger and the ridges I've had for years are actually going away," one wrote.

Like putting on body cream after a hot, dry day, you'll want to slather on Dermelect's treatment the next time your nails look a little in need of a moisturizing boost. Grab the Rejuvenail Fortifying Nail and Cuticle Treatment now for $18.