Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Nail Strengthener

Ever since I went through chemotherapy, my very thin nails started to grow longer. I think it must have been the steroids. That was quite a while ago. However, even before I discovered I had cancer, I started taking Natural Wellbeing brand Hair Essential capsules for thinning hair. I take 2 capsules instead of the recommended 3 because I’m trying to be thrifty. I didn’t notice much difference in my hair, but I did in my nails, in as little as 2 weeks. After chemo, I still had those nails, so I started again and used Sally Hansen’s Hard as Nails hardener. I’m not sure if it does anything more than clear nail polish, but it’s a great price. Just know that the gentle pink hue doesn’t show up on the nails—it’s just for branding. I wish they’d make a blue version for what’s called an optical brightener, but I guess pink appeals to women.

In my experience, any polish with 3 coats is too much. It peels off almost in one piece. I tried 3 coats with this and had that peeling issue, so I stick to 2 coats. I type on a laptop keyboard, which is harder on nails than a regular keyboard. It’s more difficult to keep nails even at what’s called active length, but with the aforementioned supplement and this polish, I manage. I have to remove and reapply about every third night, though I think it would last four nights if I used a regular keyboard. I suffer from fatigue, so sometimes I just apply polish over chipped nails. Since it’s clear, it’s not that noticeable and doesn’t look tacky like colored polish would. Since it claims to be a hardener, I’ll use it as a base coat when I try for winter-themed nails, hopefully soon. I plan to use blue with pearl polish dots for show. That will be 3 coats, so I’ll see if all that effort is worth it. I hope it lasts 3-4 days.

My right index finger was ripped below the quick, and it’s just now growing out. This happened from using the laptop mousepad, as I have to do a digging action to right-click. Don’t get me started ranting about laptop mousepads… When finances allow, I plan to get the “Saviland 60g Nail Repair Kit for Broken Damaged Nails: 3 Mins Air Dry Quick & Easy Instant Broken Nail Repair Natural Clear & Pink.” I’m hoping to use that for torn nails. Amazon doesn’t seem to allow links, so that’s why I’m giving the detailed names of things so you can search for them. You can also buy empty tea bags, cut them, and use polish to apply them to support the torn nail, but that’s way too much work for me. I wanted to mention it in case someone hasn’t heard of it. I place things like that in my “save for later” area to remind me, as my mind is like a 3-ring circus at any given time.

If the polish gets thick in the bottle, add a few drops of acetone. You might want to buy some pipettes for that. I reuse them until they develop a hole.

I had another paragraph’s worth of information, but my ADHD made me forget it when I stopped to get tea.

Sally Hansens claim to fame was always “Hard As Nails”. However, I’m in the middle of the road on this item.
I decided about half a year ago to go ‘au naturel’ with my nails.. meaning off came the long dragon lady nails. For six months I basically let my nails breathe from tips, I just decided one day that enough was enough. The result was sort of weak nails, which I was well prepared for. No issues in growing my nails it’s when they grew to just the fingertip several nails would start splitting – not the full length of the nailbed but enough to wonder why this was continuing to happen after having nothing on my nails for half a year. So I decided to give this hardener a try before my second option of builder gel. I’ve been using this for almost 3 weeks now and haven’t really noticed a significant difference. Is it helping at all? Perhaps a wee bit but nothing astonishing. I will continue to use this product as a base coat without any expectations as far as repair or hardening.
It does require longer than average drying time and remains tacky for awhile before fully dry. The package stated it was a rosy colored hardener, however it goes on perfectly clear and is perfectly clear. On to the next…

This has been a staple nail polish in my family for ages. It’s wonderful for anybody who has brittle nails or works with their hands. Helps to keep your nails protected.

It’s Sally Hansen. But it’s not a pink clear. It’s a clear clear. Oh well.