Best (Finger)Nail Hardener?

I improved my nails by giving up grains entirely and eating more nutrient dense food like liver. They weren't soft and splitting, but they did have lots of waves and dents, and have slowly gotten better since wheat elimination.

I really like Sally Hansen's Miracle Growth Nail Hardener. http://www.amazon.com/Sally-Hansen-Nailgrowth-Miracle-Fluid/dp/B0046MGLC4

I'm going to assume you're a guy since women with soft nails will often just go to a salon and have them do an acrylic treatment on it (personally, I think they're gross, but that's besides the point).

My husband has the same problem; his fingernails are just very thin. Once we get into the dry season, they start to peel, and he's always biting them off as soon as they start to snag.

There's all sorts of things you can brush onto your nails, but one that I like is from a nail polish company called OPI (that's Oh-Pee-Eye, not "ohpee"). They have a line of nail care products called Nail Envy. They all look like white or beige nail polish (in nail polish bottles), and most of them are designed to be worn underneath or on top of nail color.

There IS one version of Nail Envy, however, that's designed for men. It's called "Matte Nail Envy," and as the name implies, it's a nail polish that dries into a matte, nonshiny coating. Now, my husband swears up and down it's shiny--it DOES give your nails a sheen, but I wouldn't call it a shine at all.

OPI is sold in most hair and nail salons as well as higher-end stores that sell cosmetics. If you have a store like Sally Beauty Products or ULTA in your neighborhood, they will have it in stock.

If you're embarrassed to walk into a beauty store, you can always write down the product name on a piece of paper, and go to the cashier right away and ask them to get it for you. The nail polish aisle will likely look pretty overwhelming for you. [another option is to simply buy them online]

To see what a bottle of Matte Nail Envy looks like, go to OPI.com and click Nail Care > Nail Envy Line. The Matte version is the one with the navy color lettering on the bottle.

If you try it, and you agree with my husband that the sheen is too much for you, my suggestion is that you use an extra fine nail sander to buff off the surface a bit.

Another thing you can do is keep some moisturizer on hand, especially when the weather is cold and dry. Just dab a little bit on your fingernail, then pat your finger down at each of your nail beds, and then just lightly rub back and forth. It will keep your nail area moist and less likely to chip and crack.

This stuff Nutrilite Complex for Hair Skin and Nails takes a little time to kick in, but it works like a charm.

I have a friend who swears that a supplement called biotin is working miracles on her nails. She says it is cheap and she gets it at Walmart or wherever. Might be worth a try. I haven't tried it yet myself.

I have a friend who swears that a supplement called biotin is working miracles on her nails. She says it is cheap and she gets it at Walmart or wherever. Might be worth a try. I haven't tried it yet myself.

Concentrace Trace Mineral Drops

Less than $0.02/day.

I've always heard that using Horse Hoof Cream as a hand cream strengthens your nails.

Vitamin D. I had soft and thin nails for a lifetime, and began supplementing vitamin D in the darker months for general health. In a very short time, my nails became sturdier and thicker. Years later, my nails remain much harder than they were before. I recommended this to dozens of people and many noticed a similar benefit.

Optimizing vitamin D has other health benefits. Of course, vitamin D supplementation is free in the months with more sunlight. A helpful resource for information is http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/. (It's a non-profit educational site.) I have no ties to the site or any of its sponsors. I am not a fistful of vitamins person, but checking vitamin D levels and supplementing if needed makes sense.