The Best Healthy Nail Treatments

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I don't know about you, but my nails and cuticles, which grow and look just fine in warm weather, simply don't play nice with winter. Since it's still cold in in most of the country, we thought now would be the perfect time to round up the best healthy nail treatments for your not-at-their-best nails that may have been weak and brittle all winter.

At various price points, these products will soothe, soften, and smooth your cuticles while they strengthen and nourish your nails.

Which are your favorite nail products, readers? Are there any polishes you like that do double duty?

We've talked a lot about nails over the years, including the best nail polish colors for interviews, how to look polished with naked nails, the most generally acceptable nail length and shape for conservative offices, and what colors are appropriate for conservative offices. Inspired by a conversation with a partner at her firm, Kat's also rounded up what to look for in a nail salon near your office.

The Best Healthy Nail Treatments

CND SolarOil Nail & Cuticle Care

My skin gets really dry in the winter, which means my cuticles also get dry and unsightly, and my nails become weak and break all the time — including when they're not even long (grrr). Over the years, I've used this product several times with significant success.

When I apply it several times a week (not even every day, as you're supposed to, oops), my nails always gradually grow stronger, thanks to the jojoba oil and vitamin E. This nail oil is available at Target for $13.99 (btw, it lasts quite a while) and also at Amazon.

OPI Nail Envy Original Nail Strengthener

OPI's Nail Envy is a longtime favorite of Kat's, especially because it dries quickly enough that you don't have to wait around to use your hands again. She notes that it lasts only about a week without a base or top coat but is a quick and easy option between manicures.

And besides adding color, it's strengthening your nails all the while. Nail Envy is available at Ulta for $19.95 and also at Amazon, where you can find it in nine colors, including the super popular and pretty pale pink, Bubble Bath.

Sally Hansen Cuticle Massage CREAM

Sometimes regular hand moisturizer just doesn't cut it with dry cuticles, so this cuticle massage cream from old standby Sally Hansen (now an 80-year-old company!) fills in the gaps (literally?).

If you have rough cuticles and often get pesky hangnails, the apricot oil in this rich cream will soften and soothe them. It absorbs quickly, too. The brand recommends you use it daily — either on bare nails or when wearing nail color. The cream is available at Walmart for $6.24 and also at Amazon, plus at local drugstores.

Lush Lemony Flutter CUTICLE BUTTER

Lush is much more than just a smorgasbord of bath bombs (which was my own impression of the brand for a long time), as this cuticle butter can attest. Made in Canada, this cruelty-free product not only moisturizes dry cuticles but nourishes your nails with ingredients like shea butter, beeswax, and several natural oils.

Use it on dry heels, elbows, knees, and other spots, too. Note that most reviewers enjoy the citrus scent, but if you're not a big fan of lemon, maybe give this one a pass. The cuticle butter is $6.50 for the mini size and $22 for the regular size at Lush.

Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream

Here's another lemony option for about the same price — and likewise, with safe, natural ingredients — but from Burt's Bees. This cuticle cream softens dry, brittle nails and moisturizes cuticles, which it owes to ingredients like vitamin E, sunflower oil, sweet almond oil, and others — without phthalates, parabens, petrolatum, or SLS. Most reviewers like its “hint” of lemon scent.

The product is available at Target for $5.99 as well as Amazon, while the Burt's Bees site has two sizes available.

Deborah Lippmann The Cure Ultra Nourishing Cuticle Repair Cream

This is one of Kat's favorites! As she notes:

This cream is pricey ($25!) but really luxe and rich. Compared to the Burt's Bees lemon cream (which I've also used and liked over the years) this one is muuuuch more like a lotion, whereas the Burt's Bees one can feel very waxy. (I think I've even had lotions that were thicker than this – an old Neutrogena one comes to mind, as well as one of the Weleda hand creams.) Still, it works really well, and has no scent or sticky residue — I just rub the cuticle cream into my cuticles before bed.

The cream is $25, available Amazon and other retailers.

Dior Vernis Crème Abricot

On the more upscale side is Dior's bestselling nail strengthener, Vernis Crème Abricot (which means apricot cream varnish/polish). Fortunately, though, you only need to use a pea-sized amount each night.

An oldie-but-goodie, it's been around since 1963! Not only is the cream color inspired by apricots, but the product contains apricot oil as well as seaweed extract and lanolin to strengthen and nourish nails. It promises to act quickly, too. The nail cream is available at Nordstrom for $32.

Do tell, readers: What have you found to be the best healthy nail treatments? Which ones don't seem to do very much? Do your nails not do well in cold, dry weather?

Psst: Our Longtime Favorite Your-Nails-But-Better Polishes