More often than not, some of our favorite buys are small, how-didn’t-I-know-about-this products that solve an everyday problem. That’s what we’re highlighting in our Little Lifesavers series: cheap, simple purchases that you’ll use on the daily. Hit “Add to Cart” and thank us later!
Problem: Having acrylics on my nails for 11 years was all fun and games … until I was forced to take them off because of the closed nail salons due to the pandemic. I was left with sensitive, fragile nails.
Solution: ella + mila Nail Strengthener First Aid Kiss took my nails from weak and short to strong and long in one month.
The longest relationship I have ever been in is the one with my nail salon. The owner knows it’s me the moment I say “hi” on the phone, and I would happily rearrange my schedule just to get an appointment on the day I want. What I’m trying to say is: I freaking love getting my regular manicures and pedicures.
While a trivial problem in the grand scheme of things, it was strange not getting my nails done during the COVID-19 pandemic. After taking what felt like a part of my body (after over a decade) off of my nails, I immediately starting Googling the “best nail strengthener.” Sadly, while acrylic nails look nice and stop your polish from chipping, they can thin your natural nails and leave them feeling brittle, which is why it’s recommended to give your nails a break from them every so often. I kept seeing positive reviews for the ella + mila Nail Strengthener, called First Aid Kiss, and I was hoping that it would help my newly sensitive nails and help build up their strength.
The directions detail a 4-week schedule to take your nails from short and weak to strong and long. After taking off any nail polish and making sure your nails are clean, you apply one coat of the First Aid Kiss. On day seven, remove the clear polish with a non-acetone remover and apply one new coat. Again, you remove the nail strengthener on the seventh day. For weeks three and four, you’ll be applying the ella + mila Nail Strengthener every other day, meaning you apply it on day one and take it off on the third day. Then, you’ll reapply on that day and start the process over again. Do that for 2 weeks and you’ve completed the schedule!
I’m not one to seek out a quick fix, and I hate to call First Aid Kiss that, but it really does work very well in a short amount of time. I followed the recommended schedule to a T and the results went above my expectations.
Not only did First Aid Kiss fix the damage from the powder, but it also helped my nails feel stronger each day. In fact, my nails started growing so fast that I had to file them a bit twice a week. If you prefer your claws to be long, then you wouldn’t want to pick up an emery board. But I like to keep mine short, and I first began getting acrylics for the sole reason of not having chipped polish anymore. However, if length is something you’re hoping to get out of the ella + mila Nail Strengthener, you’ll certainly get that.
Within the first week, my nails were much less sensitive and I didn’t feel like I would break a nail every time I went to pick something up. Believe it or not, I actually didn’t mind not having my acrylics on anymore. I just got used to it — but that’s not to say that I didn’t call up my nail salon the morning they reopened and got an appointment the second I was done with work for the day. What can I say? We’ve been in a relationship for too long to give up that easily.
Read More:
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Olive & June’s Giant Handle Makes Painting Your Nails a Breeze
Who Needs the Nail Salon When These Dip-Powder Nail Kits Exist?
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As the senior editor of social and social news, Caitlyn covers the tastiest, coolest, and strangest products for BestProducts.com, and she is the lead of social strategy for Popular Mechanics, Runner's World, and Bicycling Magazine; her work has also appeared in POPSUGAR, InStyle, Stylecaster, among others. In her free time (if there is such a thing), she’s probably watching reality TV, online shopping, or cuddling with her dog, Waffle. She is a Wawa-loving Jersey girl who went to Monmouth University for communication, journalism, and interactive media.
