Scientifique Nail Hardener

As a lifelong nail chewer, I have never taken care of my hands and nails. Last year, I decided that it was time to grow them out. For a year, I would grow nails to just a hair past the nail bed and they would bend, peel or tear. Every. Single. Time. Even taking biotin didn't help with the level of hardness of my nails, they just grew faster so they could bend or tear quicker. I took a chance with Mavala Scientifique (after reading directions carefully and watching a couple of Youtube videos about how to apply it) and now, three weeks later, I finally have all ten nails at or past the ends of my fingertips without a single tear or peeling nail in that time. This is the first time in my 56 years that I have beautiful, strong, hard nails. I don't recognize my own hands. A word of caution: FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS! Do not get this stuff on your skin, cuticles, etc. because it will harden that area almost instantly. Do not overuse the product, either in volume or frequency. If you over apply in volume, the product can soak past your nails and into your nail bed and it will harden (you really don't want this to happen). If you use it more than twice a week, you will make your nails too hard and they have a real potential to shatter or snap right off. I have used this very sparingly twice a week and every time, I can feel the results immediately-- even the first time I applied it. Over these three weeks, my nails are at just about the perfect hardness and once my two damaged nails are done growing out, I will cut back to once a week, then once a month. This product is expensive, but you really need to use almost none of it and it will last for many years if you're using it properly. Most importantly: IT WORKS. If you struggle with soft, weak nails, Mavala Scientifique is an absolute miracle.

Very good product. I read all the reviews before purchasing. I decided to order because my nails would chip and break after reaching a certain length. It worked! My nails stopped breaking and grew past the point they normally did. I use it only once every 2 weeks and it does the job. My nails are normally brittle and kind of dry. They are also very thin. So in between using the Mavala, I use almond oil every day (at least once a day, twice would be better!) to keep them supple and flexible. If you keep doing this, your nails will grow and not split or chip. Believe me! Make sure you don't get the Mavala hardener on your skin or cuticle. So, yes, your nail has to have a little growth before you start using Mavala. If you adapt a nail care program like saturating and rubbing your nails and cuticle with oil everyday, your nails will begin to grow. When they get a little length, that's when you start using the Mavala nail hardener. Once every week or every two weeks. And here is where you'll notice the BIG difference. Your nail begin to grow, without chipping or splitting. They will look strong and healthy. And because you've been using almond (or whatever) oil faithfully, they will be flexible and supple; not hard and brittle. Also, use playtex gloves (or synthetic, if you're allergic to latex) when doing the dishes or any other household chores that require your hands to be in water and harsh detergents. If you want long nails, you have to work at it! No shortcuts.

I had acrylic nails for years & I switched over to sns since it was advertised as better for your nails & enriched with biotin & vitamin e. But still, after the years of abuse, they were so brittle and fragile. For weeks after i took them off, my nails were pealing into layers and breaking to the point that they would bleed and throb from constant pain. This stuff truly SAVED my nails. Im telling everyone that I know, my nails are naturally SO strong and healthy that I can finally paint them without it chipping and pealing off the next day from being so thin. GET THIS STUFF, IM TELLING YOU. I’ve had it for a few months now & use it regularly and the bottle is still filled to the top. It lasts forever, HIGHLY RECOMMEND EVERYONE. Just beware if you have any cuts on your cuticles, it may burn a little!

Its a small bottle but it should last a while as it is not like nail polish- it's water-based, so it gets absorbed into the nail quickly and dries clean. I like the small brush as it gives you more accuracy to apply it carefully only to nails. I tried the K+ first (as it doesnt have formaldehyde like the Original) but the K+ didnt work at all for me, despite even applying several coats at a time! The good thing with their Original formula is it works fast and hardens nails very well. The downside: It has formaldehyde, which is known to be toxic in bigger amounts, but if used carefully (keep far from face to avoid breathing the vapors, keep window/door open, avoid exposure to skin or anywhere else) I feel it is ok. As additional precaution I suggest applying a non-toxic top coat after 5 minutes of applying Mavala and once that's dried, washing hands with soap & water. I did 2 to 3 coats per nail of Mavala Original twice a week and that worked better for me. Im not sure if there is any exposure risk on your nails to the formaldehyde once it's absorbed on your nails (like scratching your skin, touching your mouth or nose, or eating chips with your fingers!). Therefore I feel safer always putting a non-toxic top coat after applying this.

One day I worke up and ripped off my acrylic nails eeeek! Then I searched YouTube for nail hardener and found this product. When I say that this stuff if Godsent, I'm not lying!!!! This is by far the best nail hardener ever!!!! I've been using this product for about 22 days consistently. My regimen consists of one coat of Mavala, then one coat of Nailtique Formula 1 and then a 3 in 1 Sally Hansen nail polish. I've been doing this routine every three days and my nails are rock hard, even after doing dishes. I've always had weak brittle nails and used acrylic at nail salons to keep my nails hard but I got tired of wasting money ($60 every two weeks, not including a pedicure). My nails are seriously in the best shape they've ever been in my entire life. Like other reviewers have mentioned this product will last a long time, I'm thinking a year, because after the first month or so you're only supposed to use it once a month or week I don't remember. Please do yourself a favor and try it I swear you won't regret it. *** One hand has my regimen and the other doesn't... And the white spots in my nails is from the acrylic damage***

Update 2018: It used to work for me, but it stopped doing much for my nails after a year. I'm keeping the previous review (although changing the stars to reflect my current position). It may still work for others, and I can't deny that it helped my nails for a while. What is now working for me in a truly much more amazing way is taking collagen powder every day. I didn't start taking it for my nails (but for other health benefits), but after 10 days of taking this powder (Whole Foods collagen), I've found, to my surprise, that my nails are long and strong. Wow! I hope, of course, that the collagen works on other parts of my body, as advertised. But I can certainly say it works for my nails. My nails haven't been this long and strong in 10 years. It's probably more effective to take something internally than to just paint something onto your nails. All I can say, is the collagen is much better. ---------------- It works! Earlier this year (6 months ago), as I was cleaning out my house to sell, packing things up, doing repairs to the house, etc., my nails were in horrible shape. They were constantly breaking, cracking, and not growing at all. Of course, I was treating them roughly -- mind you, I've never gone in for manicures and such, but I always had very strong nails and never had a probem with breaking nails. I knew I had to do something, once I had fininshed months of downsizing and moving. I tried the typical nail hardeners, but they were just like clear nail polish. Then I found this one, recommended by a YouTube channel favorite of mine. I have been using this several times a week now for 3 months. My nails have grown back and they are very strong and moderately long now. (I don't like really long nails because I'm an active person and don't want to be handicapped by long, fancy nails). What I like about this formula is that it is not polish -- it quickly dries and does not leave a coating that you can notice. IT WORKS! That's the truth. There's nothing like it. And since you only have to use it on the tips of your nails, this bottle will last me at least a year, if not longer. I've barely used any of it over the last 3 months, and it is a very small bottle. BUY it -- you will not regret it.

Think twice before you buy this product because it’s non refundable and very expensive for 0.16 ounces that will make your nails worse. I wanted to grow out my nails after spending hundreds at the nail salon. I was tired of the upkeep and the UV exposure. In the past I have tried everything, over the counter nail strengtheners, biotin pills, you name it so when I saw this product and the glowing reviews I was excited for something that would work. For two weeks I religiously applied it to the tips of my nails making sure not to have contact with cuticles. The reviews that say it burns/hurts are not lying. Every single time I put this on my nails they throbbed in pain for a good 30 min. I’m a woman and no stranger to pain for beauty but this product did nothing for me except worsen my nails. This product contains Formaldehyde which literally eats away layers of your nail. I had weak nails which bent to the touch but after this product I now have slits were the nail snags on everything and rips off. The pictures don’t lie. The thumb picture is the worst one, the brown on the edge is dried blood where it ate away my nail. Use this product at your own risk.

I am absolutely in love with this product! If you have ever had artificial nails done, then you know how weak and damaged it leaves your nails after having them removed. My nails were so short they were almost in the quick. I wanted nails but I just couldn't handle the damage that the artificial ones were causing.. so I decided to grow my own, but the problem is that my nails were just to weak.. So I bought this stuff after reading some reviews and I am pleased with the results! It does harden your nail tips almost instantly, not rock hard, but it does, and honestly it hardens them more with continued use. I applied it to my nail tips only, as instructed. I also used another product with it that I found for added strength. I applied the product as described, let it dry, then applied a base coat of "3-Minute Artificials" by Nail Aid that I purchased at Walmart, painted my tips, then applied a top coat of "3-Minute Artificials". I did this at least every 3 days and after only 2 weeks I have nails! I think it's definitely worth the money, but remember it takes dedication to get results and trust me you won't be disappointed! Also there has been no stinging or irritation as with some other products I've used, and the smell is pretty much that of any other nail polish except it absorbs pretty much instantly which is a plus! Hope this helps if so please let me know!