Sally Hansen Hard as Nails VS. L.A. Colors Hardener, Strengthener

Beautiful nails. Who doesn't want them, but how many actually have them? Short of a trip to a nail salon for a perfect set of sculptured nails, those kind of results can be difficult to achieve on your own.

If ever there were the perfect person to test the claims of two well known nail care rivals, it's me : The Queen of weak, brittle, splitting nails. As a Freelance Writer who's also into gardening in a very big way, my poor nails get the Double Whammy. Between the constant typing and digging in the dirt (yes, I do own gardening gloves, but there are some gardening chores that are better done without), it often seems that my nails are doomed to an ugly existence. But rather than resign myself to a future of sitting on my hands, I decided to conduct a little test between two well-known nail care products: Sally Hanson Hard as Nails and L.A. Colors Hardener Strengthener.

In this corner: Sally Hanson Hard as Nails

Sally Hanson Hard as Nails is one of those products that seems like it's been around forever. Even the shape of the bottle is easily and quickly recognized by most people, old and young alike. And usually when this is the case with a product, there's a very good reason why. Weighing in at a mere 0.45 fl. oz, this clear product's shape reminds me of the old Campho Phenique bottles. The directions suggest that you should apply 1-2 coats to your nails. In the interest of honesty, I have to admit that this is my product of choice and one that I've used for many, many years. At $2.99 per bottle, it's economical and a bottle lasts a long time.

Another plus: it's readily available in almost any nail care product aisle. What can I say about this product? I've been using it for longer than I can remember and it's always served me exceptionally well. It goes on fairly thickly and does take a bit longer to dry between coats. One thing I've always noticed is that it really does stop my nails from splitting and breaking. On the rare occasions when I've switched to something else, there's been a notable difference in the strength of my nails. Yes! There's really an over-the-counter nail care product out there that does exactly what it claims to do . I've tried some of the newer formulations as well like the Sally Hansen Triple Strength Formula in the green bottle- which is a little pricier, but this is the one I keep coming back to. What can I say? It fits my needs, does everything I want it to do, it's cheap and easy to find. What more could I possibly want?

In this Corner: L.A. Colors- Hardener, Strengthener.

Weighing in at a more substantial .50 fluid ounces, is this lightly blue tinted formula by L.A. Colors. It retails for $3.50 per bottle and can also be found in many nail care product aisles. When I went to apply this product I was rather surprised to find that there were were no application instructions printed anywhere on the bottle as far as I could see. So to keep a level playing field I decided to apply two coats of this product as well. When I applied this product to my nails, one of my first observations was how thin and runny the product seemed. It did dry a little more quickly but certainly didn't have the "substance" of Sally Hansen Hard as Nails. I also quickly came to the conclusion that next time I'd be well advised to apply the product in a more well- ventilated area. The fumes were overwhelming. After comparing these two products side by side, I'd have to say the results really didn't surprise me. With the L.A. Colors hardener, strengthener my nails didn't fare quite as well. I noticed the old familiar chipping and splitting and after a few days it seemed like the product had totally worn off which left me feeling like my nails were totally unprotected. I'm a firm believer in if it ain't broke don't fix it so I'll stick with what works best for me and that's Sally Hansen Hard as Nails. Give it a try. You won't be disappointed!.