A while back I confessed that I stopped using nail strengtheners after reading on the Beauty Brains that strengthener contains chemicals that can actually be counter-productive to having strong, healthy nails. The people over at Nail Tek read my article and contacted me about a new product they developed. The offending chemical in normal strengthener is formaldehyde, which according to the Beauty Brains, combines with keratin protein in nails and can actually cause them to be more brittle and, therefore, more prone to breakage.

Nail Tek created a big 3 free strengthener and replaced formaldehyde with naturally occurring aldehyde extracted from citrus. The normal Nail Tek line, for people who use strengtheners, is already the most popular treatment on the market. So, I decided, why not, I’ll give Citra a whirl. Nail Tek tiers their products to specially target whatever nail issues one is encountering. The Citra line is divided into three products. Nail Tek Citra I is for protecting nails that are already strong and healthy. Nail Tek Citra II is for peeling, soft, or thin nails. It’s supposed to seal the peeling layers and reinforce the nail. And finally, Nail Tek Citra III is for dry brittle nails. This formula is supposed to help condition nails and replenish moisture which helps nails resist stress. Most girls use Nail Tek products as their base coat or under another base coat.

My nails are already strong so I’ll be using Nail Tek Citra I on my right hand, which is more prone to breaks than my left hand, for the next two months. My left hand will act as the control group, I’ll continue using my regular regime for result comparison. My Mother, who has chronic soft peeling nails will be using Nail Tek Citra II. I’ll have to call her everyday to remind her though. This experiment was supposed to start last month and when I called my Mother for results today, she said, “Huh, what? What product?” D’oh.

I know many of you use the normal Nail Tek line religiously, but have any of you tried Citra? I’d be interested to know your observations.