Sally Hansen has become a staple nail care brand in the UK, and the company's products can be found in almost any supermarket, beautician, high-street healthcare shop or chemist. From its range, Hard As Nails is the one product that I always keep returning to.

Sally Hansen Hard As Nail is a nail strengthener, to be applied to bare nails (free of nail polish) as a treatment to harden nails, helping avoid brittleness, flaking and splitting. The product can be bought for approximately £4/5 and one standard 13.3ml bottle will easily last for months. You will find the product in the nail polish/nail care accessories section (with other treatments, nail files, polish removers and false nails etc).

The product comes in a clear, standard polish-size glass bottle with a silver-grey lid and is available in the colours of clear (giving a glassy, non-coloured finish) and natural (giving a more pinkish, flesh tint). The secret behind Sally Hansen's product is that the strengthener is a nylon formula, enriched with silk proteins and it is this that gives nails a glossy, hard and chip-resistant surface that helps prevent splitting and breakage.

Hard As Nails is designed to be used underneath nail polish, either as a standalone nail varnish itself (with its attractive clear or natural tint) or underneath your chosen nail polish as a base coat. Apply the nail strengthener as you would any other nail polish, ensuring your nails are dry and varnish free being doing so. I find that two coats are sufficient to give a gorgeous, glassy sheen with a high shine. Once the product is dry, you will find that your nails are a lot stronger, the surface hard and resistant to chips and denting. The makers claim that Hard As Nails provides super strong and smooth coating that reinforces the nail surface, edge and tip and I completely agree - it does just that. Your nails will feel a lot stronger (and healthier for the lack of bending and breakage) and the strengthener also stays put while doing the washing up, in the bath/shower or just doing general work, ensuring no flaking or the dreaded hang-nails!

For anyone whose nails are pliable, prone to chipping, breaking or splitting - this one is for you. Reasonably priced and effective, although it will not get rid of the causes (try some Zinc and specially-formulated nail supplements) Sally Hansen Hard As Nails is a pretty handy and economic product that really does work!