The Secret To Perfect Nails Is In This Bottle

Photographed by Ryan Koopmans. I remember the day I started biting my nails as if it was yesterday. A self-conscious 11-year-old, I was about to compete in my neighborhood swim team’s 100-meter individual medley relay for the first time. While it seems silly now, back then, it felt like winning was life or death. But, rather than calm myself with a soothing mantra or a quick laugh, I tore into my nails with my teeth. And, it felt good. Little did I know, by the time I pulled myself out of the pool, I had cemented a habit I wouldn’t be able to shake for over a decade.



I tried everything to make myself stop: extreme mental focus; every treatment Sally Hansen, essie, and OPI made; that stinky stuff that makes your nails taste bad — even, in a moment of pure desperation, wrapping Band-Aids around my fingertips all day. But, nothing worked. To make matters even worse, my nails are naturally thin and brittle. Even during rare phases when I had almost broken the habit, a nail would peel, and I’d be back to pulling and chomping on them all over again.



Finally, I realized that for me to even have a fighting chance at quitting, I’d have to start by somehow making my nails stronger. Like, really, really strong — not that artificial layer of armor that so many nail treatments provide, only to vanish once removed.



I had all but given up on finding my manicure soul mate when, one day, I grabbed a bottle of Duri Rejuvacote. During a summer internship, I happened to spot this sitting on the counter, and I was struck by its plain Jane bottle and cheesy ‘80s packaging. I mean, I had tried a million formulas in a million gorgeous bottles with no luck. Maybe it was time to switch up my method and stop being so concerned about appearances.

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