I had heard great things about this system and since I had removed my acrylic nails about a month ago, I was looking for something to heal my nails and make them strong and healthy while they were growing out new healthy nail. So I decided to give this a try! I ordered mine off of
amazon.com for about half the price it sells for on it's website.
Here is what the package looks like:
Now first off, in some of the reviews people had mentioned feeling intense burning in their nails and fingers almost immediately after applying this. Some said it did wonders for their nails and they've used it for years with no adverse side effects. I've never experienced any issues with a nail polish before so I thought I would be fine.
WHAT IT CLAIMS:
Rejuvacote the nail doctor will heal and cure your split, cracked and acrylic eaten nails. In a matter of weeks you will enjoy the look and feel of strong, vital, natural nails.
"FROM DYING NAILS TO NAILS TO DIE FOR"
DIRECTIONS:
Begin with clean dry nails. Apply one coat of Rejuvacote as base coat. Apply nail color if desired. Apply Rejuvacote as top coat, daily. After 7 days, remove with polish remover. As your nails improve, apply every other day or as needed.
INGREDIENTS:
ethyl acetate, butyl acetate, nitrocellulose, tosylamide/formaldehyde resin, isopropyl alcohol, n-butyl alcohol, trimethyl pentanyl diisobutyrate, camphor, ci 15850 (red 6 lake), hydrolized wheat protein, hydrolyzed soy protein, hydrolyzed keratin protein, calcium pantothenate.
The bottle:
Here is my experience. I prepped my nails with my normal routine and they were clean of any polishes, creams, cuticle remover, etc. I started to apply the Rejuvacote and before i was even done with both hands the sensation started, but I continued and finished both hands with two coats. But within minutes all my nails and fingers were on FIRE!!! People were not lying about the burning. The best way i can explain it is if you've had acrylics done and they drill too much, it's the same burning sensation but times 10 fingers! After the polish had dried I applied olive oil and my Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream and the burning stopped after about 20 minutes.
Then it came to Day 2. Each day you have to apply a new coat. I thought foolishly that maybe it would just burn the first time. NOT THE CASE! When i did my coat for day 2 the same burning all over again! And then all of day 3 my nails and fingertips were so sensitive! Like I had just ripped off acrylic and my nails were mush! And I ended up getting TWO breaks that day! So when it came to doing my coat that night I couldn't bring myself to do it. I wanted so badly for this to work!
Some of the things that I've read said it could be due to being allergic to one or more of the ingredients but I've never experienced something like that from any nail polish before. Some people also said it could be that my nails were just too weak, thin and sensitive but that doesn't make sense to me because it claims to be for "acrylic eaten nails" and my nails really aren't THAT damaged. So sad to say this was a doozy for me :(
BIG THUMBS DOWN!!
**UPDATE** After about 6 weeks of not having acrylic I decided to try this again. At this point I did not experience any of the burning and was able to wear it from then on without any burning. If you are able to wear this, it really does work as a nail growth product. My nails did grow quite fast. But another defect I found with this since being able to wear it was that it chipped horribly. Within 24 hours. It was impossible to wear this continually for 7 days. The most I ever wore it was up to 4 days but that was with painting right over the chips. Or I would basically put it on, take it off, put it on, take it off, and it did still work to help my nails grow but there was no way it lasts 7 whole days with no chips or peeling.
So in all, I personally would not buy this again. It does work but not for all that hassle. I much prefer OPI - Nail Envy. That is my MUST HAVE product.
xo, Colleen
Instagram: @lusterlacquer
ManiDiaries: @LusterLacquer
