Brittle nails are pretty darn common, girlie, but there are a few things you can do to toughen them up.

Moisturize!
When you’re constantly washing and drying your hands—during flu season, for example—your nails and hands have a tendency to get super dry. The fix is easy: Rub in a dollop of lotion whenever you hit the sink to counterbalance the scrubbing.

Blame your nail polish remover
Some nail polish removers, especially those with acetone, are incredibly damaging to your nails. To limit their harmful effect, minimize the amount of time the remover is actually on your hands. Take your polish off quickly and scrub your fingers thoroughly with soap and warm water. Then moisturize!

Snag a nail hardener
There are products designed specifically to strengthen your nails. Some, like Sally Hansen’s Diamond Strength Instant Nail Hardener, go on just like nail polish. Look for ones that don’t list formaldehyde or toluene as ingredients.