Soften thick toenails while you sleep, so you can trim them yourself again
- 40% urea night cream, made for thick toenails
- 3 in 4 trimmed with ordinary clippers by week 4 in our 721-person photo trial
- Dab on, socks on, sleep. No soaking, no bending
- 180 days to decide, or every dollar back
Choose your jars
Most women start with 3 jars: 90 nights is how long the Hard Layer takes to soften all the way through.
What's in the jar
One 1.76 oz (50 ml) jar and a little spatula. A dab per nail each night, so one jar lasts about 30 nights.
Urea 40%, salicylic acid 0.5%, tea tree oil, vitamin E, shea butter, aloe vera. A cosmetic cream: nothing to swallow, nothing to rinse off.
How to use it
- Sit on the bed with your foot on a low stool.
- Dab it on each thick nail with the spatula. Keep it on the nail.
- Pull your socks on and go to sleep.
- When the clippers close without a squeeze, trim it.
- Hip or knee replacement? Sit in a chair; someone can dab it on for you in ten seconds.
How the guarantee works
Use it for up to 180 days. If your nails aren't easier to trim, email us and we refund every dollar, shipping included. Nothing to send back. One refund per customer.
Shipping and delivery
Ships in 1–2 business days with tracking, to any US address. Free shipping on every pack.Free shipping on 3 and 6 jars; 1 jar is $5.95. Buying for someone else? Add their address at checkout.
Why it works when clippers and pens didn't
A thick toenail is a thin strip of nail on top of years of packed, hard layers: the Hard Layer. That's what your clippers skid off.
Pens and drops sit on top. Clippers try to cut it dry. Urea at 40% draws water into those layers, so they cut like a normal nail again.1–3
| Hofwell | Bigger clippers | Pens & drops | Podiatrist trim | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Softens the Hard Layer | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
| Trim it yourself, at home | ✓ | Painful | ✕ | ✕ |
| Lasts between trims | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | 8 weeks |
| No soaking | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Money-back guarantee | 180 days | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
What 721 testers saw
Before we sold a single jar, 721 people photographed the same nail every night for 30 nights. Outside reviewers scored every photo blind.
Hofwell paid for the trial; outside reviewers scored every photo blind. The nail itself takes about a year to grow out.
What to expect, night by night
A dab on each thick nail, socks on, sleep. Ten seconds.
Run your thumb down the nail. The sharp ridge feels softer.
The first trim with ordinary clippers, the morning after a dab.
For most testers, trimming feels normal again. The nail looks flatter.
The new nail grows out. Keep it soft and trimmed, and it looks clearer as the thick, yellowed part is trimmed away.
Ten seconds a night
- Dab: sit on the bed, foot on a low stool, dab it on each thick nail with the spatula.
- Socks: pull your socks on. It stays on the nail, not the sheets.
- Sleep: it works for eight hours while you do.
- Trim: when the clippers close without squeezing, trim it yourself.
Can't reach your feet? Anyone can do the dab for you, and there's no blade involved until the nail is soft.
Is it right for you?
Made for
- Toenails so thick and hard that clippers skid off or won't close
- Nails you've had filed or drilled down, again and again
- Anyone who'd rather not bend or soak, or who can't reach easily
- Hip or knee replacement? Sit in a chair; someone can dab it on for you in ten seconds
- Buying for Mom or Dad: ship it straight to their door
See your doctor instead if
- The skin around the nail is red, broken, swollen or painful
- A nail is ingrown, bleeding or lifting
"It's not just me?"
312 ratings
Typical results: in our 721-person trial, 3 in 4 trimmed with ordinary clippers by week 4. Some took longer, and some didn't. Results vary.
"Last Sunday I cut them myself at the kitchen table."
"I was paying $95 every eight weeks since my podiatrist stopped taking my plan. My husband asked who did my feet."
"I could actually trim it without the usual battle."
"It had been thick and yellow for years, to the point where I couldn't cut it with normal clippers anymore. With Hofwell the thickness changed before anything else. It got softer and less solid, then I could actually trim it without the usual battle. I showed my husband because I was so surprised."
"I tried Kerasal for a year. This changed the thickness."
"The color got better with Kerasal. They were still like wood. With this, I wore sandals to my grandson's graduation."
"Took five weeks, not three. Worth it."
"Mine were very thick. Honestly nothing much at night 3. Week five the clippers went through. Be patient and don't skip nights."
"My granddaughter does the dab for me."
"After my knee replacement I couldn't reach. Three weeks in, the regular clippers went through."
"Sent it to my mom. She uses it."
"She won't let anyone near her feet with clippers, but she lets her aide do the cream at bedtime. Three weeks later I trimmed them with one hand."
Photos customers sent us.
180-day money-back guarantee · One payment, no subscription
The 180-day Trim Guarantee
Easier to trim, or your money back. Every pack has it, even 1 jar. That's six months to see it for yourself.
Why 180 days, not 30? A thick nail grows out slowly. In 30 days you'd only see the start. Most guarantees end before the cream has had time to work. Ours lasts long enough for you to trim the new nail yourself.
- Use it most nights, for up to 180 days.
- Not easier to trim? Send one email to support@hofwell.com.
- We refund every dollar, shipping included. Nothing to send back.
One refund per customer. Refund policy.
What's inside, and why
Full list: urea 40%, salicylic acid 0.5%, tea tree oil, vitamin E, shea butter, aloe vera. 1.76 oz (50 ml).
Is it safe for me? Plain answers.
- It goes on the nail, not the skin. Hofwell is a cosmetic cream with nothing to swallow. If some gets on the skin, wipe it off.
- Diabetes, numb feet, poor circulation, blood thinners (daily aspirin counts), or RA or immune medicine? Ask your doctor or podiatrist before you start, and bring them the one-page sheet. Keep it on the nail, off the skin, and keep your foot-care visits. Print the one-page sheet for them →
- Skip it on broken, red or infected skin. If skin stings or turns red, pause a few nights.
- What's in it: urea 40%, salicylic acid 0.5%, tea tree oil, vitamin E, shea butter, aloe vera. 1.76 oz (50 ml) jar.
Questions
Mine have been thick for years. Too far gone?
Old build-up is still build-up, and that's the part that softens. You have 180 days to find out.
Why do most people pick 3 jars?
1 jar is 30 nights. Most testers trimmed by week 4, but the Hard Layer keeps softening for about 90 nights. After that, a couple of nights a week keeps it soft.
I've used Kerasal or a nail pen. How is this different?
Those are thin liquids you brush on top. Hofwell is a thick 40% urea night cream for the thickness itself. As the thick part softens and you trim it away, the nail looks clearer too.
Why not buy a cheap urea cream?
You can. 40% urea sells for about $13, for heels, and it may soften a nail a bit. But those tubs are made and tested for heels, not toenails. Hofwell was photo-tested on 721 people's toenails, and it comes with 180 days to get your money back.
Will it help the yellow?
Much of the yellow look sits in the thick build-up. As it softens and you trim it away, most nails look clearer. The whole nail takes about a year to grow out. Results vary.
What if my doctor says it's an infection?
Hofwell is a cosmetic cream. It softens the thickness, whatever caused it, so you can trim it. It doesn't treat infections. For that, see your doctor.
Is it safe with diabetes or poor circulation?
It's a cosmetic cream, not a medicine. With diabetes, poor circulation or blood thinners, check with your doctor or podiatrist first. Not for broken skin.
Will 40% hurt my skin?
Keep it on the nail, not the skin. If skin stings or turns red, pause for a few nights. If a nail lifts or hurts, see your foot doctor.
Does it smell or stain the sheets?
It smells clean and faint. With socks on, it stays on the nail, not the sheets.
Do I have to use it forever?
Once the nail is soft, most people use it a couple of nights a week to keep trimming easy. If you stop, it slowly builds back up.
Can I send it to my mom?
Yes. Type her name and address under Delivery at checkout. Anyone can do the 10-second dab for her.
Mom won't let anyone touch her feet. Can she do it herself?
She can do it herself sitting down, or you can after she's in bed: ten seconds, socks on. No blades, no soaking. A cream is easier to accept than clippers.
Is this a subscription?
No. One payment. Nothing to cancel.
How fast does it ship?
It ships in 1–2 business days, with tracking. Most orders arrive in 7–12 business days.
Can I talk to a real person?
Yes. Email support@hofwell.com, Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm Eastern.
Lock in the Early Black Friday priceChoose your jars
After that it goes back up. 180 days to get every dollar back.
112 comments
References
1. Urea ointment in the nonsurgical avulsion of nail dystrophies: a reappraisal. PubMed ID 7379590.
2. DermNet: Medical nail avulsion (40% urea on thickened, dystrophic nails).
3. Urea 50% cream prescribing information: softening and eventual debridement of the nail plate (Drugs.com).
4. Hofwell 30-night photo trial: 913 started, 782 completed, 721 met the verification standard; blinded photo scoring.
