Revive Your Nails: Effective Ways to Remove Yellowing

If you are a lover of nail polish and can’t do without them even for a single day, you’ll know why this article has been written. I can barely stay for a day without my nail polish. And you’ll be surprised to know that it is the major reason for yellowing nails! Base coats do help, but staining is inevitable, especially with dark polishes. The stains take a real long time to reduce and it’s embarrassing to let anyone see your bare nails. So here’s the perfect solution to all your yellowing of nails.Homemade nail remedy! This is no miracle that’ll whiten your nails at one go. You need to do this once every two weeks for best results.

Why Do Nails Turn Yellow?

There are three possible reasons on why nails can turn yellow from polish:

1. The most likelyexplanation being, color reaction. Yes, ladies! Darker colored nail polishes, in particular, can stain your nails due to a chemical reaction between the colorant and the nail plate.
2.  It’s also possible if are keeping your polish on for too long. Which means formaldehyde (a common polish ingredient) is causing the problem.
3. While rare, nails that are very yellow could be due to nail fungus, psoriasis, or stains from smoking.

Getting rid of Yellow nails:

Let’s start with the home remedies for yellow nails:

This photo has been taken immediately after I’ve taken off nail polish. I’d skipped the base coat a month ago in a hurry and look what I’m left with.

For a perfect home remedy, mix together the juice of half a lemon, quarter teaspoon of baking soda and a squirt of Colgate or any white toothpaste. Pick a bit of this mixture on a baby toothbrush since it is softer and scrub each nail gently for a minute or two. Be careful not to hurt your cuticles or the skin around it. Leave this for 5 minutes and wash off with plain water. Check out the result. No yellow nails here!

Another trick to remove yellow stains is by using hair bleach. Yes, bleach! To apply, just dip a cotton swab in bleach and brush gently onto the nail. After seven to ten minutes max, rinse your nails with warm water and hand wash to make sure you get all the bleach out. Now remember the strong chemicals in bleach can make nails and skin become even dryer, so finish by moisturizing your fingers with a hand cream or cuticle oil.

You can see an almost 30-40 % improvement in the nail color. Like I said earlier, your nails are not going to magically turn white in a day. You need to do it about two times a month. This method dries your nails and the surrounding skin quite a bit since all three ingredients are acidic. So I recommend applying a base coat instantly and then massage your skin with almond oil or cream. You can even do this for your toenails. It’s an extra step, but totally worth your clean nails.

Bottom Line:

While color reaction can not be a problem for everyone, those of us (including me!) have to follow the above preventions, religiously. Take care of your nails by choosing the light and proper shade, wearing a protective base coat and removing polish regularly. Remember, even after all the precautions if the problem persists you may want to consult with your doctor.

So there you have it – some handy tips for nail discoloration. Let us know if you have any suggestions. We value your feedback.

Bonus: Here is a simple Android Nail Art App that will give you a huge collection of images for inspiration.