As a smoker I have been having a very hard time keeping my fingers free from unsightly, yellow nicotine stains. I frequently wash my hands but several factors contribute to my problem with nicotine stains. I do not often lay my cigarette in an ashtray, I generally hold onto it the entire time I am smoking it. Also I smoke non filtered hand rolled cigarettes on a regular basis as a way to keep my habit from causing me to go broke. Non filtered cigarettes are notorious for leaving nicotine stains on fingers.
I have tried everything I can think of to prevent and remove unsightly nicotine stains, including trying to quit smoking. In this guide I will share with readers the methods that I have tried and the results each method provided in an effort to help other smokers keep their fingers free from nicotine stains.
The first thing a person should do after smoking is wash their hands. This helps keep stains at a minimum and this simple act will also cover all of your sanitary bases. Hand washing is often not enough to keep your fingers free from stains but it is a helpful step.
I have tried using hand sanitizer gels to help with my nicotine stains. Hand sanitizing products are a good item to use on a regular basis but when I added this step to my after smoking routine I did not notice any results. I have tried using hand sanitizing gel when washing my hands is not an option and also before washing my hands, no results were noticeable to me after 2 weeks of trying this method.
You can soak your fingers in lemon juice or white wine vinegar to help with the issue of nicotine stains. After soaking in either liquid, scrub the stained area with a nail brush. The results are evident, you will see an improvement in the appearance of nicotine stains, but this is not the best method in my opinion. You can also try rubbing a small section of fresh lemon over the stained area for a few minutes. I have heard adding salt to the lemon is even more effective, but I have not tried that method personally. I soaked my fingers in lemon juice for 25 minutes and 20 minutes in white wine vinegar and could still see the nicotine stains after scrubbing. Granted they were not as bad, but they were still there.
The method I have had the best results with is affordable and effective and most women will already have both products needed for easy removal of nicotine stains. Fingernail polish remover will easily take fresh nicotine stains away. After my daily shower, while my skin is still wet, I follow up with a pumice stone, the stains are gone with very little effort! I use the pumice stone for a few seconds daily and you would never know I am a smoker!
I hope these ideas help other smokers get rid of embarrassing and unsightly nicotine stains from their fingers.
