Did Your Nail Polish Stain Your Nails?

So you removed your fancy nail polish only to find your nails have turned a not so pretty shade of yellow. Now what? Don’t worry my friend; there is a way to help resolve the problem!

After you have removed your polish, grab yourself a lemon. Cut the lemon in half through the middle being sure your cut does not turn your lemon into wedges. Create a small hole in the center of the lemon so that you can insert your finger. Place your finger into the hole and wait for a few minutes. Be sure you do not have any cuts or nicks on your finger or this will hurt! Before you remove your nail from the center of the lemon, twist the lemon back and forth to put some friction onto the nail itself. The lemon has a natural lightening agent that works on your nails the same way it works to lighten hair and the twisting motion will help to break up some of the remaining staining.

Another method used to remove nail stains is as simple as utilizing your medicine cabinet’s hydrogen peroxide bottle. Pour a few spoonfuls of hydrogen peroxide into a small amount of water, any more than half a cup is too much and will dilute the peroxide. Then place your nails into the solution and wait a few minutes. If the stains seem to be a bit stubborn grab a cotton swab and place the peroxide directly onto your nail and lightly buff the nail.

If you are really concerned and need something a little stronger to do the trick, don’t resort to rubbing bleach on your nails. This is too harsh and can cause irritation to the skin surrounding the nail. Simply find yourself a denture tablet. Denture tablets were made to remove stains from dentures as well as to freshen breath. While the breath freshening ability will not help you on this occasion, the ability to remove stains will. Simply fill a small tumbler with enough water to cover your nails when your finger is inserted into the water. If you use more water, add another tablet. You want more of the cleaner than the water. Place your fingernails into the cup and wait for about 10 minutes. Once you are done, the stains should be lifted.

If for any reason you notice that the stains do not go away no matter what you do, or the stains are present on only a few nails and not all of them, head to your doctor. It is possible that the “nail staining” that you see is actually caused by a fungus in which case, you will need medication to resolve.

The next time you want to paint your nails, be sure to use a base-coat. Using a base-coat will not only extend the life of your manicure or pedicure, it will help prevent these ugly stains from occurring.