How To Whiten Yellow Nails
During the drive back from church on Sunday, I happened to kick off my ballet flats and prop my feet up on the dashboard. When I noticed my YELLOW TOENAILS. It was nastalicious.
I’ll spare you any gross pictures of my feet, but it prompted me to jump on the internet when we got home, and hunt for a remedy.
I know the problem is my nail polish, but I thought I’d been so good this year, going for a couple weeks with the polish on, and a couple weeks off, so my nails could breathe in between. And I don’t even use dark shades, which are usually the cause of the problem.
Anyway, I found some sites which had helpful tricks on getting rid of the yellow, including Marie Claire’s Ask the Beauty Department. They recommend you bleach your nails with a solution of 1 tablespoon of 3% hydrogen peroxide mixed with 2-1/2 tablespoons of baking soda. You end up with a pastelike mixture that you dab onto your nails (including under the tips) with a cotton swab.
Or if you haven’t got time for that (and it does sound labor intensive and better suited for those with very patient dispositions), they recommend soaking your nails in denture cleaner for about five minutes.
Lemon is another way to go. Even better is lemon oil which will condition at the same time.
If you’re wondering how to avoid yellow claws in the first place, supposedly a base coat will help. I have been using one religiously, though I don’t think doing so has helped much. Either that, or my nails could have been in worse shape than they are now. (I shudder to think.)
And if all else fails? Wait four to six months for your nails to grow out. And say that at least you tried. Haha.
October 17th, 2006 at 7:43 am
This happens to me too, as I adore dark polish! But I just use one of those spongy-soft files and buff the top of my nails. I’m sure this isn’t the best thing for them, but it takes any discoloration right off
Next time, I’ll try lemons though.
October 17th, 2006 at 8:10 am
Thanks for the tip, Erika. Buffing is definitely another technique you can try. Just be careful to buff in one direction and lightly! Or else you run the risk of ruining your nails.
October 17th, 2006 at 10:30 am
Hmmm, I’ve heard it’s actually the acetones in nail polish removers that make the yellowing problem worse. Have you tried a non-acetone remover?
October 17th, 2006 at 2:55 pm
This piece from ElleGirl seems to think acetone is ok and, in fact, recommended:
http://www.ellegirl.com/article/article.do?articleId=2578
This website is in agreeance with you, though, about acetone (as well as dark polish) leading to yellow nails:
http://www.womenfitness.net/beauty/handfeet/what-to-do.htm
I guess neither is good, so if you can avoid or minimize the use of both, you’re good to go.
October 17th, 2006 at 5:35 pm
I find that a base coat usually works fine…but I think it is a combination of a lot of things.
May 19th, 2007 at 6:36 am
If your toenails are yellow because of toenail fungus, you can cure them simply and easily. Beware of Lamisil, it can damage your liver, and to fix toenails you have to take it for quite a while, thereby increasing your chances of damaging your liver.
I had a yellow toenail and cured it.
You can find out more here:
http://www.dangerimp.com/toe_fungus.php