Why do nails turn yellow? How to whiten them with varnish and pencil. Is it possible to whiten nails with lemon, soda, hydrogen peroxide. 10 effective ways to whiten nails.
Sometimes it happens that a woman once again removes her polish and discovers that her nails have turned yellow. Frustration, and that’s all! After all, hands are a person’s calling card; they are always visible.
And if the fair sex has the option to create some breathtaking nail design, thereby disguising them, for men yellowness means inevitable discomfort and embarrassment. Therefore, it is recommended to resort to one of the methods of whitening nail plates at home.
How and with what to whiten fingernails and toenails at home quickly?
The condition of the nails (their color, strength, smoothness, elasticity, etc.) reflects:
- human health status
- his habits
If the nails turn yellow, you need to look for an internal or external reason.
So, the color could be ruined by:
- nail polishes
- household chemicals
- plants and herbs (nails can have a terrible color after their owner has worked hard in the garden, pulling out weeds, for example)
- Sun
- salty water
In one of these cases, in order to restore the color of your marigolds, you need to train yourself to do housework, in the country, in the garden, and only come into contact with chemicals while wearing gloves. There is nothing to say about the fact that you need to buy only high-quality, dermatologist-tested cosmetics.
Nails turn yellow from exposure to negative external factors and health problems.
Often the cause of yellowing of the nail plates lies in a serious problem within the body. Or it becomes a consequence of a person having bad habits.
- Yellow nails are a reason to pay attention to the health of the liver, kidneys, intestines and lungs
- The color of the nail plates also changes with diabetes
- Marigolds suffer during vitamin deficiency, when the body lacks many useful substances, in particular zinc and iron.
- A change in nail color from natural whitish to yellow and even brown is a symptom of onychomycosis (nail fungus)
- The color of the nail plates is affected by taking antibiotics and some other medications
- If a person smokes or drinks coffee in large quantities, he may need to bleach his nails
IMPORTANT: If the change in nail color has a deep internal reason, any method of whitening them will be temporary. It is recommended to go to a medical facility, be thoroughly examined and treated if health problems are identified. And quitting smoking will have a beneficial effect not only on the nail plates, but also on health and quality of life in general.
Yellow nails are a symptom of onychomycosis.
Important points to get rid of yellow nails
You must understand that if the nail plate has changed color due to some internal reason, then even if you whiten the nail in some way, it will most likely only be for a while.
It is best to go to a clinic where you can undergo a full examination of the body and, if any health problems are identified, get rid of them as soon as possible.
If you smoke, then just try to either reduce the number of cigarettes per day, or completely give up this bad habit, since smoking has a negative impact not only on the color of nails, but also on the overall quality of life and human health.
Whitening nail pencil: how to use?
In cosmetics stores you can find two types of whitening nail pencils:
- restorative
- for French manicure
Obviously, the first is intended for caring for nail plates, and the second is for creating nail designs.
Nail whitening pencil.
IMPORTANT: Pencils for whitening and restoring nails are made from white cosmetic clay or purified medical chalk. They have a beneficial effect on both the appearance and condition of the horny plates on the fingertips
The product is used in this way:
- There should be no coating on your nails
- Hands must be washed with soap and dried
- If hand cream was used, it should dry well
- The nail pencil should be pointed
- The point of a pencil is moistened in water
- They pass it along the free tip of the nail from the inside (not along the nail, but under it!)
- If the product gets on the skin, it is removed with a cotton swab dipped in plain water.
IMPORTANT: The pencil produces a whitening effect before the first contact with water. Plus, when washed off, it gets your hands dirty.
Causes of nail problems requiring whitening
| Excessive use of varnish or paint | Chemical compounds gradually start to eat away at your nail and it becomes weak and changes its natural color. Therefore, be careful, try to use less low-quality varnish. |
| Injuries of varying severity | Let's say a heavy object falls on your finger. The nail immediately changes its color to dark blue, then it simply falls off and a new one grows. While the natural renewal process takes place, the diseased nail will spoil your appearance. |
| Unbalanced and unhealthy diet | A lack of essential vitamins, namely Calcium, vitamin C, D and other beneficial minerals, will certainly affect the healthy condition of the nails. |
| Presence of infectious diseases | Infectious diseases have a detrimental effect on the entire body and the condition of the nails |
| Diseases that inhibit the normal function of the immune system | They provoke degenerative changes in the internal structure of the nail, the main part of the vitamin goes to fight the disease - the body tries to survive. |
| Bad habits, particularly smoking | They cause colossal damage to the body's protective functions. Daily consumption of alcoholic beverages causes the loss of essential nutrients and minerals. Beer removes calcium and other vitamins and, as a result, the body is left without the necessary substances and its basic functions are disrupted (nails begin to change color, health worsens). |
| Hereditary diseases | Hereditary diseases, namely severe genetic diseases , are the first causative agents of nail problems. |
| Dermatitis of varying degrees | This is a disease that affects the skin and nails . Occurs due to various bacteria, physical effects (temperature changes, oversaturation of solar radiation) or internal malfunctions ( disruption of the gastrointestinal tract (metabolic problems), diseases of the endocrine system. The immune system is suppressed and dermatitis bacteria infect healthy skin, nails (nail plates change their color, spots appear). |
| Psoriasis | Affects skin, joints and nails . The disease is associated with a strong inflammatory process. The nails change their healthy color (turn yellow) and then fall off. A disease that is difficult to treat. Take vitamin D3, it can strengthen your immune system and stop the spread of the disease. |
| Eczema | This acute or chronic inflammatory skin disease with the formation of rash, burning, itching. Relapses are possible. Eczema affects a nail, and sometimes several nails at the same time.. The causative agent is contact with an allergen, sudden temperature changes, stress. Symptoms – the nail ridges turn red and swelling forms . At the stage of exacerbation, bubbles begin to appear around the nail, the matrix of the leg is gradually destroyed due to allergic reactions and the accumulation of inflammation. |
| Diseases of the heart , central nervous system, thyroid system | Problems with the cardiovascular system caused by excessive accumulation of bad cholesterol weaken the heart - its performance decreases, it cannot pump a large volume of blood, toxins accumulate in the body (because the heart cannot remove them) and various diseases appear. Constant stress negatively affects the performance of the central nervous system and provokes the occurrence of diseases. Less stress, fatty foods, more active and healthy lifestyle, balanced nutrition. |
Whitening nail polish: how to use?
Whitening varnishes are produced by almost all brands that produce manicure products. They are not difficult to find, and the price range is wide. But are such varnishes really effective?
Whitening varnish.
Manufacturers claim that the use of this product produces not only a decorative, but also a restorative effect, since it contains oils, vitamins, mineral complexes, and other beneficial substances. In addition to whitening varnish:
- straightens the nail plate
- strengthens it
- adds elasticity and prevents fragility
IMPORTANT: To achieve the desired effect, it is not enough to apply the whitening varnish just once. It is necessary to “treat” it with a course of 10 days
- For the first time, the product is used on nails after a hygienic manicure.
- Apply varnish in two layers
- The product must be evenly distributed over the nail plate.
- Its drying time is 5-7 minutes
- The next day the procedure is repeated
IMPORTANT: It is not necessary to remove the medicated bleaching varnish each time before applying it again. New layers are superimposed on the previous ones day by day
Quick removal of yellowness
All the methods described above are mostly suitable for long-term use; they do not instantly lighten the nail plate. Below you can learn how to whiten your nails at home quickly.
Lemon
The citrus fruit is ideal for quickly cleansing the nail plate. It can be used not only to get rid of yellowness, but also to cleanse nails after gardening. For this method you will need a whole lemon. It should be cut in half, digging your nails into each half. Soak your nails in lemon pulp for ten minutes.
Berries
Many berries contain acid that can whiten the nail plate. Strawberries are best; you can take gooseberries or blackcurrants. The berries should be crushed into a mushy mass, then add 25 grams of soda; if the mass turns out to be very thick, you can increase the amount of powder. After applying the resulting mask to the nail, keep it until completely dry, then rinse with running water and repeat the procedure.
For quick whitening, freshly squeezed tomato, lime or cranberry juice is suitable. Natural juices not only whiten nails, but also nourish the skin of the hands with vitamins.
Toothpaste
To get rid of yellow nails, any toothpaste is great. The paste should be applied to a toothbrush, moistened with water and thoroughly brushed on both sides of each nail.
Hydrogen peroxide
To create the mixture, you need to mix peroxide and soda in a 1:2 ratio. Apply the resulting mixture to each nail, walk for three minutes, then wash your hands well. The mask can be applied no more than once every seven days.
Whitening ointment
It is necessary to mix lemon juice with the oil that is available in equal proportions. Next, using a cotton pad, gently rub the liquid into each nail. You can wear a mask for an unlimited time.
Baby soap
To clean your nails, you need to take baby soap, you can use something else. Place a bar of soap in water, preferably warm, and let it sit for a few minutes until the top layer is soaked. Then scrape the piece with your nails so that the soap particles go deep under the nail. Walk for a few minutes, then remove the residue using a pointed object. The soap lightens and removes difficult-to-remove black streaks under the nails.
Bleach
Oddly enough, but ordinary laundry bleach, which does not contain chlorine, will help give your nails a natural light color. You should add water to it before use. It is advisable to use the same amount of water as bleach. After mixing, the solution should be applied to each nail, after ten minutes, wash off the remaining bleach.
Whitening bath for nails
Baths effectively whiten nails using three recipes:
- Salt bath. Pour 250 ml of warm water into a manicure bowl and dilute 1 tbsp in it. spoon of sea salt. You can also use regular food. It is strictly forbidden to drip iodine into it, otherwise the bath will give the opposite result. Add 0.5 lemon juice or 1 tbsp to the bath. a spoonful of apple cider vinegar. The fingertips are dipped in the bath for a quarter of an hour.
- Lemon bath. Make a nutrient-whitening mixture for marigolds: combine 2 tbsp. spoons of olive oil, 2 tbsp. spoons of honey, juice of 1 lemon, 3 drops of lemon essential oil and 3 drops of grapefruit essential oil. Keep your fingers immersed in the mixture for 15-20 minutes
- Bath with chamomile. 1 tbsp. A spoonful of plant flowers is poured with 200 ml of boiling water and steamed for an hour in a thermos. Allow to cool to a tolerable temperature and immerse the marigold in the solution for 15 minutes.
Bath with lemon juice for whitening nail plates.
Traditional methods
In addition to store-bought and pharmacy products, simple home remedies are used to whiten nails. This is a budget-friendly and affordable option for everyone to deal with the problem of ugly color. Not all of them give effect after the first time, but with regular use they help to significantly improve the appearance of your nails.
Soap
In simple cases, you can lighten your nails using a hot soapy bath. To prepare it, you will need baby soap. The bar of soap should also be placed in water. When it softens a little, you need to scratch it with your nails. Then clean your nails with a brush.
Paste of salt, soda and olive oil
Ingredients: Olive oil – 2 tbsp. l. Salt – 1 tsp. Soda – 1 tsp.
Application: Mix the indicated components to a paste consistency. Apply the resulting composition evenly to the nails and leave for 15 minutes. Wash your hands thoroughly under running water using a brush. If necessary, this method can be used daily.
Lemon
Whitening your nails with lemon is very easy. You need to cut the fruit into two parts and immerse your fingertips there for 15 minutes. Then, without washing off the juice, do a light massage and rub it into your nails for 30 seconds. The procedure can be repeated daily until the desired result is achieved.
You can prepare a bath with lemon juice. For 200 ml of warm water you will need 50 ml of freshly squeezed juice. The duration of this hand bath is 10 minutes. It is also effective to simply soak a cotton pad in lemon juice and wipe each nail with it one at a time.
Lemon juice dries out the skin, so after contact with it, your hands should be treated with moisturizer. For increased brittleness of nails, add vegetable oil to lemon juice.
Vinegar
The acid contained in table or apple cider vinegar can destroy pigments that give unnatural color to nails. This product helps get rid of yellowing of nails and darkening of the skin of hands after working in the kitchen with beets, berries and other coloring products.
The product should be used in the form of a bath, which is prepared from 1 tbsp. l. vinegar and 250 ml water. Leave your hands in the prepared mixture for 10 minutes, then wash them with running water and apply the cream.
Potato mask
Potatoes are a natural and absolutely safe clarifier. It is often included in brightening face masks. It also helps in whitening nails. The vegetable must be peeled and grated on a fine grater. Place the resulting slurry in a bowl and dip your fingertips in there for 20-30 minutes.
Cucumber and aloe remedy
Ingredients: Cucumber – 1 pc. Fresh aloe leaf – 1 pc.
Application: Peel the cucumber and grate it on a fine grater. Grind fresh aloe leaf in a blender. Mix the prepared gruel in a bowl and put your hands in it for 30 minutes. Then rinse them with warm water. This product does not cause allergies, has a healing effect and accelerates skin regeneration.
Salt baths
Salt baths are good for cleaning the skin of your hands and nails. To prepare them, use regular table or sea salt. Proportion – 2 tsp. per glass of warm water. This bath should be performed for 15 minutes twice a week. If desired, you can add a couple of drops of essential oil to improve the aroma and beneficial properties.
How to whiten nails with toothpaste?
This method can be called extreme. Dentists warn that aggressive, abrasive whitening toothpaste can destroy tooth enamel, which is the hardest tissue in the human body. What can we say about marigolds?
However, some people practice this method of whitening:
- apply a thin layer of paste to the nail plates
- wash it with a soft brush
- keep on nails for 3-5 minutes
- wash off with water
Whitening toothpaste will return your nails to a beautiful color.
IMPORTANT: This method is effective in removing coloring pigment or dirt from the nails, but does not eliminate the internal cause of their yellowing.
Yellow nails: what to do?
An easy and pleasant procedure will strengthen your nails and whiten them
A visit to a nail salon and applying gel polish will mask the flaw, but will not get rid of it. Yellow nails are a signal. It is sent by the body, reporting that not everything is okay with it.
Before you begin cosmetic manipulations, it is necessary to rule out internal problems. To do this, it is best to consult a therapist or dermatologist.
The doctor will prescribe an examination and give directions for tests. After the cause has been eliminated, you can begin whitening with cosmetics or improvised means. If the yellow tint is caused not by a disease, but by other factors, then an integrated approach will help correct the situation:
- balanced diet,
- replenishment of vitamin and mineral deficiencies,
- maintaining personal hygiene,
- proper hand care,
- health procedures.
If nail polish turns yellow, what should you do?
Low-quality cosmetics, cheap or too bright composition with aggressive pigments - all this penetrates into the tissues and changes their natural structure.
You can remove the yellow tint and restore its original beauty using simple means. They can be found in any kitchen: lemon, soda, salt or fresh fruit. Even frozen berries or herbal tea will work. Baths and compresses are prepared from them. After the first use, results will be noticeable.
To prevent your nails from turning yellow, coat the surface with a base coat before applying polish to protect against harmful substances.
How to whiten nails with citric acid?
With the help of citric acid you can cope with the problem of dullness and yellowness of nails. Here are two effective ways:
- A whitening bath for shiny nails is made in this way: 1 teaspoon of lemon acid crystals is dissolved in 250 ml of warm water. Duration of the procedure – 15 minutes
- The mask and bath are prepared separately. The mask is made from a mixture of 1 tbsp. spoons of hydrogen peroxide and 1 teaspoon of citric acid. It is applied to the nails with a washcloth and worn for 5 minutes. After removing the remnants of the mask, hands are immersed in a bath with 250 ml of water, in which another 1 teaspoon of citric acid is diluted. After a quarter of an hour, polish the nails with a nail file.
Citric acid is an excellent remedy for whitening nail plates.
IMPORTANT: After using citric acid, you need to use a nourishing cream for hands and nails
Bath for strengthening and whitening the nail plate
If you want to know how to whiten your toenails, you’ve probably already paid attention to various articles on the Internet about how an excellent remedy for whitening nails is a bath with the addition of water and citric acid.
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If you have sea salt at home, it can also be an excellent auxiliary component.
The recipe is quite simple: you need to mix the ingredients together and then put your hands in the liquid for 10-15 minutes. After you complete the procedure, do not forget to apply moisturizer to your feet/hands.
How to whiten nails with baking soda?
In order to return the whiteness of the nails, prepare a solution of soda. Attention, soda is abrasive, so you shouldn’t get carried away with it.
- Mix 1 tbsp. a spoonful of perhydrol and 2.5 tbsp. spoons of soda
- Apply the solution to your nails with a soft toothbrush or dip your fingers into the solution.
- After 10 minutes, rinse your hands with chamomile decoction
Make your nails white using baking soda.
IMPORTANT: To enhance the effect, you can add 1 teaspoon of sea or kitchen soda to the mixture, as well as 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
How and with what to whiten fingernails and toenails from yellowness?
If yellowness appears on the nails of the hands and feet due to exposure to harmful external factors or lack of vitamins, almond oil helps.
IMPORTANT: Almond oil contains vitamin E, which is known to enhance beauty. Baths and masks with it will improve the condition of the skin of the hands, soften the cuticle, and prevent the formation of hangnails
Almond oil is a remedy for yellow nails.
- A mask that removes yellowness from nails is made from undiluted almond oil.
- Add to 2 tbsp. tablespoons carrier oil 5 drops lemon ether
- Soak cotton pads in the oil mixture and carefully wipe each nail with them.
- Wear plastic gloves or special pads on your hands.
- After 20 minutes, wash off the mask with acidified water.
Vinegar is a helper for brightening nails
If you are looking for a way to whiten your fingernails in the shortest possible time, then you can try doing this using apple cider vinegar.
It is important to know that under no circumstances should it be added to various mixtures if there are any wounds on the legs or arms.
How and with what to whiten nails after red polish?
To prevent red polish from spoiling the color of the nail plate, it is recommended to use a base coat before applying it, and after removing it, make an oil mask from:
- 2 tbsp. spoons of olive oil
- 3 drops lemon ether
- 2 drops bergamot ether
- 2 drops sandalwood oil
Tips for nail masks.
Cosmetical tools
Brigitte Bottier, Repairing Polish for Yellow Nails
A transparent varnish for masking yellowness, which applies as a thin film. Due to the presence of algae extract, calcium and vitamin E, it takes care of nails, normalizes air exchange and eliminates yellowness if it is not caused by internal reasons.
Essence, Whitening polish
The brightening effect is achieved by including natural lemon extract in the composition. Can be used as a base coat for cosmetic varnish, in this case it also acts as a product that protects the nail plate from pigmentation.
Frenchi Smart Enamel Nail Whitener
The active bleaching agent is lime extract. Contains a UV filter to prevent the penetration of ultraviolet rays. Apply in 2 layers as a stand-alone product and in 1 as a base for colored varnish.
Orly, Nail Whitener
Dissolve the bleach in water and then soak in the bath for 5 minutes. Contains citric acid and tea tree oil. After the bath, it is recommended to apply a base coat or clear varnish to prolong the effect of the drug.
