Most people these days are appearance conscious and are keen on putting their best foot forward at all times. Good grooming plays a very big part in it, whether it be the first meeting or every subsequent one after. From your corporate and business life to your personal one, basic grooming is very important.
One of the first things you may notice when you greet an individual is their hands. Taking care of your skin is about regular moisturization, but what about your nails? Are they unkempt, broken, or worse-discoloured?
What Causes Nails To Turn Yellow Or Discoloured?
Aside from more serious underlying health issues causing yellow nails such as diabetes, thyroid, discoloured nails are more common than you think. The cause? It’s simple really, too much nail polish application without giving your nails a chance to breathe, or too much bacteria or fungal infections can discolour your nails. Although it can look disastrous, it’s fairly simple to fix. We have for you a few quick remedies to brighten up your nails and make them look healthy again.
Here are some effective home remedies that will help in brightening dull and discoloured nails:
1 . Baking Soda
Mix one teaspoon of baking soda with the juice of a lemon and apply this onto your nails. Rinse after a minute.
2 . Hydrogen Peroxide
Make sure you use 3% hydrogen peroxide. It’s a miracle worker on yellow nails. You can either apply a small amount directly on your nails or mix one tablespoon of it with 2.5 tablespoons of baking soda in a small bowl made of plastic. Apply the paste on your nails, leave on for 2-3 minutes and rinse off with warm water. Repeat once a day every six to eight weeks.
3 . Tea Tree Oil
Not all discolorations are due to nail polish woes. They could also be caused by bacteria or fungus. Use simple home remedies like applying a small amount, like a drop, of tea tree oil on your nail beds. After a couple of minutes rinse it out using warm water. You can do this twice daily for a few weeks.
4 . Lemons
We all know the health benefits of lemons, and the benefits of warm lemon water or eating raw lemons. Although you shouldn’t soak your nails in anything that’s acidic for too much time, lemons are a wonderful remedy for yellow nails. You can either rub your nails with a sliced lemon or with a cotton ball soaked in lemon juice. Let this sit on your nails for anywhere between 10 to 30 minutes and rinse off.
THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND
Make sure you follow these basic nail care practices to keep your nails healthy:
Let Your Nails Breathe
We all love our nail polish, but constantly having a layer of it on at all times, particularly dark colours, can cause discolouration. Yes, yellow nails due nail polish are very possible. Switch your dark shades with light ones occasionally, or better yet, give your nails a few days’ breather in-between applications.
Don’t Skip the Base Coat
As boring as it may be to apply a base coat before actually using nail polish, you should make sure never to skip it. It protects your nails, especially if they are made to strengthen them.
Use The Nail Buffer
You can try to gently buff away the top layer of your nails with the nail buffer. But make sure not to go overboard, you don’t want to weaken your nails.