Manicures are great, but so is having natural nails. However, this can be difficult if your nails are stained and yellow. Here are five easy tricks to get your bare nails looking their best so that you can go mani-free.
1. Apply a base coat
Admittedly this is more of a preventive measure. While you may have thought that base coats were just invented to get you to buy more products, they actually do help not only to extend the life of your manicure but also to prevent staining. Many nail colours, especially dark ones, can leave marks on your nails, but applying a base coat will keep them stain-free.
Related: 5 ways to toughen up your nails
2. Buff away
If you notice any discolouration on your nails that you know is caused by polish, a quick way to get rid of it is to use your nail buffer to gently buff away the top layer. Don’t get too carried away, though, as you want to make sure that your nails are as strong as possible.
3. Try lemon juice
An effective acid straight from nature, lemon juice is great at fading stains and bleaching nails back to their original colour. Cut a lemon in half and rub each nail in the fruit’s flesh for 30 to 60 seconds, then allow the juice to sit on your nails for 10 to 30 minutes before rinsing it off thoroughly and applying a hydrating hand cream.
Related: How to stop biting your nails
4. Scrub with whitening toothpaste
If you have a brand-new stain, this trick will work wonders. To remove pink marks on your nails from wearing red polish, use a nail brush and scrub whitening toothpaste over your nails for a few minutes. You will see the stains start to fade. This is not as effective for old stains, but it’s a great way to get rid of new ones.
5. Use tea-tree oil
Not all nail discolouration is the result of nail polish, as sometimes it can be caused by fungus. Luckily this can also generally be remedied using products from your cupboard. Apply a few drops of tea-tree oil to each nail and allow to sit for a few minutes before rinsing with warm water. Do this twice daily for a few weeks and you may start to see results.
PHOTO: iStock/PeopleImages
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