Grandma’s home remedies for yellow nails: Not everyone gets yellow nails. Apart from some medical conditions, personal habits can cause yellow nails too.  Personal habits like – painting nail using red, orange and yellow may leave yellow stain in nails. A chemical compound-called ‘5-fluorouracil’ is responsible for the yellow stain. smoking, regular use of nail polish, and some medications (like tetracycline & 5-fluorouracil) can also cause a yellow discoloration of the nails.

If the yellow stain that you might have is due to excess use of nail polish or smoking then, grandma has few home remedies to turn your nails to white using simple methods.

Lemon juice : Take a cup of lemon juice and dip finger tips in the juice. Allow it to soak for 10-15 minutes. Daily practice this remedy for few more days. Stain will gradually disappear.

Lemon juice and baking soda: Mix 1 Tbs of hydrogen peroxide with 2 & 1/2  Tbs of baking soda to prepare a paste. Apply small amount of the paste on fingernails and let it soak the nails for few minutes. Wash hands and nails using water.   Dry hands and apply olive oil or sesame oil on nails and cuticles.

Hydrogen peroxide: in a bowl mix water and hydrogen peroxide. Soak fingertips in the solution for few minutes and rinse in cold water. Dry hands and apply olive oil or sesame oil on nails and cuticles.

Apple cider vinegar: Use ACV as a cleaner for finger nails. To one cup of lukewarm water add one cup of apple cider vinegar. Mix well. Soak fingertips in the bowl containing this mix. Wash your hands using cold water. Dry hands and apply olive oil or sesame oil on nails and cuticles.

Toothpaste: Hydrogen peroxide is one of the ingredient of toothpaste. Use toothpaste that has 3% or less hydrogen peroxide as content to apply on fingernails. Leave it for few minutes and scrub nails using a soft nailbrush followed by a wash using warm water.

Lemon, honey and olive oil: Take a teaspoon on olive oil and add a teaspoon of honey to it. Mix these two ingredients well and apply this mixture only on your cuticles and not on your nails Now apply lemon juice onto your nails using a cotton ball. Allow it to stay there for about 15 minutes and then wash off with some lukewarm water.

Lemon and glycerin: Take equal proportions of glycerine and lemon juice. Mix well and apply this mixture on your nails. Leave this mixture on for about 15 minutes and then wash it off with lukewarm water.  Apply little glycerin on fingernails and leave it for some time. Glycerine acts as a moisturizer and protects the nails.

Prevention:

• Apply a clear base coat of polish before applying darker colored nail polish. Base protects the nail from absorbing the yellow stain.
• For few days avoid applying nail polish – let nails regain natural color to give back healthy look.
• Quit smoking: Smoking anyway is injurious to health. Nicotine content in cigarettes can cause yellow stain in teeth, fingernails and discolor lips. A few weeks after one stop smoking nails will regain the natural color.
• Avoid artificial nails: Artificial nail wearers should watch for reaction to the adhesive as well as bacterial growth that can cause your nails to take on a yellowy-green hue.
• Practice good nail hygiene and keep nails and cuticles hydrated by applying moisturizer almost daily. Try petroleum jelly or olive oil, or choose a thick, creamy lotion that contains lactic acid or urea to help prevent cracking and yellowing.
• Diet: Consume foods that contain good amount of protein. Include all soy, dairy, grain products to your routine diet including fresh fruits and vegetables.

Any questions – message grandma.

Image credit: “Nails” by +Angst is licensed under CC BY 2.0