After wearing a beautiful, deep red color on your nails, it is anything but fun when a strange yellow haze remains on your nails. Very annoying indeed, because it doesn’t really look nice. Even though it often disappears after a week, it still feels better to quickly apply a new polish… but is that such a smart idea? What exactly does that yellow glow mean? And what can you do about it? We got to the bottom of it.
What does it mean?
The reason your nails get a yellow cast is the chemical reaction that takes place between the pigments in the nail polish and the keratin in your nail bed. Keratin is a type of protein that makes up your nails. When you remove the nail polish, the pigments can remain, causing the infamous yellow glow. This effect mainly occurs with dark shades of nail polish. Fortunately, more and more cosmetic brands are switching to natural ingredients. This means that the yellow haze is less likely to occur.
How do you prevent the yellow haze?
You know: prevention is better than cure. That is why it is always important to apply a good base coat. It provides an intermediate layer between the nail polish and your nails. This causes the nail polish pigment to adhere less well. In other words: the chance of ‘yellow nails’ becomes a lot smaller. In addition, it is wise to handle dark nail polish with care. If you really want to wear that color, try not to wear it for too long. This means that the nail polish pigment has less time to penetrate your nails.
How do you get rid of it?
Now that we know exactly how it occurs, we also want to know how to get rid of it.
- Lemon juice
Yep. This works as follows: squeeze three lemons into a bowl. Dip your nails in the lemon juice for about ten minutes. Remove your nails from the bowl and scrub your nails clean with a toothbrush. Then wash and dry your hands and use some hand and nail cream.
- White toothpaste
Apply white toothpaste to your nails and let it sit for about ten minutes. Gently scrub your nails clean with a toothbrush. Then wash your hands under lukewarm water. Finish with a nourishing lotion.
- Tea Tree oil
This stuff really is a miracle cure. Drop some drops on your nails and let it sit for a few minutes. Wash your hands with lukewarm water.
On to radiant and white nails!
