A woman polishing her nails.Photo/naturallymoi.com
When you have nail polish on for too long, it deprives your nails of oxygen, which exacerbates the yellowing, so make sure to avoid overusing polish and moisturize your nails even while wearing polish. Your skin gets to take a makeup break while you sleep, but if you always have polish on, your tips don't get that same benefit. Also noted smoking as a cause of yellowing nails.
To remedy this, simply forgo polish for a while until the nail color returns to normal, or apply a whitening product like baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, or lemon. It's best and easiest to use toothpaste that contains a whitening agent.
Soak your fingertips in lemon juice for the citric acid. Then scrub them with a nail brush or an old toothbrush. Other options: saturate cotton balls in lemon juice and place them on your nails, or massage your nails with a lemon slice.
If you haven't been wearing dark colors or nail polish in general, then your yellow nails could also be a sign of something else. Yellow nails are the result of a variety of conditions, from tropical to internal. If the yellowing is a result of overuse of dark nail polish, there is no need to worry. Nails can also turn yellow from fungal infections, or worse, from diabetes, in which case you should seek a doctor's advice.
You can blame unsanitary salons for these infections, be sure your technician uses only sterilized tools in a gentle manner. Some salons use sterilizing machines, while others open up a brand-new pack of nail tools for each guest. The safest bet is always to bring your own tools, and then clean them at home.
At the end, your nails are telling you something they need a polish vacation. The first line of defense is to go polish-free until your nails return to normal color, but this can take a frustratingly long time. If these natural solutions aren't effective, it's best to see a dermatologist.
[photo/polishingnailsbeauty.com]