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Image / Beauty

Discoloured nails? Solve the problem with this home remedy


By Aisling Keenan
27th Feb 2019
Discoloured nails? Solve the problem with this home remedy

I discovered last year, much to my chagrin, that I’m allergic to gel polish.

So I said goodbye to my fortnightly Shellac, and became one with ‘normal’ nail polish and a serious commitment to weekly cuticle maintenance. My hands and feet are my favourite body parts, and therefore manicures and pedicures feature heavily in my beauty maintenance calendar.

DISCOLOURATION DISAPPOINTMENT

I am a creature of habit when it comes to my nails, and only ever wear red on them. YSL Rouge Pop Art, Sally Hansen Right Said Red, Perfect Match Cherry Cosmo and Chanel Rouge Essentiel are my go-to shades, and I rarely, if ever, stray. In spite of my best efforts, and my (extremely talented) manicurist Gosia Ollek’s use of really excellent base coats, I have ended up with discoloured nails.

THE RECIPE

Recently, while spending an hour with Gosia (@expressivenails on Instagram, below), she told me how I could fix the problem and bring my nails back to what they should look like.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Gosia Ollek | Expressive Nails (@expressivenails) on

I tried it, and was delighted to find that it worked! Here’s exactly what Gosia recommended – try it for yourself at home. Before you do this, remove all traces of nail polish (including base coat or strengthener) from your nails and push back your cuticles gently.

Ingredients:

1 part lemon juice
1 part warm water
1 squeeze of toothpaste

Method:

– Mix the three parts together creating a foamy mixture and soak your fingers for a couple of minutes
– Next, using an old and preferably soft toothbrush, gently brush the mixture onto your fingernails
– Repeat two nights in a row and on day three your nails will be back to normal colour

It’s also worth mentioning that using a good base coat under all polish colours is recommended. Long-term deep-coloured polish will almost inevitably result in discoloured nails, but now that you have the quick fix, you’ll be able to keep them looking good with or without polish on.