How To Whiten And Strengthen My Nails

[stillwater09]

i hae been wearing light colored, and now darker color colored polish forever because my nails are dull and unattractive. i want to go back to wearing clear polish but my nails just look BAD....how can i pretty them up?? i've never worn fakes at all, they just arent cute!

HELP!!

[caribvibes]

Try using a freshly cut lime/lemon on your nails. Rub them acrossand under the nails just like you were buffing them. The acid from the lime/lemon lightens the nail bed naturally.

HTH

[honeychild]

i hardly ever polish my nails so my nails aren't discolored, but once you've gotten them lightened up with caribvibes' lemon trick, try a nail whitening pencil. after a shower or washing your hands, when your fingers are damp, run a sharpened pencil under your nails and it leaves them way whiter.

you can get them in drugstores, or online at sephora.com

[AJoyrnee]

For the first time since 2000 (the year i graduated from HS), I wore color on my nails (hands, that is) for a whole two days! LOL I felt like I was doing them a great injustice!

But one thing I did notice was how HEALTHY they are now! For my HS graduation, I had gotten my nails done. The tips, fake nails, or whatever you want to call them was not the best thing for them.

After I took them off after graduation, I left them alone. I gave myself a basic manicure every now and again and I did use lemons once to brighten them up.

My nails now grow so long without ANY help and I don't even have to wear nail harderner on them anymore.

I said all this to say this: leave your nails alone for a while. Give them a basic manicure. Soak them in some warm water with baby oil, and just treat your hands.

If you MUST wear a color, wear something light and close to the natural tint of your nails. Dark colors do your nails harm, especially when worn for a prolonged time. It stains your nails and yellows them quickly.

My toe nails are suffering from that, lol, so I've fallen in love with cherry red toes and the color doesn't do me any harm anyway.

Another thing to look for is the kind of nail care products you're using. Sally Hanson is a great investment. I used to use Wet n Wild, but the color faded so quickly and chipped so easily...Also, Orly---and I'm not sure where you get this; a friend girl of mine gave me a basket of nail colors---is a good product too.

Even though this is "forbidden", I do use 100% Acetone nail polish remover. It DOES try out my nails but I IMMEDIATELY follow up with a good lotion/moisturizer. I have a bottle of regular nail polish remover for touch ups but I use the 100% acetone NP remover when I'm doing a manicure/pedicure which is once every two to three weeks, if that much.

Hope I helped!

Sometimes, when your nails act up, it's because of so much product use. When you discover the strength in your natural nails, you'll learn to appreciate them more.

I used to think I couldn't go without color on my hands (I still don't think I can do with my toes! lol it's a process!), but when I saw how beautiful they are in their natural state, white-tipped and healthy...I fell in love with them. I get a lot of compliments on my nails. And believe it or not, a healthy manicure says a lot about a person.

Some people believe that you can't have beautiful natural nails due to certain employment places, like fast food restaurants and so forth. But I did. :)

Also, if you do want to try to go without color on your nails, get a quality buffer and buff your nails. You'll be surprised at how a good buffing can make your nails look!

Okay, that's it! I'm tapped out of nail tips for now! :coffee

AJoyrnee :rainfro

[stillwater09]

:-) thanks so much for the tips
now to try them out!!!

[Tasha806]

Nail Tech chimin' in here...
You have gotten some great tips so far. The only thing I will add is that if you like wearing colored nail polish especially reds and other dark colors Always use a basecoat first. As a matter of fact always apply a basecoat before using any nail polish it helps the polish adhere better and can assist your manicure in lasting longer. A topcoat is essential as well for maintaining a manicure. I personally almost never wear colored nail polish on my fingernails mainly because it always gets messed up when i'm working. But i am a fan of clear nail polish or just applying a nail treatment to my nails. Also for overall healthy natural nails make sure that you get plenty of calcium it works wonders for my nails and i always tell my clients to make sure they take calcium if they are suffering from weak nails. They even make nail treatments with calcium in them now.
HTH

[stillwater09]

Thanks Tasha! My ultimate goal is to stop wearing dark colors (cept on my toes) and go natural' just a clear coat. but my nails just dont look good. maybe i'll get a few professional manicures.

they grew out nicely for a few weeks and weere kinda long, but then my thumb split on both sides and side i work a rugged weekend job, i couldn't hold onto it. so they are short again...i like to keep em one length so if one breaks they all gotta go :rolling

[kutemommie]

I was just about to say that if you like to wear dark colors on your nails always, always apply a clear base coat first. That way the darker color isn't really touching your nail per say and it will last longer.

The advice that you got about lightening your nails up is great advice something that I didn't know. I wonder if the same can be applied to toenails b/c I wouldn't mind lightening mine up.

Thanks for the tip ladies!

[naturalnyc]

i got 2:

1. soak your nails in a mix of water and lemon juice

or

2. This may seem a bit silly but i read that brushing your nails with whitening toothpaste will help lighten also

[leen26]

All throughout high school and most of college I wore fake nails. UGGHH. What a pain...

My suggestion for stronger nails is to drink lots and lots of water. A year or so ago I was taking medicine for my allergies and I had to take it with a lot of water. So I got a 2 liter water bottle and drank 2 liters of water faithfully everyday for a month. My nails were in the best looking shape of my life. They were bright, strong, and long. I was completley shocked.

Even to this day, my nails are still beautiful. I rarely paint them. I just let them shine :D

[bubble]

luckily, i am blessed with great nails that grow beautifully but i have had times when my nails become brittle. your diet plays a big part in that. usually if your diet is not correct then your nails will become brittle. however, im not too sure about the whitening bit. i've never had that problem.