Keeping a manicure pristine is harrowing work when there are so many smudging and staining agents just waiting to defile your hard work. Unfortunately, even gel nails aren't impervious to staining. Learn how to clean stained white gel nails no matter how they got their off-white hue. And while you're at it, uncover the best ways to cure that yellow staining underneath your gel polish.
How to Clean Stained White Gel Nails
From eating a delicious curry to dying your hair without gloves, there are so many non-manicure reasons you may have stained your white gel nails. Keep those nails looking and feeling fresh with these various cleaning methods.
Gel manicures are long-lasting and expensive, but the sun can ruin them in just a few days. Keep your white gel manicure pristine with a stain-resistant top coat to prevent UV yellowing and other staining.
Turmeric-Stained Gel Nails
Turmeric can give freshly done nails a pesky yellow hue. Get rid of it using these methods.
UV Curing Lamp
UV light works magic (or rather, science) against turmeric stains. If you have a longwave UV curing lamp, you can pop it over your nails for a few sessions to lighten up those stains.
Whitening Toothpaste
- Grab a soft or extra soft toothbrush and whitening toothpaste.
- Apply a dab of whitening toothpaste to the toothbrush.
- Gently scrub your nails.
- Wash them with soap and water to remove the toothpaste residue.
Sugar Scrub
- Put one tablespoon of sugar scrub in a bowl.
- Add one tablespoon of water and mix.
- Apply the scrub to your stained nails.
- Rub the stains until they come off.
Coconut or Castor Oil
- Soak a cotton ball in coconut or castor oil.
- Rub it over your stained nails until they're completely clean.
Shaving Cream
- Cover a cotton ball in shaving cream.
- Wipe the cotton ball over the stained nail.
- Keep repeating the process until the stains are gone.
Shaving cream contains hydrogen peroxide, which serves as a bleaching agent to counteract dark stains.
Baking Soda and Lemon Juice
- Put two tablespoons of baking soda into a bowl.
- Add one tablespoon of water and a few drops of lemon juice.
- Mix the ingredients together until it resembles thick icing.
- Dip a cotton pad into the mixture and start rubbing your stained nails.
- Don't stop until the stains have lifted.
Baking soda is an absorbent, mild abrasive bleaching agent that, when coupled with lemon juice, tackles stains fast.
Apple Cider Vinegar
- Put one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar into a bowl.
- Add one tablespoon of water.
- Mix the two ingredients together.
- Soak a cotton ball with the mixture.
- Rub it over your nails until the stains have gone.
Related: 12 October Nail Ideas & Colors That Capture the Month Perfectly
Ink-Stained Gel Nails
For pesky pen stains, follow either of these methods.
Rubbing Alcohol
- Grab some rubbing alcohol and a cotton pad.
- Soak one side of your cotton pad with the rubbing alcohol.
- Swipe the cotton pad over each nail to remove the pen stain.
Nail Polish Remover
- Dip a cotton swab in nail polish remover.
- Swipe it lightly over the pen mark until it disappears.
It's important not to use too much nail polish remover as this could ruin your gel nails even more than the stain.
Hair Dye-Stained Gel Nails
It's easy to stain your gel nails when you're DIY-dying your hair. Thankfully, there are two easy ways to clean up the mess.
Alcohol Wipes
- Grab an alcohol wipe.
- Rub it over your nail as many times as necessary to lift the stain.
Hair Spray
- Grab some hair spray and some cotton pads.
- Spray directly onto each affected nail.
- Rub gently with a cotton pad until the stains disappear.
Denim Dye-Stained Gel Nails
Sometimes the indigo dye from jeans or denim jackets can run onto your gel nails. In this case, you need to use products that contain a whitening agent to reverse the discoloration. The cleaning methods for hair dye or food stains can also work for denim dye stains. But here are a few extra cleaning options to give a go.
Hand Sanitizer
- Dip a nail brush in hand sanitizer.
- Scrub the stained nail until it's as good as new.
Hand sanitizer has a high concentration of alcohol, which is extremely effective at removing ink and dye stains.
Denture Tablet
- Dissolve a denture tablet into a bowl of warm water.
- Soak your nails in it for three to five minutes for best results.
Related: 10 Elegant Coquette Nails for Understated & Whimiscal Style
How to Clean Yellow-Stained Nails
If you loathe a naked nail, you might be in for a scare the next time you go to change colors. Over time, nail polish pigments can seep into the porous keratin of your fingernails and stain them. Don't worry — you're not stuck with stained nails forever. Getting rid of that yellowish tint is easier than you think.
Soak Them in Hydrogen Peroxide
Diluted hydrogen peroxide is a powerful bleaching agent that's safe to use on your nails and around your skin. Dilute hydrogen peroxide with a 1:4 ratio of hydrogen peroxide to water. Soak your nails for about 5-10 minutes and gently rub the nails dry with a microfiber towel.
If you've never tried this method, you should test a single nail before dunking your whole hand in. Some people's nails are more sensitive and porous than others and the peroxide could damage the nail's integrity.
Scrub Them With a Cuticle Remover Solution
Cuticle removers are acidic solutions used to remove dead skin around your cuticle. However, you can use this acidic solution to remove help remove the tint on your nails.
Take a cotton swab or nail brush, dip it in the solution, and rub your nails with it. While it likely won't remove all the staining, it should lighten it substantially.
3 Ways to Treat Yellow-Stained Nails
If you want a more conservative approach, you may want to try these gentler ways to treat yellow-stained nails.
Wear a Purple-Tinted Base/Clear Coat
According to color theory, purple and yellow cancel each other out. So, a light lavender-tinted clear coat will give you a high shine while also softening that yellowy appearance.
Use a Brightening Polish Treatment
There are so many specialized nail treatments on the market, that we're not surprised if you've never heard of nail brighteners. Coat your nails with a brightener like you would a polish and the brightening agents in it can help lighten some of the yellow stains.
Grow Out Your Nails
The only non-chemical option for getting rid of yellow staining is waiting for them to grow out. Just like slowly trimming out the bleached parts of your hair, you can cut away the yellow-stained nails as they grow.
This method will take some time and you'll only get the best results if you stay away from darker, more pigmented nail polish.
How to Prevent Yellow-Stained Nails
Unfortunately, it's much easier to prevent yellow-stained nails than it is to get rid of them.
- Wear a base coat. Base coats prevent your polish from touching the nail plate.
- Avoid darker polishes. The darker the nail polish, the more pigment there is to seep into your nails.
If All Else Fails, Visit a Manicurist
Whatever the stain, it is possible to remove it from your gel nails if you persevere and try different options. If you've tried everything at home and the stains prevail, it's time to visit a manicurist. Thankfully, there are so many cleaning methods you can try that we doubt you'll have to step foot in a nail salon before your next appointment.
