Find your diamond
Find your jewelry
shape
carat
color
clarity

Nail Care - Nail Polish Abuser

  • Thread starter Thread starter PierreBear
  • Start date Start date
P

PierreBear

Guest
I have about 15 shades of nail polish and started painting my toes due to my abundance of running/biking that occasionally left me with bruised toe nails. Cover it up with pretty colors was my solution! However, I'm seeing the consequence even though I use a base coat. My big toe (and surprisingly only the top half) is a terribly unhealthy yellow looking color. I heard it's because your nails need to "breathe" and darker colors like red tend to alter your natural nail color. It will take awhile for this to grow out so I was hoping if anyone had any pointers? It's a bit of an cycle that I want to continue painting my nails to cover up the yellow tinge but I know it's probably causing it too. Advice is appreciated and thanks in advance!
 
Hi Pierrebear I feel your pain. I have the issue in that any nail polish I ever wore (and that includes the so called non harsh ones) cause my nails to turn yellow. So I don't wear any nail polish anymore. Just not worth it. I miss having pretty toenails but I just hate yellow nails more than I hate bare nails if you kwim. I wonder if some of us have a sensitivity to anything covering our nails preventing them from "breathing". IDK but I will be following your thread to see what pearls of wisdom we can gleam from it.

I will say if it is from the polish (whether it is from not "breathing" or from the polish itself) once you allow time to pass the nail should regrow in a better more natural color. But if it is from a fungus or anything like that it will probably need treatment. Not my field though so hopefully others more knowledgeable about this topic will chime in with advice.
 
Habitual reformed polisher here too. Is it possible to buff lightly with a fine file to see if the yellow is just on the top surface? I've actually bleached my nails with Ajax (make a paste) as well when I wanted to go bare. I also wonder if possibly you might have a fungus infection festering if the yellow is more than top surface deep. I am not a nail tech, just a nail aficionado who is learning to wear my fingernails bare again to avoid the damage gel polishes have caused.
I love Rescuerx by CND to strengthen the nails when they're bare.
 
Polish addict here - not reformed, just full on user. :)

My fingernails and toenails are always yellow - I've had my toes painted constantly since college, as I think toes are much more attractive that way. I just keep 'em painted -

... same with my fingers! They are a terrible shade of yellow, especially at the tips, regardless of basecoat or polish color. I've read a lot about it, and it seems the actual culprit may be the nitrocellulose that is in all nail products.
 
Its more of a stain from the polish rather than the 'breathable' thing. A base coat provides a barrier from the dark pigments and your natural nail which does absorb them to some extent.
I'd just beware of any harsh chemicals you use to try to remove the stain; usually just weakens the nail more and then you're even worse off the next time you paint!
TBH I don't use a basecoat most times I paint my nails, but I repaint them fairly often, so it doesn't have a lot of time to sink in. If it really bothers you, just paint with a lighter colour for a while until it grows out.

Sandeek brings up a great point about nail fungus though; no idea on that but if you think that could be the case, light nail polish will not help!
 
I always used a base coat and it didn't make a difference for me at least...
 
Rule out nail fungus first. The doctor should tell you if you can paint over the discoloration. Summer is fast approaching and it is sandal weather...you may want to act ASAP to get it checked out. If you can wait, paint your toes over the summer then as Fall begins and closed toed shoes are more viable-then go cold turkey.
 
It happens to me also, although I'm older. I leave my toe nails natural most of the time except during the summer months. I think even clear polish looks good. Dark polish is a no go for me, no matter the base coat.
 
Try a different base coat.
Do two coats of base coat.
Stick with lighter colors, I believe the darker the polish, the stronger, more likely to stain pigments are in it.
Buff out the stains, though I wouldn't get too crazy on that, don't want to make the nails too thin.

I have the same problem, I always wait until late fall to just remove all polish and let the yellow grow out over winter.
Best of luck!
 
Long time polisher but primarily just my fingers. I notice darker colors discolor my nails more than lighter but yes they look nasty and yellowish and usually look bad enough I always do my nails. If I don't use polish for a while they start to look fine and a normal color even parts that haven't grown out yet.
 
HI:

I agree, first r/o any primary problem with your nail beds (most common fungus).

I cannot attest to nail strengtheners--are they effective or deleterious? Do they add value in appearance or mask discoloration?

I no longer wear polish. But I love the buffers that make nail beds shiny. I'd rather have shiny and not so great whereas dull, is, well, .......

cheers--Sharon
 
I'm into light pink/nearly nude colors right now. Almost natural but not. Maybe try those colors...
 
Thanks friends! I don't suspect it's fungus but I do have a woman's wellness exam coming up so I'll ask the DR for a quick glance if I'm a good girl and remember to take the polish off. I did google pictures to try and determine whether it was more tinted from polish or fungus and found a link on "how to get rid of the stains." http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Yellow-Nails

On a different note, does anyone have a base coat they really recommend? I've been using Essie top coat and bottom coat. I've been very pleased with the top coat and it helps it dry so quickly! However, the bottom coat seems rather thin and I usually just use two layers.
 
Try Orly or Zoya base coat.
 
I wear nail polish all the time (probably for the last 20 years). My natural nails are stained as well. I love the look of nail polish too much to go bare.
 
I received this in my email yesterday and I thought how timely.

http://www.webmd.com/beauty/rm-quiz-know-your-nails?ecd=wnl_skin_053117&ctr=wnl-skin-053117_nsl-ld-stry_1&mb=ZZoweYZzKR4iNhKweMhNQOHnVev1imbCBDNSJ/4NlQU=

Give your toenails a break from polish:
Every few weeks
It can soak into the top layers of your nail and dry it out. That lets yeast, bacteria, mold, and mildew grow underneath, and that can cause problems. Let your toenails breathe free for a week or so between pedicures to keep them healthy.
Click to expand...
 
This happens to me too, but only with darker colours. I cannot stand naked toe nails in summer, so always paint them. Then we head away for our 3 weeks in August (which has just been cancelled last week due to Covid) & i always take polish off before I go - I am SO low maintenance when I'm away, it's untrue. But within about 3 days of lots of swimming in the pool, my nails are nice & bright again.

So for me it's definitely staining & for me, chlorine brings it off.
 
I always had the yellowing problem when used to paint my nails.I stopped for a number of reasons, this being one of them. I used to buy nail whitening tablets. I am not in the US, so I guess your brands are different. Google should yield several results
 
I get this too, my nails, like my hair, are thick and porous.

kipari said:
I always had the yellowing problem when used to paint my nails.I stopped for a number of reasons, this being one of them. I used to buy nail whitening tablets. I am not in the US, so I guess your brands are different. Google should yield several results
Click to expand...

I never heard of these tablets. Are they like denture cleaners?
 
doberman said:
I get this too, my nails, like my hair, are thick and porous.



I never heard of these tablets. Are they like denture cleaners?
Click to expand...

I don't know anything about dentures thank goodness :lol: :lol:
I used the KOH brand tablets, but my google search didn't come up with anything... There are other brands though, which I haven't tried...

Like those


santapara.com - This website is for sale! - santapara Resources and Information.

This website is for sale! santapara.com is your first and best source for all of the information you’re looking for. From general topics to more of what you would expect to find here, santapara.com has it all. We hope you find what you are searching for!
www.santapara.com www.santapara.com
 
Hi fellow nail aficionados. I have found that OPI Nail Envy is working very nicely for me. My nails have not felt this strong since I stopped using gels.I highly recommend it.
 
My suggestion is to use clear gel polish (base and top coat) first and then any regular polish over the top. To remove the color use non-acetone polish, the gel coat will remain and then apply new color. When it's time to remove the clear gel polish use acetone. This will work on fingernails as well. I've been using gel polish for 10+ years and occasionally use regular polish for a quick color change between gel polish applications. My nails never discolor.
 
kipari said:
I don't know anything about dentures thank goodness :lol: :lol:
I used the KOH brand tablets, but my google search didn't come up with anything... There are other brands though, which I haven't tried...

Like those


santapara.com - This website is for sale! - santapara Resources and Information.

This website is for sale! santapara.com is your first and best source for all of the information you’re looking for. From general topics to more of what you would expect to find here, santapara.com has it all. We hope you find what you are searching for!
www.santapara.com www.santapara.com
Click to expand...

I don't know much about denture cleaning either, I was just imagining a fizzy concoction that you soak your nails in. I may give it a try.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
GET 3 FREE HCA RESULTS JOIN THE FORUM. ASK FOR HELP
Jewelry Blog
PriceScope-Concierge-Ad
Find prime cuts.
Top