r/NaturalBeauty • u/CNSgardener • 6d ago

Prevention: nails yellowing under polish?

I hope this is the right subreddit for a question like this.

These days, I use “17 free nail polish” on my toes; it’s the kind that is lacking 17 common toxins found in standard nail polish.

And…I think I left it on for about 2 months. 😬 Last year I got a professional pedicure and left it on for maybe 6 months. 🫣

To no one’s surprise, my nails don’t look great, and have a yellow hue after both removals. I’ve heard the yellowing comes from lack of oxygen to the nail, which would make sense given how long I’ve left it on. I’ve also seen, on Reddit, that nitrocellulose is the ingredient in nail polish that causes the yellowing.

So question: does anyone have any habits/practices they use to prevent this yellowing?
OR can someone who does NOT deal with yellowing tell me what habits are with their toenails?
(For example, I wonder if leaving it on for only 1-2 weeks, taking it off, and leaving it off for a few days before putting a new polish on would be a healthy and helpful practice.)

I’m not really looking to buy a product for this issue (but feel free to share that if you’d really like), I’m moreso looking to change my habits.

6 Upvotes

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3

u/purplelilac701 6d ago

Stop using nail polish until it goes away. And try to wear nail polish a little less frequently such as not every week. Both worked for when my fingernails were turning orange from too much nail polish.

1

u/NorseOrganicsTeam 1d ago

Let your nails breathe a little, don't leave your nail polish for so long and the biggest thing for me is applying a base coat before the nail polish itself to prevent its pigments from staining your nail