I normally just coat my finger nails with a clear polish and call it day. But, the ONE time I painted them black, I had a huge problem. I had to either keep them painted forever, or try to get that awful grey hue out of my nails. To prevent the nail polish stain from happening in the first place, I should have just applied a base coat first, but NO. Not me. In desperation, I went on a hunt to find the fastest, easiest and best ways to whiten your nails back to normal. BONUS: Most of these little tricks I already had the ingredients for!

6 tips and tricks that actually work!

1. Whitening Toothpaste – I tried this one first. It’s easy and it works! Use a baby toothbrush to apply it and give your nails a good scrub for a minute or two. You may need to do it several times depending on how stained your nails are. The white colored pasty toothpaste works best as opposed to the blue or green gel-like toothpaste. Whitening toothpaste with added baking soda is even better!

2.  Lemon Juice & Baking Soda – Squeeze half of a lemon (or more) into a plastic bowl, and then add and blend baking soda until you get a nice abrasive paste-like texture. Then use an old toothbrush to scrub your nails with it. Rinse, and repeat if needed. If you have any small cuts near your nails, you may want to hold off on this one. The acidity in lemon juice is not very nice!

3. 3% Hydrogen Peroxide & Baking Soda – Mix the two together until you’ve got a paste-like texture. Cover your nails with it and allow the mixture to sit on them for about 3 minutes before rinsing it off with warm water.

4. Commercial Denture Cleaner – Dissolve a couple of tablets in warm water, and soak your nails in it for about 5 minutes. I haven’t tried this one because I don’t happen to have denture cleaner laying around, but I’ve heard that it works.

5. Nail Whitening Pencil – I didn’t know this existed until recently! You can pick one up at a local drugstore, maybe even Walmart or Target, too. I like to apply it under the tips of my nails to make them look healthier (almost looks like a french manicure, only more natural).

6. Base Coat – Prevent stained nails from happening in the first place by using a base coat. Duh, right? It’s definitely worth the extra step! Don’t forget that most of these techniques can dry your hands out, so apply a good moisturizer once you’re finished.

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