How the Heck to Get Yellow Stains Off Your Nails - and Why It Can Be Dangerous

The next time you go free, consider giving your nails a polish time-out as well. Your obsession with getting gel nail-art looks at the salon or rocking a vampy lacquer look is great for the 'gram, but it also may be compromising the health of your nails. For the most part, wearing nail polish is safe — especially if you pick a nontoxic, five-free formula. But if you notice your tips looking yellow, you need a break.

Jin Soon Choi — a nail pro, a salon owner, and the creator of one of our favorite polish brands — says not to initially panic. "Using nail polish with dark color pigments for an extended time can stain nails yellow," she said.

Choi also explained why the yellowing happens: "When you have nail polish on for too long, it deprives your nails of oxygen, which exacerbates the yellowing, so make sure to avoid overusing polish and moisturize your nails even while wearing polish." Your skin gets to take a makeup break while you sleep, but if you always have polish on, your tips don't get that same benefit. Choi also noted smoking as a cause of yellowing nails.

"To remedy this, simply forgo polish for a while until the nail color returns to normal, or apply a whitening product like baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, or lemon," she said. "From my experience, it's best and easiest to use toothpaste that contains a whitening agent."

To DIY Choi's lemon hack, soak your fingertips in lemon juice for the citric acid. Then scrub them with a nail brush or an old toothbrush. Other options: saturate cotton balls in lemon juice and place them on your nails, or massage your nails with a lemon slice.

If you haven't been wearing dark colors or nail polish in general, then your yellow nails could also be a sign of something else. "Yellow nails are the result of a variety of conditions, from topical to internal," Choi explained. "If the yellowing is a result of overuse of dark nail polish, there is no need to worry. Nails can also turn yellow from fungal infections, or worse, from diabetes, in which case you should seek a doctor's advice."

You can blame unsanitary salons for these infections. Choi notes to be sure your technician uses only sterilized tools in a gentle manner. Some salons use sterilizing machines, while others open up a brand-new pack of nail tools for each guest. The safest bet is always to bring your own tools, and then clean them at home.

Blame also falls on your shoulders if you're a nail picker (you know who you are!). "Do not pull out your hangnails, which can cause infections," Choi advised.

To fix these very yellow nails, Choi has some easy remedies. "Try to nip it in the bud by applying tea tree oil. Or buff you nails very gently and either soak them in a liquid whitening (bleach) agent like hydrogen peroxide or denture tablets for about three to five minutes and repeat as needed."

At the end, your nails are telling you something — they need a polish vacation! "The first line of defense is to go polish-free until your nails return to normal color, but this can take a frustratingly long time," Choi said. "If these natural solutions aren't effective, it's best to see a dermatologist."

Fire and Ice Is the New Nail Trend You Need to Try ASAP

There is never a time we're not in awe of the new nail trends that emerge, whether it's because they move, or just because they are so damn pretty. Our latest obsession, and trust me when I say it will be your new obsession too, is fire and ice nails.

The trend was first created by The Nail Boss, a well-known nail artist on Instagram, who frequently produces the most precise sets of nails you've ever seen, as well as fun texture concepts. His latest creation, fire and ice nails, draws inspiration from the shattered glass effect we all love and pairs this with a lifelike flame effect. To achieve this effect he uses a thin film similar to those used for iridescent and shattered glass nails. This is layered with different colored nail polish and gems to create this masterpiece.

Best of all, you can try these nails out at home and share them on Instagram, using these iridescent nail sheets.

Lime Crime's New Nails Made Me a Press-On Manicure Convert

As a kid, my mom would take me to get manis and pedis at the local nail salon, and I always wondered why people wasted money on a manicure when the pedicure was worth every cent. They're long-lasting — some say they could outlast the apocalypse — and hello, foot rubs!

As a true Texas woman, I was also raised to believe that it was a cardinal sin if your nails weren't "done," which started my obsession with gel manicures. And then, after moving to Los Angeles, I became enamored with nail art of all kinds: drawings, sequins, 3D art. In 2014, hard gel and acrylics (sometimes at the same time) were able to help me achieve the long, claw-like nails of my Instagram dreams. This obsession wreaked havoc on my natural nails, which were once strong and grew long without the help of a plastic attachment.

Sick of having to go to the nail salon to get my works of art removed, or worse, repaired, I decided to quit acrylics and gels cold-turkey. I loved that I could properly type on any and all keyboards, but I missed how dainty lengthy nails made my fingers look.

I've been sent many, many press-on nails, but like most people my age, I scoffed initially. Press-on nails? These were popular in my days of Caboodles and too much hair gel. Then I was sent Lime Crime's Pop On Nails and decided to give them a go. It wasn't a hard sell, either: they come in gorgeous chrome shades like Black Magic (a black and red oil-slick finish), Oyster (opal), Baby Baby (champagne), Storm (gray), Camel (tan/beige), and Lizard (green). These nails perfectly fit my own, meaning I didn't need to sand them down to make them look natural. I did some light filing to create a pointed tip, but the entire process — from adhesion to filing — takes about five minutes max.

Most press-on nails come with glue stickers that can be a bit of a pain to work with. These include a nail glue, but it's not as aggressive as most nail adhesives. If a nail comes off, it's not destroyed by the glue, thank God. And really, it's a rarity that a nail comes off — these babies have lasted me well over two weeks. I like to reapply them every 10-14 days, though, as my nails grow out and as the finish of the nails starts to dull.

I could probably stop wearing them and start getting my natural nails done up again, but given that I only have to pay for the most basic of manicures now, I think I'll save my money and keep sporting these beauties. People ask me all the time where I get my nails done, and I have to say seeing the confusion and then complete shock on their face when I say "They're press-ons!" hasn't gotten old just yet.

Would you know what a dark line on your nail means?

Most of us would probably just assume it's bruising under the nail, or a weird sign of a deficiency in calcium.

But in fact, a dark line on your nail can be an indicator of something more serious – and it's a sign most of us would ignore or miss.

Nail artist Lisa Harrison Williams wants to raise awareness of how a dark line on your nail can be a sign of skin cancer, so that no one else delays diagnosis or treatment because of a lack of information.

Lisa had a walk-in nail client, who came in with a dark vertical stripe down her nail.

She asked for a colour that would be dark enough to cover the stripe, noting that previous salons had told her the mark was down to a blood blister or a lack of calcium.

'This is melanoma,' writes Lisa. 'I did not want to frighten her but I told her she needed to see her doctor immediately!'

Lisa advised her client to head to the doctor, where she says she was diagnosed with an aggressive melanoma that had already spread to her lymph nodes.

'Please pay attention to abnormalities in your nail beds,' Lisa urges. 'Odd changes in your nails can very likely be nothing to worry about.

'But sometimes it is an indication of a very serious disease.

'And please keep an eye on the nail beds -toes and fingers – of your elderly loved ones and your loved ones that aren't physically able to notice changes in the nail beds! Early diagnosis can make all the difference in the world!!!'

Lisa isn't exaggerating. While a change in the nail is very often just physical damage, such as bruising, in some cases it can be a sign of skin cancer.

Fiona Osgun, Cancer Research UK's senior health information officer told metro.co.uk: 'Melanoma skin cancer can cause different symptoms, including discolouration under a nail.

'By getting to know what's normal for you – including any lumps, marks or niggles – you're more likely to notice anything out of the ordinary.

'If you do notice any changes anywhere on your skin, whether it's a new mole or mark or something else that's changed, get it checked by your doctor.

'Most melanoma skin cancers develop on the chest, back or legs, occasionally they can appear as discolouration under nails or on the palms of the hands or the soles of the feet.

'It probably won't be skin cancer, but if it is, getting treatment started before it has time to spread can make a big difference.'

In short: Don't descend into panic if you notice a dark mark on your finger or toenail. It's likely nothing, but it's definitely worth going to your GP to get it checked out – if only for your own peace of mind.

How to get your nails up to scratch for spring

Winter is the season of chapped lips, parched skin and dry hair, and understandably our nails often come off worst of all.

With spring on the way, it's the perfect time to show them some love and get them up to scratch for a fresh new season.

A BIG DRINK OF MOISTURE

Get your hands on some intensely nourishing hand cream and give them a good slather, massaging over your nails and into your cuticles. Repeat as necessary.

I love the rich simplicity of Avène Cold Cream hand cream, $25 and L'Occitane's Shea Melting Honey Hand Whipped Cream, $18, feels and smells delicious.

CUTEN UP YOUR CUTICLES

Peeling, ragged cuticles look less than lovely and can also be painful. As they work to protect and shield nails as they grow and block them from bacteria, our cuticles play an important part in having healthy nails.

Give them the respect they deserve with regular doses (right before bed is a good time) of a cuticle oil such as OPI's Avoplex Cuticle Oil To Go, $20, which is formulated with a thick gel consistency for easy, non-drip usage and contains vitamin E, avocado, sunflower, sesame and kukui nut oils.

SHORTEN AND SWEETEN

Especially in winter when your nails' defences are already down, long lengths are pretty much doomed to break, flake or tear, so keep them trimmed to no higher than your fingertips and tidy up the shape with a glass or acrylic nail file like Manicare's Crystal nail file, $25.

TREAT YO' NAILS

Keep your newly loved-up nails in tip-top condition with a good nail serum.

Fast-drying and water-based, Revitanail Keratin Strengthening serum, $25, promises to strengthen, protect and hydrate nails by penetrating and repairing the nail plate and can be used as a base coat under nail polish.

A COLOUR CHANGE IS AS GOOD AS A HOLIDAY

Well, nearly. What to choose as the finishing touches on all your good work? Vogue makes a good case for soft khakis for spring, metallics will add a little dazzle - this season it's all about platinum and creamy golds - or try being anything but shy with your hue with a vivid watermelon or tropical orange.

Or if you prefer to err on the understated side try a ladylike neutral such as lilac, peach, caramel or nude with a pearlescent formula rather than matte.

One final tip - before you paint, make sure your nails are totally clean and free of all the aforementioned goodies, as excess oils will interrupt your polish bond.