Clean Your Fingernails

Looking for some creative nail-cleaning tips? Whether you want to do a quick cleaning routine or find more thorough deep-cleaning recipes, we've got you covered. Get those fingernails looking bright, shiny, and strong again.

Steps

Cleaning Your Nails (Quick Clean)

  1. Clean dirt from under your nails. Using the tip of the nail pick on a pair of clippers, clean underneath your fingernails to remove dirt and other built-up grime. Do this in the bathroom, under good lighting, so you'll be able to see your nails clearly.
    • In generally, it's easier to clean the dirt from underneath your nails before you wash your hands instead of after. The drier the better.
    • Avoid using a pencil to clean them out, as the lead may cause them to look dirtier.
  2. Wash your hands. Use a mild, natural soap and wash your hands under warm water. You don't need to focus on your nails specifically, just wash your hands.
    • It's generally better to use mild soap and wash your hands more regularly. Strong, harsh paraben-based soaps will make nails brittle, and alcohol-based hand sanitizers likewise weaken nails. Try a fingernail-specific soap, like OrigiNails Bubble White.
  3. Soak your nails in a bowl of warm, soapy water for about three minutes. Submerge the very tips of your fingers, not your whole hands, under the water and let them soften slightly. Make sure the water isn't too lukewarm or scalding hot, but a comfortable temperature somewhere in between.
    • Soaking nails help to make them softer and more pliable, making it much less likely that you'll chip or break a nail during the cleaning process.[1]
  4. Use a nail brush to scrub the tops. After soaking, scrub your nails hard, and all over, including underneath your nails. When you're finished, pat your hands dry.
    • If you don't have a brush specifically for cleaning your nails, use a clean toothbrush specifically for the purpose.
  5. Remove nail polish, if necessary. Use a strengthening nail polish remover and cotton balls or wipes, and wet them with the polish remover. Scrub your nails firmly to strip the nail polish left on your nails, starting from the cuticle of the nail and working toward the fingertip, not forgetting to do the sides. Survey your nails afterwards for any more nail polish, and remove it if necessary.
    • The remover should dry thoroughly by itself, but you can keep a tissue or dry cotton ball nearby to help scrub after applying the wet cotton ball, as well.
  6. Wash your hands again. Give your hands another quick rinse and then pat them dry, don't rub them. Rub on some rich hand cream, if you want, or go about the rest of your routine.
    • Make sure the nails are all completely even and file or clip them if necessary. Finish off the look with a neat coat of clear polish to strengthen the nail.

Cleaning Your Nails (Deep Clean)

  1. Apply baking soda to whiten. If you want healthy-looking, strong nails that will look clean and stay clean, mix a paste of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide, using about 2 1/2 tablespoons of baking soda per tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide to create a paste. Spread the paste on and underneath your nails, then rinse and pat dry.
    • Applied weekly, this mixture helps to keep your nails white and luminescent, especially after having used a darker nail polish.[2]
    • Alternatively, try using whitening toothpaste in the same way. The active ingredients are essentially the same, if you're not interested in mixing up a batch of the home-made stuff.
  2. Moisturize your nails every week. To keep your nails pliable and free of cracks and other problems, it's a good idea to moisturize them regularly with aloe, cocoa butter lotion, or even natural oils like olive or coconut. These natural treatments won't necessarily change the look of your nails, but will help to keep them soft and pliable over the course of the week.
  3. Treat yellow nails with lemon juice or tea tree oil. If you have yellowish nails, it can be the result of either smoking, stain from polish, or a fungal infection, which can be difficult to treat and get rid of. Tea tree oil, however, is a natural fungicide with antimicrobial and antiseptic properties, while lemon juice or lemon essential oil has citric acid which helps to whiten nails back to their original luster.
    • If you have yellow nails, try using an eye dropper to drop a small amount of tea tree oil onto each of your nails and let sit for 5 minutes, then rinse. Apply lemon juice in the same way, rinse, and clean your hands normally.
  4. Use denture-cleaning solution on your nails. While it might sound strange, tablets used to make denture-cleaning solutions are high in citric acid and sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), which can be used to clean, whiten, and otherwise improve the look of your nails. Instead of soaking false teeth, soak your fingernails.
  5. Try apple-cider vinegar. Apple-cider vinegar is rich in malic and acetic acids, which have cleansing and anti-fungal properties which can help to whiten nails and keep them from infection and discoloration. Dilute vinegar with an equal part of clean water and soak nails for up to 20 minutes.
  6. Use supplements to strengthen nails. There are a lot of misconceptions about natural remedies for strengthening your nails, but the only sure way to do it is to introduce supplements into your diet. The only supplement that has been proven to strengthen nails is biotin, which takes an average of six months to show any effects.[3]
    • Most home remedies like applying garlic, or eating more protein, will not help your nails to grow faster or stronger.[4]
  7. Give yourself periodic vacations from polish. If you regularly wear nail polish, you can stain and weaken your nails in the long-term, even if you thoroughly clean them between applications. It's a good idea to let the nails build back up some strength and healthy color about once a year or so, keeping polish off them for a month or two.
    • Instead of applying polish, use the chance to really pamper your nails, applying coats of homemade cleansers and whiteners to get your nails looking good again.
    • It's also important to always clear-coat your nails before adding colored polish to keep them from staining as easily as they might otherwise.



Tips

  • Push your cuticles back to prevent hang nails.
  • For growing longer nails, when applying lotion or oil, massage the lower nail bed and cuticles to stimulate blood flow.
  • Don't bite your nails. Biting your nails weakens them, gets highly addictive, and looks tacky. Paint your nails with clear polish so they taste terrible. Keep them short, or get a beautiful manicure so you won't want to bite them.
  • Regularly clean your nails with olive oil and lemon juice for naturally shiny and lengthened healthy nails! It's simple!
  • Never use your nails as tools because they may cause some damage to them.
  • Protect your nails. If you paint them with a proper color, make sure to sandwich the layers between a coat of clear polish. Re-apply the clear polish every other day, and wear gloves when doing jobs such as cleaning.
  • Do not let your nails get excessive exposure to water/chemicals; such as cleaning supplies.
  • To grow nails longer, apply one coat of clear nail polish over the manicure each day for 5-7 days. Paint over the edge of the nail to protect the tips. Remove and clean as described in this article.
  • Rub your nails with the solution of lemon juice. Your nails will not broken as easily.

Warnings

  • Be careful with cutting and cleaning your nails. Don't cut them right back to the quick so that they're sore and bleed, and don't stab the nail cleaner right into the flesh. Be careful.
  • Nail polish can get a bit sticky at times. Practice painting your nails, and paint them on a rag. If you're terrible at it, get a friend to do them for you.
  • When smoothing, and cutting back cuticles, take care in not jabbing your skin, as it will hurt and look different than the rest.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.beautyheaven.com.au/hands/nail-care-treatments/how-to-clean-nails-properly-7660
  2. ↑ http://therepowoman.com/home-remedy-for-clean-white-nails/
  3. ↑ http://www.doctoroz.com/article/strengthen-your-weak-brittle-nails?page=1
  4. ↑ http://www.empowher.com/nail-products/content/truths-and-myths-about-growing-our-fingernails
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