Your polish looks great – but when you take it off, your nails are yellowed and discolored. That’s not good. You want your nails white and pretty. You might want to wear clear nail polish or a translucent pink, and you don’t want the yellowing to show through. What can you do?

You can soak your nails in denture cleaner. Yes, you read that right. Leave your nails in the solution for about five minutes, rinse, and dry. You’ll be amazed at how white your nails are, and it won’t damage your skin, cuticles, or weaken your nails.

If you’re not up for that, try mixing a tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide with three tablespoons baking soda. Use a cotton swab to dab all over your nails. Make sure to pack it underneath them, too. It’s going to be thick, so it will stay under there. Leave it for about five minutes, then rinse and dry. This might make your hands a little dry, so moisturize afterward, especially the cuticles.

You can also get a nail whitening pencil and run it under your nails for an ultra white look. It’s a great quick fix when you have somewhere to go and you don’t have time to whiten. It takes only seconds – but keep in mind that this is just camouflage. Your nails won’t really be white. They’ll just look better temporarily.

How do you whiten your nails? Let me know on twitter, facebook, or leave me a message here on the blog.

Nail biting is a common habit. It is usually not a serious problem, but it can become habitual, and it’s a nasty habit. It’s also a habit that can cause bacterial infections, bleeding, and even permanent nail damage, not to mention that it makes your manicure look horrible. It’s common during the teenage years, when about half of all people bite their nails to some degree. With some people, however, the habit lasts into adulthood.

How to stop biting your nails:

First, consider why you’re biting them. Is it merely a habit, or is it a response to stress? Many people don’t even notice when they’re biting their nails, they’ve become so conditioned to doing so. If it’s stress, however, ask yourself what stressful situations cause you to bite your nails. Work pressures, frustration, nerves, or any combination of these can cause you to feel stressed and out of control. If you’re a nail biter, this can send your fingers right into your mouth.

Make a plan to help you keep you from biting your nails. Go over the plan daily, and see how you’ve done. If it isn’t working, try to tweak the plan until it does.

If you’re biting your nails when you’re stressed, try to relax. Do deep breathing exercises when you feel pressured. Every time your hand goes to your mouth, make a conscious decision not to bite or chew. Every time you go a day without biting your nails, reward yourself. Watch a movie you like, or have an ice cream bar. It doesn’t matter what the reward is as long as it is something you like.

Give yourself a manicure. Nail polish in a pretty color can make you think twice about biting your nails. At the very least, put a clear top coat on your nails. Not only will it make them look better, it will make your nails stronger and harder to bite. The unfamiliar texture might keep you from biting, as well.

Condition your cuticles and nails, even if you don’t do a full manicure. The unfamiliar taste of the cream or oil will make you think twice about putting your fingers in your mouth.

A nail hardening regimen with a protein formula nail hardener can build a strong nail foundation resistant to peeling, chipping and splitting. That means less breaks, stronger nails, and less damage from biting.

Even if you’re not able to stop biting your nails completely, you’ll lessen the damage to your nails if you can keep them out of your mouth. Do you bite your nails? Did you break yourself from this habit? Let me know on twitter, facebook, or just leave me a comment here on the blog.

I manicure my nails at home. How about you? At first, I wasn’t very good at it and it took me a long time. Now, my nails look great, and I can whip through a manicure in no time. It was a trial and error process for me. Here are some tips and tricks to help you with your own manicure.

Sally Hansen’s Teflon Tuff Extra Strength nail protector makes my nails long, strong, and chip free. It’s a 10 day protective shield for weak, soft nails. Once I even slammed my hand in the car door – and the nail didn’t break!

Eat plenty of calcium.

Don’t forget to moisturize your hands. And rub a moisturizer into the nail bed and cuticles, as well. Nailtiques Oil Cuticle Therapy is a good one that helps keep nails strong. It seals in moisture and keeps them healthy.

Massage your nail beds. (Not the cuticle, the nail itself.) It increases blood flow and stimulates nail growth.

Groom your nails weekly. File them and give them some shape. Then either put a clear coat of polish on them, or put on colored nail polish. It will keep your nails stronger, and they’ll look fabulous.

Keep your cuticles pushed back, but only push them back when they’re wet. Otherwise, it’s going to hurt, and you’re going to get tearing. After a bath or shower is a great time to push back cuticles. Alternatively, you can soak your hands in warm water with a little olive oil thrown in. It will soften your cuticles and your hands at the same time.

Don’t bite your nails.

If you’re a nail biter:

Have any home manicure tips of your own? Hit me up on twitter, Facebook, or let me know here on the blog.

Psst! Guess what? StocknGo now has nail care items. Just in time, too: It’s spring, with summer coming up quickly. I’m ready to get my sandals out and stop covering up my toes. That means, of course, that I need new nail polish… You can save up to 51% off the regular price of nail polish, top coats, and nail and cuticle treatments. Wow! That’s big savings for you! They have quality brands such as OPI, Nailtiques, and Essie. I don’t know about you, but I’m a nail product junkie. I need at least 5 nail polish color choices in my nail care kit at all times, or I start to get anxious.

Here are a few of my favorite colors:

Essie California Coral is a great summer color. It’s a creamy color somewhere between peach and coral, and it looks absolutely great with everything. I love to wear this on my toes when I have on my favorite pair of gold, barely-there sandals. It’s absolutely gorgeous and stylish.

Essie Imported Champagne is classy and elegant. It’s a sparkly light golden beige, and it looks awesome when you want to be subtle and romantic. It transitions from the office to a party with ease.

Essie Fish Net Stockings, on the other hand, knocks you out with color. It’s not subtle: It’s a spicy dark crème red, and it screams ‘Look at me!’ I wear this nail polish color when I want to stand out from the crowd. One warning, though: You’re going to find yourself gesturing dramatically when you use this nail polish.

Essie Exotic Liras is a deep fuchsia. I love this color; I wear it with pinks and lavenders, and I have a lot of those in my closet. It looks great with black, as well. Exotic is right, and sometimes that’s just the look you’re going for. Dress in your most demure, prim outfit and put this nail polish on. It says ‘I’m a lady on the surface, but I’ll keep you guessing’.

Essie Pinking up the Pieces is a lovely spring/summer nail polish color. It goes well with nearly everything, and it’s neither too dark nor too light. I wear this color a lot, and it looks great whether I’m wearing jeans or I’m in my party gear.

What are some of your favorite nail polish colors? Let me know on twitter, facebook, or just leave a comment here.