You just got your manicure done, and within minutes of coming home you break one of your perfectly painted nails. Cue; the anguish and the heartbreak.
Luckily, all is not lost, thanks to an incredible (and easy-to-acheive) pantry hack that’ll let you fix your first world problem, stat.
The best part? It’s as simple as grabbing a tea bag and a few of your usual manicure supplies.
Tell us more, we say.
TODAY recently revealed the simple hack and as it turns out, all you need is a tea bag, some clear nail polish (a top coat will do), scissors and your nail file and buffing block. If you’ve been wearing nail polish, then some nail polish remover will be needed, but all in all, your pantry and manicure beauty kit will do.
To start off, remove all of your nail polish and make sure your nails are clean. Grab your tea bag, empty its contents and cut the filter part to be just big enough to cover the break in your nail. Then, use the clear nail polish to “glue” the small part of your tea bag onto the nail, essentially using it as a piece of gauze.
Make sure that there are no air bubbles between the nail and the tea filter and then apply a second coat of nail polish to get the tea bag to really stick to the nail and keep it from further breakage.
Finally, wait for the polish to dry completely, then use the nail file and buffer to clean up the nail and shape it to your liking. And there you go: a broken nail fixed right from your pantry.
But that’s not the only way you can heal your nails using a pantry hack. Here’s what else the online community raves about:
Use cooking oil to dry your nails
Using a spray of cooking oil can dramatically cut down on your drying time. Plus, it’ll leave your nails shiny while it dissolves.
Use whitening toothpaste to get rid of yellow nails
Whiten your nails with the same tools you need to whiten your teeth. If your toothpaste contains hydrogen peroxide, use it to clean your yellow nails (you know the ones you have after you remove nail polish?).
Dry your nails in ice water for quicker setting
Don’t have any PAM on-hand? Dip your hands into a bowl of ice cold water to dry them faster.
Use aluminum foil and cotton pads to remove gel polish
Stubborn gel polish can be removed at home, and you only need a few simple items to do it. Soak cotton pads in nail polish remover, place it on your nail, and cover the entire tip of your fingers with aluminum foil. Keep them on for 5 minutes and remove. The polish should come off as well.
