Gel nails turning yellow after a few days

There are several reasons imaginable making your gel nails turning yellow:

• Cheap Gel: The main reason for such discoloration usually is a bad and cheap gel that takes dirt and that is not comfortable with light. Who wants to have fun with nails, should not save at this point.
• Tanning Salon: Some gels can not tolerate the light in the solarium. Remedy is a special sun gel or varnishing the nails before going under the sun.
• Smoking: Typical yellow fingers of smokers. In some way, transparent nail polish may help which should be renewed every few days. Or better: Quit smoking at all.
• Incompatible Materials: Sometimes gel gets stained because of working with fabrics that are not tolerated by the gel (for example, cleaning agents or hair coloring).

I hope I could help you a bit.
Last update on 2021-05-17 | Created on 2014-11-22

In past, I often had problems with discoloration of my nails.

I got the tip to just include some glitter into the nails. With this, the yellow color is hardly noticeable.
2014-11-27 at 18:23

I am experiencing the same thing. The polish is turning yellow, sometimes after a week, now I noticed it as soon the manicure was done. I am not a smoker, nor do I use harsh chemicals. I could see the difference right at the salon.
2016-06-04 at 03:11

Same happens to me. I swear it's because I wear a lot of black clothes. I've ruled out just about everything else... Jeans, too I think.
2016-08-03 at 14:00

Mine did this. Pop them back under a led or uv light. They went back to close to normal. You want to put under a light till they get warm. Makes no sense but there's no explanation i can come up with just a solution. I've used different gels, primers and such. I even used a gel Polish that turned funky yellow. Try popping back under a light and let it heat up.
2016-11-18 at 19:54

I feel this is happening to me because of either my facial wipes or when I use Clorox wipes to clean.
2017-01-17 at 21:27

My beautiful pink pearlish color turns yellow. I love my nail shop but cannot wear this color without it turning into smokers yellow. I don't smoke or put my hands in anything toxic. Wth?!
2017-02-04 at 02:40

Hello.

This too has been happening to me recently. I have come to the conclusion..... It's my facial moisturizer! I use a moisturizer that contained high spf (20+) that I apply before my makeup. Have you ever worn a white dress/cover up/shirt or bathing suit that turned yellow during the summer?? It's because of your sunblock. I truly believe this is why my nails are changing. I hope this helps!
2017-03-12 at 15:52

I had the same problem. I found out my nails were turning brown because of some new black leggings. Once I washed them, the problem was gone.
2017-05-10 at 08:22

I'm a resin artist and recently started using polymer clay and just looking for some quicker ways to seal some small pieces so was looking into gel nail polish. For what it's worth, I do know that many resins will turn yellow over time. And face it, nail gel is a uv cure resin. It's a major complaint of resin artists. This is especially true for pieces that are used outside, they can sometimes turn yellow very quickly. You have to be careful with the brands, Youtube shows some comparison videos if you're interested. This is probably true in your field as well.
2017-05-30 at 16:52

I noticed the same thing this time I got my nails done. However, about a week later I dyed my hair (to cover up greys). I think rinsing my hair and usin my hands to run through my hair contributed to the color. I'll remember to do my hair before I get nails done next time!
2017-08-23 at 02:29

I noticed that all of these posts are old.

Is anyone still having this problem? I’ve used salon gel on my nails for 2 yrs with a French Manicure and only the last two times my tips have turned yellow. I got them done yesterday and they already look bad.
2017-10-17 at 21:47

I thought it was my Clorox wipes too since my French would turn a grey color. But my manicurist told me it was lotion. Some lotions will do this so I stopped using it on my hands or would wash my hands off right after and it was great! The other day after a week I forgot to wash the lotion off my hands after I applied to my body and my nails started to turn. Bath and body works brand.
2017-10-28 at 19:54

It's not just Gel nails! It also happens to regular Acrylic nails as well. It's the light that our nails are being put under to dry as well as the cheap old nail polish! Just because it's Gel doesn't mean it can't be cheap and old. The salons rarely do anything about it and blame it on the customer but it's really their fault for not realizing what they're doing and or using.
2017-10-30 at 22:32

I am experiencing the tips of my gel French manicure turning a dingy brownish color and trying to figure out why.

My current manicure was done at a very nice salon in Texas using, what appeared to be Gelish brand, per the bottle. The issue started about a week after getting my new gel French manicure. In significant contrast I also had a gel French manicure done when I visited California, about 2 days after getting my manicure I flew back to Texas and my California manicure lasted for 6 weeks, the entire 6 weeks spent in Texas, and was still going strong and the only reason I had them redone is because of growth and I busted a nail. I did everything, literally everything in the French manicure from California, cleaned with chemicals, used all types of lotions, shampoo's, soaps, gardening, wearing new clothes, etc!! and my nails never changed in the slightest.

Again all of these things done in Texas (meaning it's nothing being done in Texas causing the issue, and not the water either). I had No dingy, no discoloration, no fading in white tips or shininess, they looked the very same on the last day of the 6th week as they did the first day I got them. Additionally, the salon in California used the exact same led light for curing as did the salon in Texas, therefore that doesn't seem to be the issue.

After reading many reviews, I am beginning to think it's the Gelish polish and top coat or whatever is in the bottle, labeled as Gelish, that was used is very poor quality. I believe what was used in California was a completely different product, which I plan to figure that out. There has got to be a reason and an answer. So far I'm not seeing a good answer.
2019-08-13 at 00:12

Unfortunately, Hand/Body creams & Hair products add to the yellowness of the nail gel.
2024-02-07 at 15:48