Peroxide & Baking Soda Whitening Test

The other day I was browsing through some nail boards and came across a pin that said, "How to get white nails after so much nail polish -- make a paste using 1 tbsp peroxide and 2 1/4 tbsp baking soda. Let this paste sit on your nails for 5 minutes and voila! White nails! REMEMBER THIS AFTER USING Dark NAIL POLISH!"

KICK AAAAASSSSSSS, I thought. Just what I needed! My nails are still recovering from the dark blue KleanColor polish I wore for Independence Day. I've had some success in the past by soaking my nails in warm water with a Polident tablet or two in it, but those things aren't SUPER cheap and they kinda smell like, well, denture tablets.

So anyway, I tried the paste. I followed the directions exactly as stated them and even left the paste on for a couple minutes longer. After a few curious glances my way from my fiance (who didn't even ask what the hell I was trying to accomplish with foamy white paste on my finger tips, bless his heart), I ran to the kitchen sink and washed it off. THE RISE!!!

The fall...

NO noticeable change, what-so-ever. BLAST!

There are a few things that I can see that MAY have affected the outcome. First, and most obviously, perhaps my nails are just too stained, or the stains are too old to be 'bleached' out. Secondly, my peroxide was not brand new, it's about half gone. Maybe a newer bottle would have provided a different outcome? Maybe I should have soaked my nails in warm water before attempting this to soften them? Who knows.

Do you guys have any tips and tricks that you use to whiten your nails or lift stains? Let me know in the comments! I'll try pretty much anything...within reason. ;)

-Fox

Random side note: I wear Seche Vite Base Coat. And yes, posting that photo of my naked nails is a little bit embarrassing. ;)