6 Easy Steps to Remove Gel Nail Polish at Home [Best Solution]
Are you concerned about damaging your nails while removing gel nail polish at home? Don’t worry, you’re not alone.
Here are the gel polish removal methods we use at TopNailSalonNearMe Beauty Company to keep our nail beds healthy between gel manicures. In addition, we discuss how to prevent brittle nails after removing gel nails.
Whether you choose to remove gel nail polish traditionally or with a gel nail polish remover, we provide instructions for both methods.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to remove gel nail polish at home:
- File your nail bed with a nail file
- Apply acetone to a cotton ball
- Wrap the tip of the finger in aluminum foil
- Use a cuticle stick to remove gel polish
- Buff your nails
- Apply cuticle oil on your nail
Here are the items you will need before you start to remove gel nail polish:
- The nail file (180 grit)
- A cuticle stick (cuticle remover)
- A cotton ball or cotton pad (lint-free)
- Acetone that is 100% pure
- Nail buffers
- The aluminum foil
- Cuticle oil
You will need acetone, cotton balls (or pads), aluminum foil, a cuticle pusher, and a nail filer to remove gel nail polish at home. Nail buffers and cuticle oil are supplementary items that can help maintain healthy nails.
PREPARATIONS BEFORE REMOVING YOUR GEL NAIL POLISH AT HOME
If you wish to remove gel nail polish, here are a few tips to consider.
- The easiest way to remove gel nail polish is to work on one hand at a time.
- Make sure the area is well ventilated. Acetone has a strong odor.
- Cover your work surface with a towel since acetone can stain.
- Cut out 10 squares of aluminum foil large enough to wrap around each fingertip.
- Cut off 10 cotton balls that are large enough to cover just the nail bed of each nail if you’re using cotton balls.
HOW TO REMOVE GEL NAILS AT HOME: 6 EASY STEPS
The following is an easy-to-follow, step-by-step guide on how to remove your own gel nails at home, now that you know what you need.
1. FILE YOUR NAIL BED WITH A NAIL FILE
You should use a coarse file to remove the gel top coat layer until the top coat is no longer shiny or smooth. You should file every nail down.
You should begin by filing the gel top coat on your non-dominant hand. To file your nail, use a flat-faced nail filer to file your nail from cuticle to edge in a left-to-right motion (not back-and-forth). Focus on more than one area at a time.
The gel polish on your nail plate is exposed when you file down the gel top coat. As a result, the acetone you’ll be using later will be easier to remove.
2. SOAK ACETONE TO A COTTON BALL OR COTTON PAD
To cover the nail bed with cotton balls, pull off 1.5×1.5 cm balls, making sure they’re thin and large enough.
Cotton balls shouldn’t be so large that they overhang the skin and touch the cuticles.
Afterward, soak a cotton ball in acetone for a few minutes, but do not allow it to soak up water. It usually takes about 5 to 10 drops of acetone to accomplish this.
A cotton ball saturated with too much acetone can cause mild irritation, resulting in redness, dryness, and cracking of the skin.
Alternatively, if you are using cotton pads, apply acetone directly to the pad so it’s damp, but not dripping.
Next, place the acetone-soaked cotton on top of a fingernail.
3. WRAP THE TIP OF THE FINGER IN ALUMINUM FOIL
Wrap the fingertip in the pre-cut aluminum foil 3×3 inches to hold the cotton ball in place.
Repeat steps 2 and 3 for each fingernail until all your fingers are wrapped in aluminum foil and containing cotton balls.
Let the acetone soak into the gel polish for 10 minutes after wrapping each nail.
Gel nail polish should appear bubbly/curled after 10 minutes. It means you can pinch the foil from the nail and remove the cotton ball.
4. USE A CUTICLE STICK TO REMOVE GEL POLISH
Using a metal cuticle pusher or orangewood stick, gently push off the gel polish from each nail.
Continue soaking the nail for another 5 minutes if the gel polish isn’t slipping off easily.
5. BUFF YOUR NAILS
Buff your nails gently to remove both ridges and uneven edges and smooth the surface.
Remove any remaining gel polish flecks.
It is important to remember that buffing your nails too much can thin the nail plate, weakening your nails and the ability to adhere gel polish. Over buffed nails bend too much, causing the gel polish to separate easily from the nail plate when they are over buffed.
6. APPLY CUTICLE OIL ON YOUR NAIL
Your nails and skin will be damaged if you remove gel polish with acetone. Your skin will become dry and your nails will become coarse after being exposed to acetone.
For healthy and strong nails, rehydrate your cuticles with cuticle oil.
Massage the cuticle oil into your cuticles until they are completely covered.
Using cuticle oil too much is never a good idea. You can apply cuticle oil as frequently as three times a day daily if you believe it’s worth maintaining your nails and skin.
It’s that simple!
USING A GEL NAIL POLISH REMOVER
By using a gel nail polish remover, you can avoid the inconvenience of soaking cotton balls in acetone and wrapping your nails in foil.
The following are some of the reasons why gel nail polish removers are becoming more popular:
- In just five minutes, you can remove your gel polish
- It’s easy to use
- Your nails won’t be damaged by this product
- There is no need to wrap foil
- Save money by avoiding nail salons
- There is no pungent smell
- Compact and travel-friendly
- It works with gel polish, acrylic, dip powder, and regular nail lacquer
Rather than paying a salon regularly to remove your gel nails, you can do it yourself with our gel polish remover.
Gel nail polish removers are easy to use, don’t damage your nails, and require less tools than traditional methods of removing gel nails.
HOW TO USE A GEL NAIL POLISH REMOVER
1. FILE THE TOPCOAT
Make sure the top coat layer is no longer shiny and smooth by filing it down with a coarse nail filer.
2. APPLY THE GEL POLISH REMOVER
Put a thick layer of gel polish remover on the gel nails. Keep away from the skin.
3. WAIT 5 MINUTES
Allow the gel polish remover to soak into the gel nails for 5 minutes. Gel nail polish should peel, crack, bubble, or burst around the edges. If your gel polish is thicker, allow extra time.
4. LOOSEN THE GEL POLISH
Use an orangewood stick or metal cuticle pusher to loosen the gel polish on each nail. Use a nail buffer to clean your nails.
5. MOISTURIZE YOUR NAILS
To rehydrate your cuticles, apply cuticle oil.
AVOID THESE COMMON MISTAKES WHEN REMOVING GEL NAIL POLISH
SOAKING YOUR NAILS IN AN ACETONE BATH
In the case of submerging your nails in 100% pure acetone, the excessive exposure of acetone to your nails, cuticles, and surrounding skin will dehydrate them.
The method often results in dry, brittle nails. Cuticles and skin can become dry, flaky, red, and inflamed.
You can avoid exposure to acetone on your skin by using cotton balls soaked in acetone to isolate where acetone is needed on your nail.
As a result of the potential damage caused by an acetone bath, it will take longer for your nails and skin to recover before applying gel polish again. It is not a good idea to follow this advice.
USING AN ELECTRIC NAIL DRILL IS NOT RECOMMENDED
For beginners, it is not recommended to use a drill to grind off gel nail polish because you may end up grinding into the nail plate.
This will damage your nail plate and make your nail bed more sensitive to pain. As a result, your nails will become thin and weak.
If this occurs, you will need to wait for a new, healthy nail to grow out.
IT’S NOT OK TO PICK AND PEEL OFF YOUR GEL POLISH
If you pick and peel off the gel polish without acetone, you damage your nails’ top layer, which can lead to brittle, cracking, and breaking nails.
It can take weeks (sometimes more than a month) for your nails to become healthy again when they are weakened.