Secure The Cotton With Aluminum Foil
To hold the cotton or cotton ball in place, grab a roll of tin foil straight from the kitchen or pre-cut squares like these ones from ForPro . Cut into small squares and wrap each finger to secure the cotton ball in place. If you dont feel coordinated to use the foil method Poole also suggests gel removal clip caps
Wait I Thought Acrylic Nails Were Bad For Your Natural Nail
First things first: acrylic isnt bad, despite what horror stories youve heard. “I believe that proper application and removal is key for any product that you apply to your nails,” Logan says. It all boils down to finding a good technician who knows how to properly apply acrylic to your nails or using the proper tools at-home, according to Logan.
French Girl Cuticle Oil
Chillhouse, French Girl Cuticle Oil, $22, available at Chillhouse.
Featuring a rollerball application, this cuticle oil is easy to apply after removing polish.
We only include products that have been independently selected by NYLON’s editorial team. However, we may receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
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How To Remove Your Gel Nails At Home Like A Pro
Don’t damage your natural nails, with this expert advice
Whether you’re a seasoned nail salon goer or you like to DIY your gel nails at home, when it comes to removing gel nail varnish, things can get tricky. Do it wrong and your nails are left weak, brittle and prone to peeling and breaking. But, learn how to remove your gel nails at home and you can save yourself time, money and a trip to the nail salon.
While there are gel nail polish removal kits you can buy, you can also remove your gel nail polish at home without necessarily having to fork out on removal kit. With just a few key tools, you can easily remove gels at home.
Below nail expert and owner of Treatwell Salon Partner, Selfish, Ksenia McAnulty breaks down how to remove gel nail varnish at home without causing damage to your nails.
Option #: Dental Floss

Another way to remove your acrylic nails sans acetone is to use a bit of dental floss. Yes, you read that rightdental floss! This thin piece of string can be used for more than just healthy teeth and gums. Its the way to go if you want to remove acrylic nails fast. That said, this technique can cause damage to your natural nails, so its best used when your acrylics have already begun to come loose.
What youll need: Cuticle stick, dental floss, and someone to assist.
How to execute: First, grab your cuticle stick and gently lift the edges of your acrylics with it. If your acrylic nails have already begun to come loose, you may not need to do much for this step. Then enlist the help of your roommate, partner, or a friend. Youll need another person for most of this removal process. After the edges of your acrylic nail has been lifted, have them insert a piece of dental floss under it. Carefully move the floss down the nail in a sawing motion until the acrylic pops off. And voilà!
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How To Soak Off Apres Gel X Nails
NO DAMAGE”, Heyy! Oye! I hope you guys found this video helpful and informative. I tried to give you guys several options and show you how to . “Removing Apr\u00e9s Gel X system\/best way to remove Apres nail system\/Easy at home Apres Gel -X”, Removing Aprés Gel X system in acetone and warm water…
Gently Buff Away The Remaining Polish
Gently being the key word here. Applying just a little pressure, use your cuticle stick or manicuring brush to scrape away the the remaining polish. If the polish isn’t sliding off with minimal pressure, that’s a sign that it needs more nail polish remover: Soak a fresh cotton ball, and wrap it up with aluminum foil for a few more minutes before nudging off the rest of the polish.
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Peeling Off The Nail Gels
How To Remove Your Gel Nails At Home
Be Sure Your Nails Are Ready
Before you even begin considering the removal of your gel nails, Sally Hansen ambassador Hannah Lee, tells NYLON that you should first make sure your gel is ready for removal, noting that gel can usually last for two weeks. If you notice nail growth or that your gel has lifted, that’s a signal that your polish is ready for removal. She specifically suggested looking out for lifting, saying, “That allows for moisture to get under the gel and possibly create bacterial growth.”
Gather Your Tools
According to Molly Romah, lead nail tech at Chillhouse, you’ll want to begin by ensuring you have everything needed for removal. For gel nails, she recommends having pure acetone, cotton, a nail file and aluminum foil. As an added bonus, you may also want to make sure your Netflix is nearby, as the soaking process may seem to go a lot faster when you have something to watch.
Time To File And Soak
According to Lee, you’ll want begin the process by using a coarse nail file to carefully, and slowly, file down the top layer of gel. “You want to focus on removing the top coat and not the actual polish, so make sure to do this slowly,” she added.
Soak your nails for about 15 minutes and then check on the progress. “The gel polish should look as if it is falling off the nail and lifted,” Romah said. “The remaining polish should be able to be removed with little to no pressure. If not, go back and soak for another five minutes and try again.”
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Try To Restrict Your Exposure To The Light
A 2016 research from the American Academy of Dermatology disclosed that gel manicures may not be a safe alternative for people who are very sensitive to UV light. The UV dosage that you get throughout a gel manicure is short, yet its intense, Dr. Adigun claimed in the research. In time, this extreme direct exposure can add up to trigger skin damages.
An additional issue is the increase in appeal of LED nail lamps, Dr. Adigun notes of her research study on the safety and security of gel manicures. LED lamps have become preferred as much for their faster treating times as the idea that theyre much safer than UV lights, but Dr. Adigun urges this is not the situation. Although many individuals erroneously believe these lights do not make use of UVA to cure, they use higher intensities of UVA wavelengths to achieve the much shorter treating times. This higher strength of UVA irradiance suggests that it calls for much less time for these lights to possibly damage the skin, she explains.
Instead, Dr. Adigun recommends bringing along your pair of YouVeeShield handwear covers to safeguard your hands against UVA radiation . It is the most protective material because it protects the entire digits and also wrist, Dr. Adigun states.
Wrap Them Up With Aluminium Foil
Cut the aluminium foil in small squares before wrapping your fingers in the soaked cotton pads. The size should be large enough to wrap and secure the cotton pad around your fingertips.
Do this on all 10 nails. The easiest way to start would be with your dominant hand first. It will be a little tricky to do it on the last few nails with aluminium-foiled fingers, but hang in there. Leave it on for 10-15 minutes for the gel to unlatch itself from your nails.
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Gel Nails: 12 Points You Need To Understand About Gel Manicures
Theres a reason that how to remove gel overlay on nails have ended up being a modern charm mainstay: Theyre virtually indestructible, impossibly glossy, as well as provided at the majority of nail beauty salons. The most enticing facet of a gel mani? Zero danger in cracking your polish the minute you dig with your bag to inspect your phone in addition to, for numerous weeks to come.
Gel gloss are included stronger components that realize the nail tighter than traditional lacquers and also are solid sufficient to withstand day-to-day wear and tear without damaging, discusses Essie Global Lead Instructor Rita Comment. A few distinctions in between the formula and also your normal lacquer? Gel polishes are much more adaptable, so they withstand chips Gels are treated under a UV or LED light and brightens treatment in oxygen. Gels have to be eliminated by soaking in acetone for at the very least 10 minutes, while polishes can be quickly wiped away with nail gloss cleaner.
How To Remove Gel Polish The Aluminum Foil Way

Before you try this method to take off your gel nails, make sure you have:
Acetone
Cotton balls
Orange wood stick
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How To Remove Your Acrylic/gel Manicure At Home In Five Steps:
The Owners Of Dc Nail Salon Group Nailsaloon Share Their Go
If you were one of the wise ones who got a gel manicure before the pandemic closed all non-essential businesses, your nails are probably just grown out enough now to start annoying you.
Removing a gel manicure at home can be tricky, though, so we reached out to the owners of DC nail salon group Nailsaloon Andréa Vieira and Claudia Diamante for their tips. The duo recommends being patient and gentle while following these steps so as to minimize damage to your nails. The good news? You probably have a lot of time on your hands , and much of this can be done while bingeing Netflix or on a Zoom call.
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Make Sure You Have the Right Tools: While having your gel manicure professionally removed is optimal, with a little patience you can achieve the same, non-damaging results at home. To make it happen, you’ll need acetone, cotton balls, foil and a wood nail stick.
Maximum Strength Acetone Is a Must: As for the acetone, “no need to spend double the amount on a brand name that states it’s specifically for gel removal,” said the pros. Just make sure that it’s labeled as maximum strength and that it doesn’t say non-acetone.
Protect Your Cuticles: Creating a barrier between your cuticles and the acetone is key. For the job, Enamel Diction recommended using Vaseline or Aquaphor. Since you must cover your entire nail bed with acetone-soaked cotton to ensure that the gel is removed properly, that barrier layer will help from ravaging and drying out delicate cuticles during the process, they explained.
Moisturize Nails: Once all of the gel has been removed, “the nail beds will look dry and brittle at first so make sure to properly moisturize with a nail oil,” recommended the experts. Another way to revive nails post-gel is to take a timeout for an overnight, hydration treatment. “Apply a healthy amount of Vaseline or Aquaphor to your cuticles and gently rub it into your nail beds right before you go to bed,” shared the pros.
Done and done!
Make It Easier To Remove
If you want to make it easier to remove your gel nail polish, here are a few tips:
- Resist the urge to peel off the polish. While it might seem like a safe alternative to using acetone, it can actually cause more damage in the long term. Repeatedly peeling off manicures can cause onycholysis, a common nail condition caused by the nail lifting away from the nail bed.
- File your nails before soaking them. It doesnt seem like it will make a difference, but it can require more soaking and scraping if you skip this step.
- Try using a different brand of gel polish. Certain brands are easier to remove than others, but that typically means they may not last as long. Ask your nail technician for their recommendations on the easiest brands to remove.
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How To Remove Gel
We know too well the temptation that comes with wanting to pick and peel off your gel polish. That moment of satisfaction will be fleeting, but the damage you inflict on your nails could take weeks to repair. Sarah Gibson Tuttle, CEO and founder of the celeb-favorite nail salon Olive & June, shares the rundown on how to safely remove a gel manicure at home.
How To Take Gel Nails Off At Home
And no, peeling them off is not the answer
here’s a high chance that quarantine and our collective lockdown is impacting your fortnightly mani-pedi appointment.
And if there’s one thing more annoying than not being able to leave our homes, it’s outgrown gel nails.
So we spoke to creative manicurist genius, Imarni Ashman, the founder of cult London nail salon, IMARNI Nails, to get the lowdown on how we can remove the hefty polish from our nails in the comfort of our own homes.
Below is Imarni’s seven-step DIY gel nail removal technique, which also works for acrylics too All thats needed for a simple Imarni-approved gel removal is a bottle of 100 per cent acetone , cotton wool balls, tin foil, and something uber hydrating for once the process is complete. Imarni suggests opting for cuticle oil to re-hydrate post-removal, but marula oil also does the trick.
So, get your DIY mani station ready and clear, and get ready to nail it.
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How To Remove Gel & Acrylic Nails At Home
Because biting or peeling them off is never the answer…
Unlike regular nail polish, gels and acrylics dont come off with a simple swipe of remover .
Although it requires a little bit of patience, removing them isnt as tricky as you may think. To help keep your nails in tip-top condition, weve created a nail removal 101. Acetone at the ready!