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
Then Give Yourself A Hydrating Manicure
Gently file nails, push back cuticles, and apply a nail strengthener, like CND Rescue RXx Daily Keratin Treatment , which repairs damaged nails with the power of keratin protein and moisturizing jojoba oil. Next, hydrate and harden the cuticles by massaging an oil into each nail for 10 seconds. Try OPI ProSpa Nail & Cuticle Oil , which has a brush-on applicator so you don’t have to get your hands greasy.
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.
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How To Remove Gel Nails Quickly
You dont need to visit a salon to remove your gel nails. You can do it at home with a few simple tools. In this post, I will show you a few ways to remove gel nails quickly. Each method only takes around 15 minutes and if done right, these methods will help you remove gel nails without damaging your nails.
Walmart Nails Salon Prices
You can use google maps to book your appointment.
The prices at the nail salons in Walmart are not too expensive.
A Nail Repair costs $5. A polish change is $12.
Acrylic / Dip / or gel nail removal is $12 at Walmart.
If you want a Vinylux manicure, that will cost you $25.
They even do a childrens manicure for $15.
See our services and prices chart at the beginning of this article for the complete list of services and prices.
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Scrape The Layers And Soak Again If Needed
While the acetone gets on work to show its magic, you take Manicure sticks and keep scraping the layers to remove the Gel polish from the nails safely and gently. If the Gel polish had been long soaked, then it wouldnt take much time and would peel off easily. But if any difficulty arises, then loosen the foil and soak it with acetone again. Keep repeating it until you safely remove all the colors off.
Wrap Your Fingertips In Aluminum Foil
This is a common practice used at the nail salon when you’re getting gel polish removed, and it makes a huge difference. Before soaking the cotton balls, cut a sheet of aluminum foil into handy little squares and wrap each square around your fingertip with the acetone-soaked cotton ball pressed firmly onto the polished nail bed.
Trust us: This is much easier when helped by a friend. Things start to get dicey after you’ve wrapped a few fingertips, even harder after seven or eight. It’s doable alone, but takes longer and triggers bouts of acetone-induced anger. Wrap until all 10 fingertips are secured, looking like tin-foil claws. Now we wait.
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The Best Way To Remove Gel Nail Polish
Save yourself time by removing the polish yourself. All you need is nail file, acetone, cotton balls, and aluminum foil. First, buff your mani to remove the shine and proceed to douse your cotton balls in acetone. Be sure you use maximum strength nail polish remover .
Gel needs to be removed with acetone or an acetone-based remover, Casey Herman, celebrity nail artist to Jennifer Lawrence told The Knot. Generally, the higher acetone content of the remover, the quicker it will remove the gel.
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Once you have your cotton ball, place over your nail and cover with aluminum foil. Repeat for all your fingers. Now, the hard part let it sit for at least 30 minutes to make sure the gel polish dissolves. From here you should be able to peel off the paint without damaging your nails. After, dont forget to moisturize and let your nails breathe, especially if youve had back-to-back gel manicures.
There is even a kit you can use!
Step #: Soak And Wrap
Take cotton balls or pads and saturate them with pure acetone. Save your regular nail polish remover for another occasion and break out the big guns for this one! Place the pads on your nails and then wrap them with aluminum foil. If you arent particularly dexterous, you may need someone to help you with your non-dominant hand.
Editors tip: If you dont have cotton pads you can use paper towels or napkins as an alternative. There are also premade foil kits available that include everything you need to get those gel nails off with ease.
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File Your Nail Bed With A Nail File
Use a coarse nail file to file down the gel top coat layer until the top coat is no longer shiny and smooth. File down every nail.
Start by filing the gel top coat on your non-dominant hand. Use the flat face of a nail filer to gently file your nail from the cuticle to the edge of your nail in a left-to-right motion . Do not focus on a single spot.
Peeling Off The Nail Gels
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What Kind Of Nail Polish Remover Do I Need
Have a look at products that are advertised as gel nail polish removers. Most of them come in liquid form in a large plastic bottle. You could also get yourself some pre-soaked wraps that remove gel nail polish.
If you are looking for a cheaper alternative then you can buy pure acetone. Most commercial gel nail polish removers are mostly made up of acetone mixed with fragrance, and it works out a bit cheaper to buy pure acetone which does the job just as well.
How To Remove Gel Nails With Acetone
Acetone nail polish removers work by breaking down the gel nail polish and removing it from the surface of your nails. This is by far the most popular method but you should know that exposing your fingertips to acetone can dehydrate the nail plate and cuticles.
Acetone can also make your nails dry, brittle, flakey and red.
If you choose to use this method, dont leave the acetone on your tips for more than 15 minutes.
What You Will Need:
Heres How to Remove Gel Nails with Acetone:
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Soaking Your Nails In An Acetone Bath
When you fully submerge your nails in a bowl of 100% pure acetone, the excessive exposure to acetone on your skin and nails will dehydrate the nail plate, cuticles, and the surrounding skin.
This method often results in nails becoming dry and brittle. The skin and cuticles can become dry, flaky, red, and irritated.
The method we recommend involves using acetone-soaked cotton balls to isolate where the acetone is needed on your nail to avoid exposure of acetone on your skin.
Due to the potential damage caused by an acetone bath, it will take longer to repair your nails and skin before applying gel polish again. Do not follow this commonly told advice.
The Aluminum Foil Method
For this method, youre going to need acetone, cotton balls, and aluminum foil.
*If the polish doesnt seem to be coming off easily, put the wrap back on for a couple more minutes. Then try again.*
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Growing Your Nails Offers A Safe Alternative
Dr. Lipner says the best way to remove gel nail polish is to let your nails grow out. Clipping them once a week will remove the gel nail polish and help prevent the nails from catching on clothing and other objects. If you choose this option, you need to resist the urge to pick at your gel nail polish. Picking and scraping off the polish can damage your nails.
Letting your nails grow is a slow process. Dr. Lipner says, It takes about six months to grow out your fingernails. Toenails need 12 to 18 months to grow out.
To properly trim your nails, follow these tips from board-certified dermatologists: How to trim your nails.
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Soak Cotton In Acetone
The pieces of soaked cotton should be cut and fitted on top of the nail and then wrap the nail with a plastic food wrapper. Just make sure the seal is tight but not too tight that it cuts off the blood circulation.
For about 10 minutes, the plastic wrapper should not be removed. After 10 minutes, then you can remove the plastic wrapper and the nail polish should fall off easily.
Using a wash cloth, deep it in water and gently remove any remaining gel that is left behind. Try not to rub or touch the skin as much as possible only on the nails.
To remove excess acetone from your nails or body, wash it with soap and water. Using soap especially once that are fragrance free, will help prevent irritation of your skin.
Then lastly for seven days, everyday, using the petroleum jelly, rub it into your cuticles as well as the skin around your nails. Again this will help prevent skin irritation.
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Soak Your Nails In Acetone Using Cotton Balls And Aluminum Foil
Acetone is stronger and more effective than non-acetone nail polish remover, making it exactly what you need to remove your gel nail polish. Drench some cotton balls with the stuff, then hold them in place on your nails by wrapping each finger with aluminum foil. According to Yankee, this traps in heat to help the gel break down faster. Gel polish formulas vary in strength, so the wait time can be anywhere between 10 and 20 minutes. If you dont get it exactly right, you can always rewrap and keep on soaking.
Yankee’s expert tip: Sometimes its best to do one hand at a time at home. I like to start with the dominant hand to get the toughest part out of the way. So if youre a lefty, begin soaking the nails on your left hand, and then your right hand will be a breeze. Its a small change, but it makes a huge difference, she says.
Wait 10 To 15 Minutes
Cue up some Netflix and let the acetone to do its job. If you used the soaking method, wait until you notice the corners coming loose, then as your nails are still steeping in the acetone, take an orangewood stick and gently begin to loosen the gel on each nail until it is removed completely. If you used foils and cotton, the gel manicure should slide off with the cotton ball when you remove the foil. If some residue remains stuck to your nail, again, use an orangewood stick to work it off. “When removing my own gels I use my thumbnail to scrape the softened gel off. I find it gets very close to the nail, but doesnt hurt it, Poole says.
If the gel polish is being stubborn give it another five minutes to soak and then try again patience is key here. The nails should soak until the gel appears to be bubbling, Poole says. This could take 10 minutes but Poole says its often longer. A good rule of thumb: Don’t scrape off the polish until it’s fully softened, she says.
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Gently Scrape Off The Gel From The Nail
Now comes the satisfying part scraping the gel off your nail!
Id recommend using an orangewood stick for this, as theyre gentler on your nail. People use them for nail art and treatments you can buy them in bulk on Amazon for a few dollars.
Some people use a metal cuticle pusher instead of the orangewood stick, but I wouldnt recommend it because it can harm your nail beds.
Starting at the base, carefully scrape the loose polish off your nail towards the end. If the manicure is stubborn, dont force it off it just means that you need to repeat this whole activity again.
DO NOT scrape toward your cuticle thats an easy way to hurt your skin and nails!
Wash Up And Moisturize
After you finish soaking in acetone, you want to make sure that you wash thoroughly, Yankee says. She also suggests putting on another coat of cuticle oil. If you want to get a little fancier than petroleum jelly this time, try the highly rated favorite Maccibelle Cuticle Oil , which comes in three different scents: milk and honey, pomegranate, and tea treelavender.
Yankee also suggests keeping the habit up for a few days just to replenish the moisture in your nails, since acetone can be so harsh.
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How Do I Remove Acrylic Nails
Trim start by carefully clipping your acrylics, cutting them as close as possible to your real nail length.
Buff like with the gel removal, grab a nail buffer and rough up the surface of your polish until the shine is completely gone.
Soak next up, fill a nail soaking tray with acetone, then place your nails in it for five to 10 minutes.
Remove gently test a nail with a cuticle pusher. If nothing shifts, re-dip your nails for a further two to five minutes, then gently try again. Repeat the process until your acrylics have completely soaked off.
Aftercare just a few finishing touches to go! Rub away any stubborn pieces of acrylic with a nail buffer before filing into a shape of your choice. Round, oval, square you decide. Now wash your hands and apply cuticle oil and hand cream.
See that wasnt so hard, was it? Looks like youve nailed it.
How To Use Gel Polish Removers
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