Your mani may not be the most pressing thing on your mind these days. But if you haven't been to a nail salon in a few weeks (or months), you will likely come to a point where your gel nails require maintenance that only a pro can offer. Aside from visible regrowth not looking quite as fresh or polished as you’d like, letting gel polish grow too far can strain the health of your nails, leaving them frail and damaged (due to weight imbalance and lifted, jagged edges). You need self-love, baby. It ain't very pretty with your nails looking scruffy.
Your best bet: take it all off. We asked a nail industry expert for the safest, simplest way to strip away gel polish at home. With a couple key tools (you might need to do some online shopping for this) and a little patience you’ll have healthy, naked nails in no time.
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.
1. FILE IT DOWN
Don't overthink it: removing gel nails at home manicure is the same exact process as the salon. If one nail breaks or chips, file it down to a shape that you want and to leave it alone after if you can. If you want to take the entire manicure off completely, start by carefully filing away just the topcoat seal. Be careful not to file off the entire polish as that can cause damage.
2. SOAK IT OFF
Now for the step that will test your patience. Place a cotton ball or pad in acetone on each of your nails, then wrap the tip of your finger in foil to hold the ball in place. Acetone evaporates quickly. The biggest mistake that leads to gel not coming off completely is not soaking the cotton enough. Repeat on all 10 nails. Then, let your nails soak for for about ten to 15 minutes, or longer if the polish doesn't easily slide off. You'll know the acetone has fully removed the gel when the polish looks lifted from the nail.
3. REMOVE GENTLY
If the polish isn't easily sliding off, grab a fresh acetone-soaked cotton ball and place it on the nail for a few more minutes. Working on one nail at a time and use a carefully twist and squeeze motion to pull off the foil.
4. NOURISH YOUR NAILS
While acetone works wonders in removing gel, it can make your nail sensitive and dry. Once all the polish is off, rinse any residual acetone with soap and water and add moisture back to your nail beds with serums or you can add an oil before soaking to prevent dehydration. Lock all the moisture in with a rich hand cream as your last step.
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