By now, you’ve probably become pretty adept at how to tackle a slew of at-home beauty processes, including how to color your own hair and how to groom your own brows. But when it comes to your nails, you may have shied away from taking care into your own hands. So what do you do when you want to switch up your mani or simply take your current nails off and you can’t get to the salon? Well, fortunately, when it comes to how to remove gel nail polish, you’ve got options. Sure gel nails are meant to last, but nothing is made to last forever. Much like removing acrylic nails, it can be a bit of a process!
HOW TO REMOVE GEL NAIL POLISH
Follow these steps the next time you want to get gel nail polish off at home and avoid unnecessary damage.
STEP #1: File the tops of your nails.
Take your nail file and go over the gel that’s on your nails.
STEP #2: Soak and wrap.
Take cotton balls or pads and saturate them with pure acetone.
If you don’t have cotton pads you can use paper towels or napkins as an alternative.
3. Wait it out.
Taking off gel polish requires patience.
After around 20 minutes, take a peek under one of the pieces of foil. Is the gel polish practically falling off your nails? If yes, move on to the next step. If no, give your nails more time.
4. Buff your nails.
When the gel polish is lifting right off—it might look like big flakes of polish—unwrap your nails and remove the cotton pads. You should be able to wipe the gel polish off easily at this point. Once you’re left looking at your natural nails, grab a nail buffer and buff your nails. This can help smooth out any rough spots and remove any discoloration that certain shades of nail polish can leave behind.
5. Treat your cuticles.
Acetone is a must when it comes to how to remove gel polish, but it can take a toll on your cuticles. The skin around your nails is likely to be feeling pretty dry right about now, so use a little cuticle oil as Silcare cuticle oil.
Source: L'Oréal
