We love a good gel manicure, and we’re sure you do, too. Unfortunately, getting a gorgeous gel manicure also means making an extra trip to the salon to get the polish removed. Being busy gals ourselves, we don’t always have time to run to our favorite nail place just to take off the color, which is why we put together a few quick steps for how to remove gel nail polish yourself.
1. Don’t Try To Peel It Off
Our first tip is one that a lot of girls don’t follow. There’s nothing wrong with taking off gel nail polish yourself, but please, do not peel it off! Doing this is oh so bad for your nails and will make them weaker and more susceptible to unwanted breakage. We know the temptation is real, but whatever you do, resist it!
2. File Your Nails
Before you try taking your nail art off, you are going to want to get out your nail file. Use the file to gently sand down the top layer of the polish. This will make it easier to take off without actually having to file or peel off pits of your natural nails.
3. Give Yourself A Massage
Once you’ve gotten some of the sanding out of the way and are totally ready to part with your nail design, you are going to want to make sure your cuticles and surrounding skin are protected. Take a bit of cuticle oil or your favorite moisturizer of choice and slowly work it into the skin surrounding each individual nail.
4. Use Cotton Balls For Maximum Power
Cotton balls are made for soaking up tons of liquid and that is precisely why they’ll be perfect if you’re looking into how to remove gel nail polish. Take some acetone and soak one cotton ball per nail. Take an extra soaked cotton ball and get a quick layer of acetone over all of the nails before moving on to the next step.
5. Wrap Them Up
Take your soaked cotton balls and place one over each nail, and then wrap up your finger with some aluminum foil or plastic wrap. This will let the acetone soak into the gel polish so it will be easy to remove, and won’t damage your nails. Leave the wrapping on your fingers for about 10 to 15 minutes before undoing.
6. Scrub Off The Rest
Once you’ve removed the foil or plastic wrap, most of your precious nail art should be long gone. Use the soaked cotton balls to gently scrub off any excess polish if there’s any leftover. When you’ve finished, make sure you massage on a little more cuticle oil or soak your hands in something a bit more heavy duty, like coconut or argan oil.
Skip The Salon, Create Your Own Nail Designs!
Now you know how to remove gel nail polish in the comfort of your own home! Hey, why not skip the salon all together and practice your nail art skills for yourself? If you haven’t heard, we just launched a brand new monthly nail polish subscription service on the site! You’ll get 3 gel-like nail polishes delivered to your door every month for just $19.99 if you sign up for this amazing polish club! Go check out the club’s main page to learn more. Be sure to tag Instagram by using our hashtag, #LiveGlam if you get inspired to paint on a creative nail design while you’re there!
Preeti Sareen