How to Remove Gel Nail Polish

Gel nails are nails that are painted on real nails, with durability and close to real nails. Most people go to a salon to have their nail gel removed by a manicurist, but you can skip this step and do it yourself at home. This article will show you 3 ways to remove gel nails: soak, file and peel.

Table of Contents

Soak gel nails

Pour acetone into the bowl. Acetone is a chemical that reacts with gel nails, helping to reduce stickiness and cause gel nails to leave their natural nails. Acetone is a common ingredient in nail polish removers. However, to remove gel nails, you need to use pure acetone with a higher concentration.

Wrap plastic wrap or foil over the acetone bowl. Tie an elastic band to secure the wrapping paper.
Place the acetone in a larger bowl of warm water to warm the acetone. Leave for about 3-5 minutes and then remove to prevent the bowl from becoming too hot. Be careful in this process because acetone is flammable. Do not leave acetone near direct heat sources and be careful that just enough to warm the acetone.

Protect the skin around the nails with moisturizing wax (Petrpeum Jelly). Acetone can make your skin dry and damaged, so you need to protect it with a moisturizing wax. If you don’t have a pure moisturizing wax, you can use a lotion or oil containing the ingredient Petrpeum Jelly.

Dip a cotton swab in moisturizing wax to apply to the edges of the nail and the skin from the fingertips to just below the first joint.
Do not apply too much moisturizing wax to the nail to allow the acetone to have enough power to dissolve the gel.

Wrap your nails in acetone. Dip a cotton ball in acetone until completely absorbed, then place it on the nail. Then, use foil to secure the cotton ball. Soak nails in acetone for about 30 minutes.

If acetone doesn’t irritate your skin, you can soak your nails directly in the bowl instead of using cotton balls and foil. Make sure not to soak nails directly in acetone for more than 30 minutes.

Remove foil and cotton balls. Remove the foil and cotton ball from one nail first. The gel should fall off easily when you wipe it with a cotton ball. If the gel falls off easily, you can repeat the process with the remaining nails.

Can be peeled backwards to make the gel easier to peel off.
If the gel on your first finger is still sticky, replace it with a new cotton ball soaked in acetone, wrap it in foil, and then wrap it around your nail for another 10 minutes before trying again. Continue until the gel nail is soft and can be removed from the nail. If this method doesn’t work within an hour, the adhesive gel is probably resistant to acetone and you need to find another way.

Nail care. Wash off the acetone and then use a file to file the natural nail. Use a nail polisher to help remove rough corners. Moisturize your nails and hands with lotion or cosmetic oil.

File only in one direction so as not to damage the nail. Avoid filing back and forth like a wood saw.
Acetone can dry out nails. Therefore, you need to keep your nails carefully for a few days. It is recommended to wait about 1 week before applying new gel nails.

Gel nail file

Nail trimming. Use a nail clipper to trim the part of the nail that exceeds the finger. Trim as short as possible. If the nail is too thick and cannot be pressed with a clipper, you can use an emery file to file the nail.

File the nail surface. Use a 150-180 grit coarse file. Gently file in a diagonal motion so that the nail is filed evenly, and move the file to different positions so as not to burn in one spot.

The nail filing process can take a long time. You should not be in a hurry to file too quickly or file unevenly as this can damage the natural nail underneath.
Dust your nails continuously. This step will help you see how much gel is left on the nail before filing the natural nail.

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Watch for signs of close proximity to the natural nail. Stop filing when reaching the natural nail to avoid damaging the nail. Signs of proximity to the natural nail include:

The part of nail dust while filing gel nails is much reduced.
The natural crescent curve is visible in the nail.

File the remaining gel with a fine file. File slowly and gently to avoid filing into the natural nail surface. Although unavoidable, a gentle file will help limit the damage when filing a normal gel nail. Continue until the gel nail is completely filed away.

Nail care. Use a polishing tool to smooth the surface of the nail (may get scratched after filing). Use lotion or oil to moisturize your nails and hands, avoiding contact with chemicals and other harmful substances for a few days. Only apply new gel nails after about 1 week.

Gel nail removal

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Wait until the nail is almost broken. Gels usually break off after 1-2 weeks and it’s best to wait until the gel starts to peel off on its own to reduce damage to the nail surface.

Insert the cuticle stick under the surface of the gel. Gently insert the stick under the gel, until the gel around the edge of the nail is slightly raised. Do not push too hard under the nail gel to avoid damaging the natural nail.

Peel off the gel. Use your fingers or tweezers to hold the edge of the gel nail and then peel it back. Repeat with each nail until the gel nail is completely removed.

Do not rip off gel nails. Vigorous tearing can pull the natural nail layer.
If the hard gel does not peel off, you should consider another removal method.

Nail care. Use a file to smooth the edge of the nail and then use a polishing tool to smooth out rough spots on the surface. Apply lotion or oil to nails and hands. Only apply new gel nails after about 1 week.

Advice

After removing the gel nails, the natural nails will be very weak and sensitive to chemicals and cleaning products. Therefore, you should wear protective gloves during cleaning for several weeks.
If you are patient, you just need to let the nail grow out and then press often to remove the gel-coated part, until the gel nail is completely removed. This process takes longer but is the most natural and least unhealthy way to remove gel nails.
The same method can be used to remove acrylic nails.
If you can think ahead, you can use the “slowly peeled off” method. Before the day you want to remove the gel nails, you can peel off the gel bit by bit each day without using acetone. Pour warm water into the bowl (moderate warmth) and soak the nails for 15 minutes. Warm a little olive oil and massage the oil into your hands and fingers, paying special attention to the cuticles and openings underneath the gel nails. Gently peel off little by little and massage into the space between the gel nail and the natural nail. However, do not rip off the gel nails all at once. Repeat this process for several days (once a day). Gel nails will fall off after 4-5 days.

Warning

Gel nail removal can cause damage to the natural nail.
Avoid inhaling the smell of acetone while preparing and soaking your nails. It is best to apply this method in a well-ventilated area.
Never use molten sugar because it can cause burns.
Acetone is highly flammable. Never heat acetone in the microwave or on the stove. Be careful when heating acetone with warm water. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Things you need

Soak

Aceton
Bowl
Cotton balls or paper towels
Silver paper
Nail file tools
Nail Polisher
Lotion or oil

File

Sandpaper nail file tool
Fine grain nail file
Nail Polisher
Lotion or oil

Strip off

Cuticle stick
Tweezers
Nail file tools
Nail Polisher
Lotion or oil

Steps