How to Remove Gel Polish without Damaging Your Nails?

When you have had your gel manicure for sometime and it is coming out, it is time to think how to remove it safely without damaging your nails. Many people want to do this at home because they either lack the time to visit a nail salon or are far away from their favorite nail artist. Whatever the case, you may just want the gel polish removed without damaging your nail. That is why you should never want to lift the polish and pluck it off with your bare hands. Instead, you may want to use a safe gel removal method that is both safe and effective. Although your nails might look fine after tearing the nail polish off, you could end up tearing the delicate layers of your nails. Unfortunately, this could lead to damaged nails that are dry, brittle and even cracked.

To avoid the above situation, it is important for users to follow the correct procedure for removing gel nail polish without destroying their nails. Doing this will result in healthy and beautiful looking nails that are ready for their next coat of color.

How To Remove Gel Nail Polish At Home

How To Remove Gel Nail Polish At Home? The safest way to remove gel nail polish at home is to use acetone-soaked cotton balls and scrape the rest of the polish with a nail file. However, if you do not have cotton supplies, you can file the gel polish layers off and soak your hands in a bowl of acetone to remove the remaining gel polish from your nails. However, it is important to note that different Gel polish products on the market take different times to remove gel polish and therefore, it is advisable to only start the process when you have ample time to soak your fingers and remove the gel. Below are the steps to follow when soaking off gel nails.

1. Protect Your Cuticles

Before using acetone to remove gel polish from your nails, it is important to protect the cuticle and nails. This is because acetone deprives the nails and the skin of their natural oil which might leave them dry. Therefore, before you soak your fingers in acetone, you need to protect your cuticle with cuticle oil. And if cuticle oil is not available, you may consider using Vaseline. The petroleum jelly will create a barrier that will protect your skin against the effects of acetone.

2. Loosen up the Top Layer with a Nail Fill

The top coat of the gel polish is an impermeable layer that seals the rest of the color from reach. That is why you will find gel manicures lasting for weeks instead of days. When you scratch this layer using a tough file, you get acetone to penetrate in the inner layers. When filing the nail, apply light pressure that runs parallel. This will help the acetone to penetrate without a hitch.  However, you should do it lightly to avoid scratching the nail plate.

4. Soak Your Nails in Acetone Using Cotton Balls and Aluminum Foil

Acetone gel polish remover is more effective than the other alternatives on the market.  This makes it effective at removing gel on the nail. You can dip cotton balls in the substance before attaching them to each of your finger nails. To hold them in place, you can attach an aluminum foil on each of them.  The use of aluminum foil is recommended because it traps heat that can help break up the gel faster.

Also, it’s important to note that gel varies in strength. As a result, the breakdown time can vary from one 10 to 20 minutes depending on the product used. For softer gel, it may take about 10 minutes to come out. However, this extends to longer times when dealing with a harder gel. The good thing is that if the gel does not come out the first time, you can always rewrap and give it another try. To make the process easy, it is advisable to soak your dominant hand first. If you are right handed, you can begin soaking your right hand first. Similarly, those who are lefty should begin with their left hand. This is to make things easy when you need to switch hands as the dominant hand will be free to do the wrapping.

5. Scrape the Layers and Soak Again

Once acetone has removed most of the gel polish from your nail, it is time to get a nail file and scrub the remaining gel from the nail. If you have soaked well, the first few layers of the polish will begin to peel off from the nail. However, if you find other stubborn layers of the gel polish, you should remove them with another soak. Repeat the soaking and scraping until all gel polish is gone. This should include the base coat.

 6. Wash and Moisturize

The last step in removing gel polish is washing up and moisturizing. This should be done using cuticle oil to replenish some of the lost moisture from both the nail and the cuticle. This procedure is very important because acetone can be really harsh on your skin. Alternatively, you can use a hand cream that is rich in emollients and humectants. These will help moisturize your nails to reach a perfect condition.  

 Conclusion

 Removing gel polish is a serious task that should be given the attention and care that it deserves. This is especially when you are doing it at home. We hope that the above tips will help you remove gel polish without destroying your nails.