A Comprehensive Guide to Removing Gel Nail Polish at Home — Without Damaging Your Nails
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With social distancing in full effect, booking a trip to the salon to remove your gel nail polish will have to wait until it's safe to do so. That means (quite literally) it's time to take such matters into your own hands.
The temptation to pick, rip, or bite off the polish is usually the first at-home "solution" that comes to mind. It's a strong (and weirdly satisfying) urge, but resist it. "When you peel off your polish, you also take off layers of your nail bed with it, which leaves them susceptible to peeling and breaking," Jackie Saulsbery, New York City-based manicurist, tells Allure.
The good news is you can remove a gel manicure at home without going to the salon — and without damaging your nails. "The best way to safely remove your gel polish does take a bit of time and patience, but it will help to keep your nails in good shape," Saulsbery says. Here, we talked to the nail experts about how to remove your gel polish at home without totally wrecking your nails.
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Grab Everything You'll Need Before Getting Started
Find a Well-Ventilated Space
Give yourself plenty of time for the removal process and most importantly, do it in a well-ventilated area so you're not breathing in all that acetone, says nail expert Jenna Hipp. The process can't really be done in a rush — you'll need about 30 minutes. (Consider this a good time to catch up on your Netflix queue.)
Break Out the Nail File
Before you break out the nail polish remover, grab a coarse nail file (Saulsbery likes the Hand and Nail Harmony 180/180 File) and gently and slowly sand down the top layer of polish.
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The point here is not to sand all the polish off. You're really just roughing up the topcoat, so take it slow. "Avoid filing too far into the color. Basically, you just want to remove the shine," says Hipp.
Protect Your Skin
Next, coat the skin surrounding your nails and fingertips with a cuticle oil or a thick cream. "This will provide protection from the acetone, which is very drying to your skin," says celebrity manicurist Tracylee. We like CND Solar Oil Nail & Cuticle Conditioner (and, bonus, this formula smells like an almond cookie). Olive & June's Cuticle Serum is another Allure favorite.
Soak Some Cotton Balls
The key to removing gel polish is to soak your fingertips in acetone. You can do this in a small bowl filled with acetone and a drop or two of cuticle oil, Saulsbery says, or you can use a soaked cotton ball on each nail.
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Tracylee prefers cotton balls to pads because they're closer to your nails' size and shape. Plus, cotton balls are able to hold on to the acetone better as your nails soak. "Cotton pads can absorb the acetone and dry out too quickly," she explains.
Saturate the cotton balls with acetone — more than you think you need. For the best results, Tracylee recommends steering clear of formulas with moisturizing ingredients (even though they're tempting) since they tend to slow down the process, leaving your fingers soaking for a longer amount of time.
Wrap Your Fingertips with Aluminum Foil
Grab some Reynolds Wrap or any brand of foil and tear it into squares about three inches by three inches. (You can do this beforehand.) Then wrap your fingertips in the squares. "Place an acetone-soaked cotton ball on your pinkie nail and use the foil to secure the cotton ball in place," says Tracylee. "Start with your non-dominant hand — it makes things easier."
Repeat this on all 10 nails. (Warning: It will get a little tricky by the end of the process when most of your tips are covered in tin foil.) After 10 or 15 minutes, check your progress.
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"The gel polish should look as if it is falling off the nail and lifted," Saulsbery says. "The remaining polish should be able to be removed with little to no pressure — if not, go back to soaking for another five minutes and try again."
Apply a Little Elbow Grease
Once all the gel nail polish has loosened, pull the foil off of each finger and apply slight pressure to the nail with the cotton ball. For any remaining spots gently use a nail stick, "working under the gel to lift it off the nail plate," explains Hipp.
Pro tip: "Wooden tools can be a breeding ground for bacteria, so dispose of them after each use and don't share with friends," Hipp says.
If you don't have a stick around and want to use something else, like this popular TikTok dental floss hack, be very, very careful, warns manicurist and owner of New York City's Jinsoon Spas and Nail Lacquer Jin Soon Choi.
"The only time gel can be removed with dental floss is after the edges of the polish have lifted off the nail bed, but it must be done with great care," she says. "The risk of using floss too vigorously is pulling off not only the gel polish but part of your actual nail as well."
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