How to remove the gel nail polish at home?

Manicures in gel allow to preserve an intact nail polish during 2 to 3 weeks. But how to remove it yourself? Follow the guide !

First things first: Protect your cuticles.

Acetone can wreak havoc on the skin around your nails. Before you soak protect the surrounding areas with a cuticle oil, A quick home remedy is the tried-and-true Vaseline. The petroleum jelly will create a barrier to minimize damage that the liquid can cause.

Be sure to loosen up the top layer.

Before soaking you should take a coarse nail file and go over the top surface of all of your nails, The gel top coat is a tough nearly impermeable layer that seals the color in place—that's why gel manicures are able to last for weeks instead of days. So scratching the surface will help the acetone to penetrate without a hitch. When filing apply a light and parallel pressure, to avoid scratching the nail plate underneath.

Take your time and let them soak.

Here’s how to soak your nails: Apply acetone-drenched cotton balls to each nail (acetone is stronger and more effective than nail polish remover). Next, wrap each finger with aluminum foil to generate more heat to help the particles breakdown faster.

Gel polish formulas vary in strength, so the wait time can be anywhere between 10 and 20 minutes. Sometimes it’s best to do one hand at a time at home. I like to start with the dominant hand to get the toughest part out of the way. So if you’re a lefty, begin soaking the nails on your left-hand side, and then your right hand will be a breeze. It’s a small change, but it makes a huge difference.

Soak again and gently scrape.

Once you give the acetone time to work its magic, grab the file (or a wooden orange stick) again and continue to gently scrape the layers to safely remove the gel polish. You'll notice the first few coats begin to peel off easily. If you encounter more resistant layers you'll need to loosen them up with another acetone soak. Repeat the soaking and scraping method until you've safely removed all of the color including the base coat.

Wash up and moisturize.

After you finish soaking in acetone you want to make sure that you wash thoroughly, I would also apply a cuticle oil a few times over the next few days just to replenish the moisture in your nails as well.