How to Remove Gel Nails: Guide + Tips

Gel nail polish is gorgeous and long-lasting. There’s an obvious glossy sheen with gel polish that you won’t find with other manicures, making it a top-notch choice.

Although it’s stunning, it doesn’t mean you want it on your fingernails forever, though.

If your gel manicure is “past its prime,” and it’s time to say sayonara to those gel beauties, you have two options: have them professionally removed by your nail technician or remove them from home.

Removing gel nails is easy enough to do from home, so don’t think a visit to the nail salon is a must.

Keep reading to find out how to remove gel nail polish with ease.

Remove Gel Nail Polish from Home: 5 Steps

Removing gel nail polish at home is a cinch and can be completed in five easy steps.

All you need is: cotton balls or pads, aluminum foil or nail clips, a coarse nail file, acetone, and cuticle cream or oil.

Here’s how to do it.

1. Start By Filing Down the Nails

The first step is to start filing down the gel nail polish using a nail file.

You want to get rid of the layer that provides the beautiful shine, known as the gel “top coat.”

So, continue to file your nail plate until you no longer see the shiny layer. It will appear a bit more lackluster.

2. Soak Cotton Balls or Cotton Pads in Acetone

The next step is to take your cotton balls or cotton pads and soak them in acetone nail polish remover.

Keep in mind that the cotton balls/pads need to be heavily soaked. If you do not use enough nail polish remover, it will not work correctly, leaving gel polish on your nail beds.

You will need to have enough cotton balls/pads to cover all of your nails simultaneously.

However, you will want to make them smaller so they’re situated right on top of the nail bed rather than covering the entire fingertip.

This is simply due to the fact that acetone nail polish remover is highly drying, and you want to do minimal damage when removing gel manicures.

3. Wrap the Nails

The next step is to apply the acetone-soaked cotton balls or pads to your fingernails.

To keep them in place, you can wrap them with aluminum foil (tin foil) or use salon-quality nail clips.

Nail clips are infinitely easier to work with. If you regularly remove gel nail polish at home, I recommend buying some.

Once all of your nails are wrapped, you will want to wait 10-15 minutes before removing them.

4. Scrape Off Any Excess

After a 10-15 minute soak in the nail polish remover, the gel nail polish should slide off with ease.

If you still have remnants of gel polish, though, you can always apply another round of acetone to the stubborn nail.

Simply soak another cotton ball with acetone and apply it to the nail plate for another five minutes.

If the acetone cotton ball still doesn’t do the trick, use an orange stick (cuticle stick) - not a metal appliance - to gently scrape off the remaining gel nail polish.

5. Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate!

Although removing gel nail polish with acetone works like a charm, it is highly drying for the nail bed and surrounding skin.

If you don’t rehydrate the area, you can end up with brittle nails and dried-out skin. No, thanks.

The best way to combat this is to apply cuticle oil or cream to the area.

You will want to continue to apply the cuticle oil/cream for the next week or so before getting a new gel manicure.

Remove Gel Polish Without Acetone

Are you looking for a way to remove gel polish without the harmful effects of acetone?

It can be done, although it might be a bit less efficient.

The benefit to using this method is that there are no harsh side effects, and you don’t have to fiddle with a soaked cotton ball on every fingernail.

To remove the gel manicure without acetone, simply do the following:

• Fill a small bowl with warm water, dish soap, and a pinch of salt.
• Let the nails soak in the solution for about 15-20 minutes.
• Use an orangewood stick to get rid of any remaining polish.
• Apply cuticle oil to the area to hydrate and keep fingertips in tip-top shape.

FAQs

Why won’t my gel nails come off?

If you’re struggling with removing your gel manis, you’re likely not using enough acetone.

Ensure that the cotton pad or ball is soaked in acetone before applying it to your nail.

You should also ensure that you have used a nail file to buff off the top layer thoroughly.

What can I use instead of acetone?

As mentioned earlier, you can remove gel nails using water, dish soap, and salt.

But that’s not the only option. Although I recommend using this mixture or acetone, some people have successfully used hand sanitizer, hydrogen peroxide, and rubbing alcohol.

Is it OK to peel off gel nail polish?

You should never peel off gel nail polish, even if it appears as though you could easily do so.

Trying to peel off gel polish can be incredibly damaging to your natural nail, leading to brittleness, weakness, and unsightly white patches.

If you’re done with your gel mani, you will need to follow the proper steps to remove them correctly.

Yes, it will take about 30 minutes altogether to get them off, but you will spare the risk of harming your nails for future manicures.

Can you paint regular polish over gel?

Don’t want to remove them, but want to change the color?

There is nothing wrong with painting over your gel manicure. The only thing to consider is whether or not the color underneath will still be visible, which might not be pretty.