I’m a gel nail lover but one of the pains of having gel nails is removing them. You can always go to a salon and have them removed but in my opinion, it’s a bit of a waste of money as you can easily do it at home. All you need is some cotton wool, a buffing nail file, nail clippers, kitchen foil cut up into 2 inch square pieces and some nail polish remover that contains acetone.
To being with use the nail clippers and trim the ends of each nail. This will make them easier to remove. Next use the nail file to buff away the shininess on your nails, you don’t need to go overboard on this, just enough to remove the shininess off the surface of the nail. Then soak a piece of cotton wool in the acetone nail polish remover and place on the nail. Then take your piece of foil and wrap it around your nail. I find it easier to do one hand at a time, or get a friend to help wrap the other hand. Then just wait. I normally leave these one my nails for about 20 to 30 minutes. That way, when you remove the foil and cotton wool, the gel polish should just fall off as well. If not, use your buffering nail file to gently buff away the gel polish from your nail.
Once the gel polish is removed, your nails may feel a little dry, mine do anyway. So I use a cuticle oil on each nail to help restore some moisture. The one I use I featured in a previous manicure Monday post, which you can read here.
I hope this little guide helps, let me know if it does, and whether you have any alternative tricks for removing gel nails at home
Must admit I’m a stranger to gel nails but you’ve obviously got it sussed. How much do you have to pay a salon to get them removed?
Normally between £5-£10 depending on whether you’re getting a new set of gel nails at the same time or not x
I wish I read this post some time ago. I struggled to remove my gel nails, had to end up searching for videos on YouTube x
They can be tough to remove if you’re not sure how to but there are some great videos on YouTube x
I have never had gel nails before but I might in future!
very helpful tips on removing gel nails though 🙂
Thank you x
Great tips, i love having Gel on my toes throughout the summer months x
So do I, especially as they last for ages on your toes x
This has to be at the top of my worst beauty jobs!! In fact I need to remove my gels today – well the ones I haven’t picked off!
Victoria x
I agree, it’s not top of my list either x