How to remove gel polish yourself without losing your nails

Gel polish coating has become so popular that it’s not superfluous to know how to apply and remove it yourself. In this material we will tell you how to remove gel polish at home: what tools and products are needed. We will also give useful tips to those who often use shellac in manicure.

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How not to remove gel polish

Some gel polishes begin to peel off near the cuticle after just a few days.
Usually the problem is either in the varnish itself, or in the fact that the nail technician did not degrease the nails enough before applying the coating. You want to tear off this shiny record, but you can’t do that. The gel penetrates into all the irregularities of the nail plate, so that by peeling it off, you can turn a small scratch into a full-fledged crack. A crack at the base of the nail is a very unpleasant thing. It's painful, very unsightly and simply unhealthy. And a healthy nail takes forever to grow.

Therefore, no matter how much you want, do not tear off the polish.

The exception is the gel that is not completely dried. You can easily peel it off and wash off the residue with acetone. How can you tell if the varnish is under-dried? It's simple: the nails smell unpleasant, they stick to everything, the polish smudges. You need to get rid of this as soon as possible, because the varnish can get into your food or stain your clothes.

You should also not wear the covering for too long. Due to heavily overgrown gel polish, the center of gravity shifts to the edge of the nail plate, so the nail can be broken.

How long should you keep the foil on to remove the shellac?

Foil caps
To remove shellac yourself when using foil, you will have to hold it for about ten minutes. But this is only provided that you use a special liquid. If you took a simple nail polish remover, then it is better to increase the time by at least half. Then the varnish will come off the plate better.

How to remove gel polish using acetone and foil

Photo: familylifestyle / Depositphotos
An inexpensive way for those who do not want or cannot purchase special devices. However, keep in mind that your nails may be damaged. So you should resort to this method only as a last resort.

What you will need

Cotton pads;
scissors;
nail file;
Vaseline or fatty cream;
nail polish remover with acetone;
foil;
nail buff.

How to remove gel polish

Cut triangular blanks from cotton pads that follow the shape of your nails so that the acetone has less contact with the skin. If the discs are double-layered, divide the triangles into two parts.

Shot: @Yuliya GoodNails / YouTube

File off as much of the varnish as possible with a nail file. This will make it easier for acetone to penetrate the gel, and the duration of the procedure will be reduced.

To protect the skin around the nail from acetone, lubricate it with Vaseline or fatty cream.

Shot: @Yuliya GoodNails / YouTube
Soak the cotton balls well with nail polish remover (you can use it without acetone, but the effect will be worse), apply them to your nails and wrap them with foil on top - this way the active substance will not evaporate.

Shot: @Yuliya GoodNails / YouTube

Wait 15-20 minutes, occasionally massaging your fingertips to speed up the process. When the time is up, pull the foil and cotton wool off your fingers. If the polish does not come off with the disc, carefully scrape it off with an orange stick.

Shot: @Yuliya GoodNails / YouTube

After this, sand the plates with a buff - a special file in the form of a rectangular block. This is done to make the nails smooth.

Here's the whole process:

Please note that the coating may be difficult to remove with a stick. Therefore, before buffing, you will have to use a hard file to remove excess. Because of this, there is a high probability of sawing through the top layer, and then the nail plate will become thin and weak.

Linda Zhuravleva

Author of Lifehacker.

I really don’t like removing the coating at home and am always ready to pay a few extra hundred rubles for it at the salon, but not so long ago I still had to “remove my nails” myself.

I didn’t remove the polish very well before the procedure, and then I forgot to apply cream to my skin. As a result, the problems began when pieces of cotton pads soaked in nail polish remover ended up on my hands: sensitive skin began to tingle unpleasantly due to the acetone. But I dutifully endured the allotted 15 minutes.

The coating turned out to be very durable, I had to sweat a lot before I finally removed it. The result was disappointing: the nails looked thin, weak, and bent at the slightest pressure (apparently, I was overzealous when polishing with a buff). To complete the picture, the skin around the nails burned, it was sore, it even peeled off.

After some time, everything returned to normal. Still, you need to be careful with this method. Before the procedure, carefully file off the nail polish and lubricate the skin around the nails with Vaseline. And after removal, try not to rub the surface of the nail with the buff as hard as I can, as I did - nothing good will come of it.

Preparing hands and nails for shellac removal

The safest option for removing decorative coating is to have it removed in a salon. The nail technician uses sterile instruments and safe materials to gradually remove shellac. However, to save time and money, you can try to film the result of your work at home, but this should be done as carefully as possible.

Before removing shellac at home, you need to make sure that there is no damage to the natural nail or periungual area, since then it may be unsafe to use the compounds.

Also pre-prepare your hands for manipulation:

Wash your hands thoroughly to remove any contamination.
Apply an alcohol-based antiseptic to remove the oily film from the surface of the skin, which will make it more difficult to remove the coating.
Apply a rich cream to the periungual area to prevent damage to the epidermis with an aggressive composition or to easily remove nail dust.
File off the glossy shellac finish with a file.

Also make sure that in the periungual area you do not have severe damage to sensitive skin or dermatological diseases, the condition of which may worsen after you remove the work.

How to remove gel polish with a special device

Shot: @All about nail service / YouTube
A more reliable, faster and gentler method for nails and skin than soaking with acetone. But you will have to acquire a special device and experience in handling it.

You can also use nail files of different hardnesses, but this will take more time and you will have to try very hard to treat the areas near the cuticle. Plus there is a risk of severely rubbing the skin.

What you will need

Nail polish remover.

How to remove gel polish

Gel polish removers resemble small drills or grinders. On AliExpress you can buy both expensive professional models and simpler ones. For home use, a cheap device is enough: you are unlikely to remove the gel every two days.

Typically, the device comes with several attachments: from harder ceramic or metal ones to those similar to thick cotton wool. Hard attachments should be used to remove the main part of the gel, and soft ones should be used to work near the cuticle, remove polish residues and polish the nail.

Before removing the polish, practice on something you don't mind ruining - false nails or a piece of plastic. This way you will understand at what angle it is more convenient to work.

When you are confident in your abilities, move on to your own nails. All you need to do is gradually, layer by layer, file off the gel from each nail, positioning the cutter horizontally. At the same time, keep your elbows on the table so that your hand does not tremble.

Move as smoothly as possible from the cuticle to the edge. Try to keep the pressure as even as possible. But do not press too hard on the nail to avoid damaging it. Simply iron gently with the rotating attachment until the polish comes off.

When removing nail polish with your non-working hand (for example, the left hand for right-handers), you need to switch the cutter to reverse mode, that is, twist in the opposite direction. This is necessary so as not to damage the nail plate. If your device does not have a reverse function, turn your hand over with your fingers facing up.

The process of removing gel polish with the device is shown in great detail in this video:

Shellac. What it is

This word comes from the Dutch schellak. This is the name of a natural resin produced by female exotic insects (bugs). Habitat: Asia and India. The varnish is collected from tree trunks from June to November. Surprisingly, but true: shellac is edible. Used in pharmaceuticals as an ultra-thin coating for tablets (E 904).

Humanity became familiar with shellac a long time ago. Initially, the material was used in the production of gramophone records - before the entry into the vinyl market. Then shellac became one of the ingredients in insulating materials, varnishes, and photographic paper. It was used as one of the substances in pyrotechnics. Today shellac is used to coat wooden furniture, shoes, guitars, pianos and other musical instruments. And, of course, the most popular application is in nail art. The material is irreplaceable, allowing you to achieve long-lasting durability and a delightful glossy shine.

The American company CND was the first to introduce shellac-based polishes to the beauty market. The presentation of the innovative development took place in 2010. An important advantage of shellac-based products is the minimization of the risk of damaging the nail plate during the process of removing polish. If the master files off the gel polish, then in the case of shellac it is enough to soak the coating with a special solution.

How to remove gel polish with special wipes

Shot: @Art Simple Nail / YouTube
Such wipes can be easily found in cosmetic stores or on the Internet, and then carried with you and used, among other things, to remove regular nail polishes. However, gel polish is not always removed on the first try and there is a risk of drying out your nails.

You will need

Nail wipes;
file;
fatty cream or Vaseline;
orange stick.

How to remove gel polish

Each package contains several individual bags, each of which contains a lint-free wipe soaked in acetone. The inside of the bag is made of a material resembling regular foil.

First, cut off the top layer of gel with a nail file. Treat the skin around your nails with a rich cream. Cut off one edge of the bag, put it on your finger and press gently so that it does not fly off. Wrap all your nails in the same way.

Wait 10-15 minutes and remove the polish with an orange stick. If some areas are stubborn, remove them with a file. Or soak your nails using new wipes.

Professional shellac remover

In the salon, the process of removing shellac takes an average of 15 minutes. The master rubs the top layer with an abrasive file and makes overlays moistened with special removers - solvents that quickly cope with the task and intensively soften the shellac. The next step is to carefully remove the remaining varnish with a wooden stick.

The effectiveness of the solvent depends on the composition. Not all tools cope with the task equally efficiently and quickly. On the list of favorites among professional nail artists: Match, Lafitel, Severina, Perfect.

Additional materials used by specialists: cotton pads, foil or silicone tips. One of the new products on the beauty market is remover wipes. To soften the shellac, just tear the edge of the bag and place your finger there. Inside is a cloth moistened with solvent. The film adheres tightly to the nail, which speeds up the softening process.

How long does it take to remove shellac?

Shellac - when to remove?
Another very good question: how long does it take to remove shellac yourself? In this case, you need to take into account that natural nails grow, and therefore the coating gradually moves towards the center of the nail. As a result, shellac must be removed and reapplied.