A beautiful and healthy manicure is not only a stylish design, but also proper care. The nail plate, cuticle and periungual ridges require attention. Only with proper treatment of the skin of your hands and nails can you achieve ideal results. You can perform all the necessary care procedures not only in specialized salons, but also at home. At the same time, large financial costs and complex skills are not required. You will need knowledge, desire and some free time.
Removing gel polish
Having thoroughly studied the issue of applying gel polish, many miss the importance of the correct technology for removing it. And this procedure has a fairly large impact on the condition of the nail plates and skin on the fingers. Removing gel polish at home is easy. It is enough to familiarize yourself with all the nuances once and then use this knowledge.
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.
Recipes for traditional medicine that will help nails recover
There are many ways to restore the health of the nail plate in the shortest possible time. We will tell you about the simplest and yet very effective methods.
- Pour olive oil into a small container and heat it slightly. Dip your fingers into the oil and keep them there for 10 minutes. Carry out the session daily for 1-1.5 weeks.
- Cut a slice of lemon, squeeze out the juice and rub it into the nail plate for 10 minutes. Repeat the procedures daily for a week.
- Take about 100 g of sour berries, such as cranberries, red or black currants, and grind them. Apply the resulting puree to your nails and wash off after 10 minutes. Make such masks 5-7 times.
- Heat the water, add 10 drops of essential oil (it is better to take citrus oil) and 1 tsp. sea salt. After the ingredients have dissolved, place your hands there and take this bath for 20 minutes. After the specified time has passed, dry your hands and lubricate them with nourishing cream.
We didn’t manage to tell you all the intricacies of removing gel polish from nails. To safely remove the gel, see the following video.
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.
Don't make mistakes!
To begin with, I would like to draw attention to the common mistakes that women make when removing shellac on their own.
- Never use solvents such as acetone. This is a very strong product, not intended for these purposes, and its use will greatly injure the nail plate, worsen the condition of the cuticle and lead to its dryness.
- Never peel off the varnish, even if it comes off a little on its own and seems to be “asking” to be pulled and torn off. Even if it has partially come off, the rest of the nail is still firmly attached to the nail, and together with it you will remove the top layers of the nail plate.
The described actions will lead to fragility of the nails, they will become weak and require a long recovery. Therefore, do not rush, use reliable and proven methods.
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:
What is the best way to remove gel polish?
To choose the appropriate method for removing gel polish, remember what kind of coating you applied to your nails. If you get a manicure in a salon, check the name of the product, country of origin and brand during the procedure.
To determine how best to remove material from the nail plate, Natalya Bobrova advises first understanding what kind of material it is. If you remove the coating yourself, try to find information on the Internet about the composition of your gel polish - it will help you choose the appropriate method.
It is difficult to determine at a glance how many components the manufacturer introduced. Meanwhile, the composition of the product affects the removal. If there is more varnish component in the composition, the coating will be easily removed with liquid. If there is a lot of gel in the composition, the gel polish will take a long time and be difficult to dissolve. In this case, it is better not to harm your nails with liquid, but to use the device.
Manicurists advise removing the coating with a cutter rather than liquid - but only if you know how to use the tool. If you have never learned how to use the machine, remove gel polish with liquid and foil.
All experts recommend removing gel polish in a salon. Want to learn how to do it yourself? Sign up for special courses on manicure and gel polish. In the catalog with manicure training courses in Moscow and St. Petersburg, you will find a program that suits you in terms of price, time and location.
Manicure teacher Natalya Bobrova told what topics are covered in the courses:
- structural features of the nail apparatus and skin;
- natural functions of nails;
- popular manufacturers of manicure products;
- compositions of gel polishes and removers;
- Schemes for safe coating removal - both with a device and with liquid.
At special courses, you will be taught how to use a manicure machine correctly and will be taught the technique under the supervision of a teacher.
Manicure teacher Olga Su advises choosing manicure courses, paying attention primarily to the skills and qualifications of the teacher.
The instructor must be a practicing master himself, have at least 3 years of experience and know several techniques for performing manicures or nail extensions.
It’s good if a teacher participates in professional competitions and wins prizes. He must also have a document confirming the right to teach and issue certificates.
The nail school must provide all supplies to the student. Training courses should also have a base of models so that the student can practice new skills in practice.
Manicure courses can last from 1 to 10 days and cost from 5,000 to 20,000 rubles . Once a student completes their studies and passes the final exam, they receive a diploma or certificate.
Use the right products, follow safety precautions, and you will definitely be able to remove gel polish carefully!
This training may be right for you:
- Best Online Manicure Courses from 1,000 Rubles
- 10 Best Manicure Training Courses in Moscow
- 10 Best Manicure and Pedicure Courses in St. Petersburg
- Best Nail Extension Courses in Moscow from 1,000 Rubles
- 10 Pedicure Training Courses in St. Petersburg
- 10 Best Nail Extension Courses in St. Petersburg
Choose the best manicure training courses in your city: Yekaterinburg , Krasnodar , Nizhny Novgorod , Novosibirsk , Rostov-on-Don , Voronezh , Krasnoyarsk , Perm , Omsk .
Repost the article if it was useful to you! We will be pleased to see that you found the expert advice and work of our author Nadya useful!
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.
