At home vs. in the salon: removing gel and acrylic nails

Gel and acrylic nails, making our fingers look great since our last salon appointment. Alas, as dreamy as they are, they don’t last forever. Though there’s nothing as satisfying as peeling those babies off, it’s seriously bad news for your nails – think weak and brittle. No thanks. You can try removing properly at home (the process is relatively similar), but buying all the gear, and coating the kitchen table with acetone is less cost effective, and not my kind of relaxing evening plan. I’d suggest heading to the salon: you’ll be in and out in under twenty minutes, unless you’re applying a fresh set (likely). If you’re new to the world of nail removal, you’d probably like to know how it’s done – not with a bog standard nail polish remover, FYI – so here it is, a step-by-step of what to expect.

• 1 The tools

  To remove your gel nails, you'll see some unusual goodies lying around your nail technician's table. No Sunday Roast (darn), but tin foil is included. Here's what's used:

  • 10 small squares of tinfoil

  • acetone (like a mighty strong nail polish remover)

  • 10 cotton pads

  • a high-grit buffer

  • a nail file
• 2 Step one: a gentle file

  Your nail technician will use a file to ~gently~ buff your nails. This isn't to scrub the polish off – it just adds a bit of texture to the shiny surface so that the nail polish remover can do its thing.
• 3 Step two: soak the cotton pads

  Each cotton pad will be dipped in the acetone and wrapped around each nail. This will keep the varnish remover pressed against the polish, but won't soak your cuticles.
• 4 Step three: wrapped in tin foil

  Yep, really. Tin foil is wrapped securely around each nail to keep the cotton pads in place. Nows the time to do your best wicked witch impression with your shiny silver talons.
• 5 Step four: wait

  Patience is a virtue. It takes roughly 15 minutes for the acetone to soften the polish – we told you gel's tough. The tin foil helps to trap a bit of your body heat, which helps the removal process along. Get comfy.
• 6 Step five: voilà!

  The foil is unwrapped and the gel should miraculously flake away. If there's any left, your technician might repeat the process. Stay comfy. Once your nails are clean and clear, they'll be rubbed with a high-grit buffer. This will get rid of any leftover base coat and leave your nails primed and ready for their next mani.

  And… you're done. Leaving you enough time to get back to watching Netflix / experimenting with your NutriBullet / relaxing in the bath instead. At home vs. in the salon: I know which I'd choose…

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