Manicures have come a long way since our sleepover days. Whether you opt for using an at-home kit or you have a standing salon appointment, there are a lot of polish varieties to get your nails looking their best. If you're looking for a finish that's tougher than regular lacquer but more versatile than acrylic, opting for gel nail polish is the way to go.
For those who've never gotten a gel manicure, you may be wondering what it is — and perhaps more importantly — how to remove gel nail polish. While the process is a little more involved than giving your fingertips a quick wipe with nail polish remover, it's still simple enough for anyone to do themselves at home.
We’ve asked a nail expert to break down everything you need to know about how to remove gel nail polish, including the products to have on hand.
What Is Gel Nail Polish?
For many manicure lovers, gel nail polish provides the best of all worlds: The finish is incredibly durable but not permanent.
What makes gel manicures stand out isn’t just that they’re sealed under an LED or UV nail lamp. Per Teen Vogue, the ingredients in gel polish are formulated to hold up to the wear and tear of daily life without you having to worry about chipping. If you can protect the finish by avoiding soaking your hands in hot water, your gel nails can last up to a month.
How to Remove Gel Nail Polish
While you can always visit a salon to get it done, it's a good idea to know how to remove gel nail polish at home. This way, you don't compromise the health of your nails.
For expert insight on how to remove gel nail polish, we spoke to Kayla Ouertani, a New York City-based nail technician who's professionally known as Ourie. Here, she walks us through each step of the process:
File the nails
Before you apply acetone nail polish remover, you'll first use a 180-grit nail file to etch off the surface of your gel-covered nails. This is meant to help the acetone penetrate the tough outer layer of nail polish.
“Attempting to soak off the gel without at least scratching the surface of the top coat will have you sitting in the acetone forever,” Ourie says.
She recommends using these files — they're just under $10 for a set of 25!
Moisturize your hands
After filing most of the gel off, the next step is to moisturize your hands. “This preps the fingers by protecting them from overdrying in the acetone,” she says.
Ourie uses a homemade cuticle balm, but argan oil or jojoba oil will also work.
Wrap nails with acetone
Wrap each finger with an acetone-soaked cotton round, and hold each one in place by covering it with a piece of aluminum foil. Make sure you're using 100% acetone on the cotton rounds, and check that there aren't any gaps in the foil that expose the nail. Otherwise, it won’t get the job done.
“I prefer using this foil method to use as little acetone as possible,” Ourie says. “Soak-off clips like these are good for trapping the foil in place.”
Gently scrape off the gel
After 10-15 minutes of soaking, use a cuticle pusher to gently scrape off the gel polish from your nail.
“If there is still a piece of gel stuck to the nail, do not force it off with pressure. Pushing it off will lead to damage on the nail plate,” Ourie says. “Instead, scrape only what will come off, then gently hand-file the top of the gel with a 180-grit file and rewrap foil on the finger if needed.”
Alternatively, you can use a product like the Madam Glam Gel Remover for quickly taking care of stubborn spots. “All you have to do is apply some product to the gel and let it sit for a minute before scraping,” she says.
Practice post-removal nail care
Once the gel is completely removed, Ourie recommends continuing your usual nail care routine.
Depending on whether you want to prep your nails for a fresh coat of polish or give your hands a break, you could buff your bare nails with the same 180-grit nail file or re-apply moisturizer to your hands.
Shop Nail Care Products:
Badger Organic Cuticle Care Balm
Sofía Viera
Contributing Writer
Sofía Viera (they/them) is a queer, non-binary writer based in Brooklyn, who was born and raised in Puerto Rico. Their work has appeared in Refinery29, Remezcla, and LatinaMediaCo. They have founded online magazines like Rebeldía—which focused on queer investigative stories—and Femme Now—which focused on female entrepreneurship in Puerto Rico. Sofía earned a Journalism BA from Rutgers University. They're also a tarot reader. You can follow them on Instagram @sofiaviera.jpg and Twitter @merzysofia.
