How-to: remove gel nails

I am a manicure fanatic.

Those who know me know that I am rarely without my nails done. There’s just something so powerful about having perfectly manicured nails —it makes you feel like your life is together even when on days when it’s so far from that.

For the past 6 years, I’ve treated myself to fortnightly manicures and I toggle between getting shellac and SNS. The upkeep can obviously be quite time-consuming and expensive but luckily I've found ways to cut corners here and there, like asking for a colour change instead of a full-blown manicure, keeping my nails short so the gel lasts longer, and, best of all, removing my own gel nails when I don't have time or money to hit the salon!

So if you're looking for ways to cut costs with your gel nails, here’s my step-by-step process for removing gel nails safely at home.

Step 1

Before you start, you need to make sure you’re in a well-ventilated space. Open any available windows and doors and turn on a small electric fan if you have one – this will help to draw the fumes from the nail products out of the room. Never attempt to remove your nails in a sealed room – there’s a reason nail salons have lots of fans in them and always have their doors open – the products you’ll be using have potent chemicals in them.

Step 2

To break down fake nails you’ll need to get your hands on some pure acetone. Most chemists stock this, or something similar like isopropyl alcohol. Soak cotton balls in the acetone, place them over your nails and seal in place with some aluminum foil. Leave for about thirty minutes.

If you can’t find pure acetone or isopropyl alcohol at a chemist, fill a small bowl one third of the way with everyday nail polish remover and place your fingertips in to soak. (Cover with a towel so as not to release fumes.) This will take longer and won’t be as easy, so protect the skin around your nails first by smothering them with a little Vaseline. You should soak your nails for about forty minutes if you’re removing gel nails this way.

Step 3

If you’ve gone the pure acetone route, you’ll notice that the acrylic or gel nail has gone soft after about thirty minutes and you will be able to wipe most of it off. If this is not the case, simply place the cotton ball back on the nail and wait another 10 minutes before trying to remove the nail again.

If you’ve been soaking away, try using a cuticle stick and gently push it under the base ridge of one of the nails to see if they are starting to weaken. Keep in mind that as most nail polish removers only have a small amount of acetone in them, the nails will never soften entirely, only weaken – so you’ll have to use the cuticle stick to help them along. You will most likely find that some of the nails come off in pieces, rather than as whole nails. If this happens, simply repeat the soaking process for ten minutes then try again.

Step 4

Once you’ve got as much off as possible using either method, use a coarse nail file to file the remaining gel or acrylic.

Step 5

Finish by wiping each nail with nail polish remover, filing your natural nails to a neat length and buffing with a nail buffer. Use a clear coat of protective polish like Sally Hansen Hard as Nails to allow your natural nails to strengthen again before your next visit to the salon!

Do you wear gel nails? Have you ever tried to remove them yourself?

102 Member Comments

Margaret 322 29 May 2020 8:15 PM

I wish Lauren had updated this article sooner. I used ordinary nail polish remover for around 40 minutes. What a disaster, it literally stripped the skin off my fingertips. I had blisters, and dry skin and flaky nails for weeks. Things have only improved this last week. I had to lather my hands with hand cream constantly. With all my extra hand washing and covid house cleaning, it was a full time job.

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tinakapoor02 14 May 2020 5:13 PM

So being it acrylic or gel they all need to be removed and taken care of so here comes this article to your resue giving ideas about various tips and removal hacks

ARTICLE: https://www.femina.in/beauty/acrylic-nails-care-tips-and-removal-hacks-you-need-to-know-156569.html

Jay.dogga1986 8 May 2020 1:06 PM

Saving this article for later!

yamilefr1 29 Mar 2020 8:52 PM

I did it before takes forever and quit dry on the hands

talk-a-lot 9 Feb 2020 7:01 PM

Some great information. I had great difficulty removing colour from my toe nails at home. I had had a pedi and nail colour professionally done and decided to try and remove the colour myself.

neha.gamine 28 Jan 2020 8:21 AM

I know they do it the same way in salons but DIY sounds very terrifying

Am1851 23 Oct 2019 9:48 AM

Many years ago I snapped a nail and used a fake one, never again, it destroyed the real nail below and now I just look after my natural nails the best I can. Always using nail polish as I find that protects them the best. If I snap one then I file the others to the same length and start again. Also it is just not possible to maintain long nails if you have a household to maintain, washing, looking after children and general cleaning. Long nails are not practical.

Rose_P 16 Aug 2019 4:31 PM

Sometimes I get gel nails at the salon, and sometimes I get SNS. I really couldn’t be bothered with the hassle of taking it off myself. Too much effort. The salon will remove it for an extra $5. Fine by me.

Tigerlily 22 Apr 2019 12:01 AM

This article gave me the shivers! It can't be good to soak your nails that long in acetone!!

abbeyleee12 19 Apr 2019 12:46 PM

I always pop my sns tipped nails off to avoid the removal fee. takes not long and helps my bank account in the long run

perthchick 17 Apr 2019 9:58 AM

This confirms I like short neat nails.

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Beauty Fan 69 17 Apr 2019 7:25 AM

I found this article very informative, thanks.

Wn0873 16 Apr 2019 8:00 PM

OMG Who has 30 minutes to sit there removing nail polish? No thanks, I'll pay to have it done at the salon in a third of the time!

Rpear 16 Apr 2019 8:41 AM

You can pay $5 and have them removed ! I would rather do that actually. But nice to see it can be done at home! I am prob just too clumsy for this.

Snailor 25 Apr 2018 7:40 PM

Gel nails seem like such effort! I'm more of a fan of traditional nail painting.

TheUglyDuckling 25 Apr 2018 5:28 PM

I've tried this once (soaking off with pads in foil) at home. It is the longest, most horrible job ever. I would rather get someone else to do it, however I would have a hard time wearing gels now.

Okatko 25 Apr 2018 4:29 PM

I sometimes do gel polish not gel nails. But it can be a struggle to get the polish off. I think I might need to change my remover product. I get so inpatient waiting for the remover to do its thing that I end up scraping my polish off. Big no no.

Mayy 24 Apr 2018 8:56 PM

So much effort to take it off! I'll just stick with my normal nail polish!

clearcrystalwater 24 Apr 2018 5:59 PM

I've never had gel nails - just the gel polish which I do like a lot because it's extra shiny polish and seems to last longer than regular polishes too.

ThisIsMe 24 Apr 2018 10:48 AM

Luckily I don't have gel nails but good to know you can remove yourself!

MoonlightSak16 24 Apr 2018 9:55 AM

I have saved the link to this article because I struggle with the removal of gel nailpolish.

Kassalee 24 Apr 2018 6:51 AM

Never had gel nails or any other artificial nails - seems a lot of care and maintenance. Mine aren’t great but content enough.

I DO greatly admire others nails and their amazing paint jobs and art work!

Beautybabe140194 23 Apr 2018 9:20 PM

Great tips, I do the same to remove my gel nails to save dollars.

Elunia 23 Apr 2018 9:16 PM

These how to remove gel nails terrify me! I don't think I ever want to get them done, diy nail polish for me.

Trish_D 23 Apr 2018 9:35 PM

You've said what I'm thinking, Elunia!!

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