Do you have gel nails or even a gel manicure? Do you even know the difference?
Samantha Sweet, distributor for CND Shellac, explains, “A gel nail is a type of nail enhancement or nail coating that’s created using a professional hard or soft gel, while a gel manicure is a long-lasting gel polish that’s ‘set’ or cured using a UV or LED light.”
Both kinds look fabulous, but they need regular professional upkeep which can eventually become a nuisance. So what can you do if you want to go ‘au naturel’ again? At SoSensational, we always recommend professional removal as the safest and best way to keep your nails as healthy as possible, but if you’re determined to do it yourself, it can be accomplished using one of the following methods. However, as Samantha says, “Whichever removal method you choose, your nails will be thinned in the process. Removal with acetone and foil is the best method but, ultimately, it’s the true nail professional that does the very best job.”
This needs a little prep work first, including cutting kitchen foil into squares that you can wrap around each fingertip, and cutting cotton pads into small patches that fit over each nail without overlapping too much skin. You’ll also need a bottle of pure acetone (from pharmacies). Drench each nail-sized pad in the acetone, position it over a nail and secure it in place by wrapping a foil patch around the fingertip. Do one hand at a time and leave your ‘wraps’ for 10 minutes. Unwrap one nail, wipe it with the acetone pad, then try peeling it back with an orange stick. If the gel doesn’t budge, replace the pad and foil and try again after another 5-10 minutes. Once the coatings come off, rinse off any acetone residue, buff the nail surface smooth, then offset the drying effects of the acetone with Barry M Cuticle Oil, £3.99. However, If your gels haven’t responded to the acetone, they were probably created using hard gel rather than soft gel, and you’ll need the filing method instead.
You’ll find this easier if you first clip each nail as short as possible, then just start filing down the surface of the gel with a nail file. Professionals recommend a 240 grit file for home use (try the ‘logo’ side of Elegant Touch Professional Nail File, £7.50 and filing in a crisscross pattern to keep the surface fairly even. Also, keep the file moving so you don’t generate too much heat in any one area. The process takes time so be patient, and keep wiping away the file dust so you can see when you’re close to your natural nail because you don’t want to thin it and weaken it. Once the gel is filed off, switch to a buffer to smooth your nail plate (which was inevitably scratched during filing) and use plenty of penetrative conditioning oil to hydrate it.
Rather like peeling off nail polish, this will inevitably peel off some of your natural nail surface, too, so minimise the damage by waiting until your gels have chipped as much as possible first. Slip the end of a cuticle stick beneath any areas of lifted edge and gently work it around until you can peel it back with your fingers or tweezers. A slower peeling technique is to first soak your nails in water that’s as warm as you can bear for about 15 minutes before massaging a little almond oil into them, concentrating on any openings under the gels, especially around the cuticles, then to gently pick at them to increase the gap between gel and real nail. Expect the process to take four or five days and, since it will probably thin your nail plate, always apply nail oil or a strengthener afterwards, like this OPI Nail Envy, £18.65.
To remove a light-cured Shellac-type nail polish, saturate a cotton pad with acetone, then foil wrap each nail tightly. Five minutes is usually enough for CND Shellac, but other brands may need 10-15 minutes. Gently lift the foil to see if the polish has started lifting off in gooey little flakes. (If not, rewrap and wait five more minutes.) You should then be able to nudge off the excess with an orange wood stick, rubbing away any residue using polish remover. Afterwards, rehydrate your nails and cuticles with nail oil. Alternatively, there are gel polish removal kits around, such as the SensatioNail Remover Wraps kit, £10, which includes removal wraps, buffing block and a cuticle stick.
Are you a fan of any of the above removal methods? Do let us know if you’ve got it down to a fine art…
[su_button url=”http://www.sosensational.co.uk/shop/hair-nails/” target=”blank” background=”#6c20b1″ size=”7″ center=”yes” radius=”0″ icon=”icon: arrow-right”]Shop Nails[/su_button]
Leave A Reply