Remove the seal first.
The shine on your gel manicure is actually a coated sealant. Remove this by using a good buffer. Removing this makes the gel polish porous and easier to remove. Be careful not to buff down to the nail.
Soak and wrap them up.
Now that you have buffed off the sealant, dissolving the gel with acetone will be easy. To start dissolving the gel, use a 100% acetone polish remover, like Ulta Maximum Strength 100% Pure Acetone Nail Polish Remover ($4, ulta.com). Soak 10 cotton balls in 100% Acetone, place them on top of your nail beds and then wrap each finger in foil. Let them soak like this for at least 15 minutes. This should be long enough to loosen and soften the gel so that it can be removed easily.
Gently scrape.
Once you’ve let your nails soak, use a wooden cuticle stick to carefully remove whatever gel remains on the nail. If it feels like you are still struggling to remove the polish attempt to soak your nails a bit longer in the acetone.
Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize.
The acetone and gel have completely dried out your nail beds. It is important now to rehydrate your nail beds back to good health! Wash your hands right after you’ve completed the removal and then apply a nourishing cuticle oil to both the nail and cuticle. Great options for oil are vitamin E and safflower oils.
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How to Remove Your Gel Manicure The Correct Way was originally published on blackdoctor.org
