The 6-Step Guide to Removing Your No-Chip Gel Manicure at Home
Gel manicures: probs not the best thing for your nails, definitely the best thing for an indestructible mani that lasts and lasts. You win some, you lose some.
But a perfect no-chip manicure doesn’t come without its faults—particularly, the stress of trying to remove it when a lengthy salon trip isn’t in the cards. Peeling off polish is not an option, because since the gel coat adheres to your nail, you’ll be taking a layer of your actual nail off with it. Not cool.
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There’s hope, however, because a safe DIY solution isn’t totally out of the question. Follow these six steps, and you’ll be free of both your no-chip nail polish and nail damage:
Step 1: Pour your acetone nail polish remover into a dish.
Step 2: Rip off multiple pieces of aluminum foil, 10 in total to cover each finger, that are large enough to wrap around your fingernails.
Step 3: Dip a cotton ball in the acetone, lay on the fingernail, and cover in aluminum foil. Continue on each finger until all of your fingers are covered.
Step 4: Hang out for about 15 minutes with the cotton balls wrapped in foil on your fingers.
Step 5: Remove all the foils and lightly push off the polish. At this point it should come off fairly easily. If it doesn’t, soak for a bit longer.
Step 6: Apply cuticle oil and nail oil to all of your nails and cuticles—no-chip nail polish is way drying to your nails (and nail polish remover is drying to your cuticles) so moisturize ’em for best results.
