You’ve paid upwards of R350 for a glossy gel manicure and now it’s time to trudge back to the salon and pay over R50 to have your gel nails removed. The truth is, you don’t have to! Our Beauty Editor has mastered the simplest way to remove gel nails at home without damaging your nails.
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All you need is…
A pure acetone-based product. We recommend the Gelish Artificial Nail Remover, R157 for 120ml or Clicks Acetone, R33,99 for 100ml.
Then grab these essentials:
– Cotton wool pads
– A sheet of kitchen foil (yes really!)
– A nail file and cuticle stick
Watch this video to see how it’s done:
Step 1
File the tops of your nails
First, file over the top of your gel nail polish, make sure to go right to the edge – this breaks the seal and removes the glossy top coat. Be careful not to catch the delicate surrounding skin. Try Elegant Touch Large Emery Boards, from R15.
Step 2
Wash your hands
Wash your hands to remove any dust left over from filing. Your colour should now be completely matte as you’ve filed off the glossy top coat. Make sure to use a nourishing hand wash that won’t dry out your nails.
Step 3
Soak your cotton wool pads
Next, cut your round cotton wool pads into half moons. If you’ve used square pads, cut into quarters. Soak them in the acetone nail polish remover. Try Dove Cotton Wool Pads, R30.
Step 4
Wrap your fingertips in foil
Pop a piece of soaked cotton wool over each nail and wrap your finger tip in foil. Make sure you cut the pieces of foil big enough to wrap your whole finger top so they stay on.
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Step 5
Be patient
Leave on for 15 minutes to enable the acetone to lift the gel off from your nail plate without damaging it.
Step 6
Remove the gel nail polish
Finally, remove the foil/cotton wool and use a cuticle stick to gently remove the lifted gel. Try Essence Studio Nails Rosewood Sticks, R34,95
Step 7
Buff your nails
Using a multi-way buffer, lightly buff away any remaining gel or ridges on your nails. Try Sorbet Curved 7-Way Buffer, R49.
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Now you’re ready to apply your own gel nails at home.
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