Got a gel manicure that’s overstayed it’s welcome, but can’t get a salon appointment to have it removed? That was me this week – argh. So I took matters into my own hands, literally!
It’s not a problem – you can do it yourself fairly easily. In the past I found it a bit tricky and messy, but my new soak off nail clips made such a difference this time that I thought I would do a quick blog about it.
Step One
Use a nail file to disrupt the smooth surface of the gel polish. You want the remover to be able to penetrate the gel once you start soaking, so this will break up the surface a bit and allow the remover to do it’s job.
Step Two
Soak some cotton wool with your gel remover. I am using one from Superdrug.
Press the soaked cotton wool to your nails and pop over a nail clip on each fingertip to keep it pushed against the nail. This is so much easier and quicker than trying to twist some foil or place foil packets on the ends of your fingers – and they are reusable, too.
Wait for ten minutes to allow the remover to work. I found I was still able to hold a cup of tea during this stage! Ha ha.
Step Three
Now the gel polish should have lifted or bubbled enough for you to start gently scraping it off with your metal polish scraper.
If not, you may need to soak a little longer…
Slide the polish scraper gently along the nail surface so as not to damage the nail.
Once it’s all come off, you can file/re-shape your nail tips and also buff the surface of your nails gently to remove any residue. I like to use a 4 way nail buffer for this.
Step Four
Gently push the cuticles back with an orange stick and finish by massaging in some cuticle oil or cuticle conditioner (be aware cuticle oil is usually nut based if you have an allergy).
That’s it! You may want to add a coat of strengthener to your nails as they will feel a bit weak after the gel manicure. I like the Orly Nailtrition as it leaves a pretty pink finish.
