I am addicted to my gel polish, every three weeks, I get a gorgeous mani and I look forward to it. But during this lockdown, it’s going to have to come off. Here’s some expert advice on how to remove it at home without damaging your nails.
Nails by Lesley Gibson, Vanilla Pink.
You can’t beat a fresh gel polish and my go-to colour is usually The Gel Bottle, Builder in a Bottle in Dolly.
A semi-permanent gel polish, such as OPI GelPolish, Shellac, Gelish, and The Gel Bottle, the list goes on. Whatever LED light cured mani's you prefer they have changed the way we wear polish. I, for one, would not skip an appointment to get that chip-free, colour that stays on your nails no matter what life throws your way. However, in our reality of lockdown, it's going to be a little bit tricky when you want to remove it. To stop you from picking it off, as this is a no-no as it damages your natural nails underneath. I’ve enlisted the advice from my Auckland-based nail artist Lesley Gibson to share the best way to remove that gel polish at home, with this step-by-step guide.
Place a towel down on the tabletop. Next, buff the top of your nail with a nail buffer file (not too coarse), buff all over the colour coat. Don’t forget to do the tip also. Your nail should look matte with on shiny polish visible.
Cut a cotton square into four small pieces and then soak it in acetone (non-acetone remover will not remove the polish), and apply a small square to each nail, and then wrap firmly in a square of foil. Gibson says it’s easiest to wrap and remove one hand at a time as trying to do this while all your nails are wrapped in foils is difficult.
Leave the nails wrapped for 15-25 minutes. You could pop a warm wheat bag over the top of your nails at this stage to help speed up with the removal process. Also, try not to move your hand around too much as it loosens the foil wraps.
Remove one wrap (the first hand you wrapped) and scrape the polish with an orange stick. If it isn’t coming off easily, buff a little more and add more acetone to the wrap and rewrap the nail. Avoid the temptation to pick off the polish this is what damages the nail. Finally, remove any excess with acetone.
Wash your hands and massage a nail oil into the nails, and hand cream to nourish your hands. Get into the habit of using nail oil each day; this strengthens the nails and encourages growth.
Here’s what’s in my DIY home nail kit and how to shop them at home.
QVS Nail Shapers Medium/Fine 2s, $8. Home Essentials Acetone, $8. OPI Nail & Cuticle Oil, $30. Smith & Cult Basis of Everything Base Coat, $35.