A moment of honesty: I only started getting acrylic and gel nail extensions after my natural nail health took a plunge of death sometime during my college years. And let me tell you, they are not as low-maintenance as people make them out to be. For the first two times, I got nail extensions, I was busy cursing my nails for growing so fast that I had to get them done every 6 days. After the third time, I was starting to take pleasure in a new ritual-in-making when the acrylic on my left hand’s index finger cracked in a non-DIY-repairable fashion. Another sidenote characteristic about me – NOT a very patient gal. If you relate to it, you will understand my undeniable urge to try to take the half-chipped fake nail off on my own. Good news – I did take that acrylic nail off on my own, and the rest 9 too. Bad news – my nails were irreversibly damaged to the core.
I will neither confirm nor deny that my anxious nature makes me want to pick on my acrylics to date. But if you can, I have scoured the internet for the easiest, fool-proof, mess-free way to get your acrylic nails off at home, without damaging your nails, for you guys, obviously.
Tried & Tested
There are days when I actively make a nail appointment for a professional acrylic nail removal, and then there are days I can’t seem to care. And because the latter seems to occur more frequently since the pandemic, I have tried a myriad of DIY hacks I found on the internet (4 to be precise) to take off acrylic nail extensions at home, without damaging my nails. This was the first and the easiest at-home hack I have tried.
What You’ll Need
- Nail buffer
- Cotton
- Tin foil
- 100% acetone
- Cuticle pusher
Step 1:
Sand the top of your nails gently, and try to take the topmost layer off. You can also cut the acrylic extensions to match your natural nail length for ease.
Step 2:
Soak a cotton swab in 100% acetone and wrap your nail with it completely. Cover the cotton swab with a piece of tinfoil. Do this to all your nails and wait for 15-20 minutes. You might require some assistance for one of your hands.
Step 3:
Unwrap the tin foil and cotton swab from your fingers. Remove the clinging acrylic residue gently with a cuticle pusher.
Step 4:
Rinse your hands, and moisturize them properly. You can use cuticle oil for some extra care, but it is purely optional.
You can paint your nails right after this process as your nails are not at all damaged in this process. You can try:
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It was a 4 step process, and I was ruining my nails all this while? Damn. Don’t make the same mistake as me, and get on this tried & tested hack ASAP!
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