How on earth do you remove gel nail varnish??

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Help! DD has a gel nail varnish manicure - it's lasted so well but needs to be removed now.

Turns out that's easier said than done! She's filed across the nails to scratch up the surface a bit, sat with nail varnish remover on for a few minutes (one with acetone) but the varnish isn't coming off.

Am I missing a trick?! How do you get it off?

Thanks!

You need to wrap each nail in a cotton wool pad soaked in remover and wrap with tinfoil for at least 15 mins ideally keeping them warm. After 15 mins they will peel off/chip off a lot easier. The longer you keep the tinfoil on the easier they come off

I think you're doing the right things. You rough up the surface of the varnish with a nail file then soak in acetone.

You can also buy gel remover stuff from Mylee if you're desperate, or pay a salon to remove it (I did this the last and final* time I had mine done)

*final as I don't like the process of removing them

Get it done professionally or you will damage her nails.

Best to go back to the salon for removal. It's normally around £5-6 for removal only.
I had to try and take my own off in lockdown, never again!

The remover needs to contain Acetone

I use pure acetone, not nail varnish remover with acetone. The former is much stronger and as other posters said. Scratch the nail, apply cotton wool soaked in pure acetone and wrap in foils.

As above and there are plenty of videos on youtube showing you how to do this safely ie the least amount of damage to her nails. It needs to soak into the gel polish so a bare minimum of 10 minutes.

Wrap the nail in kitchen foil, just cut them down to size. That keeps the air out and stops the acetone evaporating. Pure acetone is needed for this.

You (she) could go to a salon and get them to remove them

I did it once for DD and me, it started chipping so needed removing. I’ve got special remover from Boots and was wrapping each nail and sitting with it. Tbh that’s why I prefer using ordinary nail polish - too much faff with gel.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Remover-Acrylic-Removal-Acetone-Manicure/dp/B0B2MZL8ND/ref=sr_1_5?crid=2N9JGT599L2LY&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.8mDEmyOgYowVT24WcD_HOnLKkuDOOdV5gxll9JIlOoIEB2WXQd5-3oSuGEBZuHxc4QWBOryWKK9CX3eIrQGOX7ekE5bRr5Xl8bCeS0dutEhcGPIiUtnvLhtbQ87N9SpE0VNa__zF48kN2Q_Zuo5DoT1ryNuYpk702GQ3Yw5Tg-lVNGkWIfkIiqrsh3yUyg2mqR8A068ntoUL7f93fu5okSLeQHJRa-D78aryMPpTTxMuDzHLSyHQ7ciyS_5-WNPGSUbHTXuUhUhL7ZjNvBE0IhZEAOxtz9AYz8iNSt5CYRsZ64t61k_qCuStsUhIoeXcO_rO1NShe4z9pCQd9gitIuhyQlDmBfFW_rLtIp21K-FoJGDLM2V4IDvSWQdh_dWbb8kv033DRej8tP_2DFzZH8MaYGCTyFFzpDD5_HWk8rFl56VzqD7Emy7jhVKk544Q.85_ebT4MSmIcAn6htCIcB2iT2UJ6UpUTv0E-rmoKYDY&dib_tag=se&keywords=ail%2BPolish%2BRemover%2BPads%2BSoak%2BOff%2BAcrylic%2BRemoval%2BAcetone%2BGel%2BPolish%2BRemover%2BWraps%2BPads%2BFoil%2BNail%2BArt%2BCleaner%2BManicure%2B(50%2BPcs&qid=1739221080&s=beauty&sprefix=ail%2Bpolish%2Bremover%2Bpads%2Bsoak%2Boff%2Bacrylic%2Bremoval%2Bacetone%2Bgel%2Bpolish%2Bremover%2Bwraps%2Bpads%2Bfoil%2Bnail%2Bart%2Bcleaner%2Bmanicure%2B50%2Bpcs%2Cbeauty%2C110&sr=1-5&th=1
these but you have to be patient

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hanyousheng-Acrylic-Remover-Shellac-Manicure/dp/B09JGBD6C9/ref=sr_1_5?crid=H0BWFBU7VWXG&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.J9COjZ3P9yZqWWPvn7o-zg-fFIsIHYxctbj9rwO2Mkcylaj1mJsDfGIOhYAuhx7olJejfn8kC_a72t75BQwE0SQ0MqYam-dUTosq6LPEiEcZjP3SfeE5yqT8Od--lIhGomDAAeI8vMX2TRVtgMNw-5iIJoElIDg9qUEKtA9eoHqDypt1Qr5ISJGqkdKOlUCvLmmhrHzrJ48oV72lGOgS4OgA1213N8BWdkKfXe0riODyV7dXjnhTgIBsU3txslxdsdf7Sg4-URnCBHgFMJZdic2XWxNEsw6QhPhJct4EP03IVTlbUPebrXj4B5vltbWSr5RLYp5UumZprHYW-g97CDObYkH8R17Js7o24QyrubR8cRrJnT5CpnW5yFNy7jMhlIFAkRKOr5bd0GPfpb34SePn6-OaWgLF7eAYRup5ur2Ues-ygkPqcBr9x78ZHeB3.ypBEQwlE107wYIL2zjtREr74zkOF9YmYmCZvu4iSnvU&dib_tag=se&keywords=clips%2Bfor%2Bnails&qid=1739221312&sprefix=clips%2Bfor%2Bnails%2Caps%2C103&sr=8-5&th=1

and these to hold them on

Thanks. I was naive enough to think that tis gel nail malarkey was brilliant as they stayed on so well compared to normal nail varnish ... turns out they're too good at staying on!

I'd bought her a lamp for Xmas to avoid going to a salon. Do they just use pure acetone and tin foil at a salon?

Pure acetone, foil nail wraps and a gel nail scraper all from Amazon! Soak for 10 minutes after buffing off top coat and then scraper to remove gel!

How old is your dd? I'd honestly not be all that happy with my dd doing her own gel nails if she didn't know what she was doing. Maybe I've heard too many horror stories though!

She's almost 16. I did her nails for her as a treat. She doesn't often wear varnish. Are you telling me that I shouldn't Google gel nail horror stories?!

I ruined my nails with just one gel nails application and removal (at a salon). It took months for them to get back to normal. It’s put me off even applying regular nail varnish.

Rough up the polish then put a bowl of acetone inside a bowl of hot water as warm acetone works better. Use an orange stick to scrape the dissolving layers off.

This stuff I swear by it otherwise go back to the salon for take off

amzn.eu/d/f80WFRB

I think I've heard too many tbh!

Think some people can become allergic to them if they aren't done properly. Some seem to have horrible reactions, which then means they can't have certain medical treatments in future as the same chemicals are in them.

That said, I've had mine done a few times for special occasions and never had a problem. I don't get them done anymore as find the removal process a bit of a faff

www.theguardian.com/fashion/2023/jun/10/when-it-comes-to-nail-polish-let-the-professionals-do-their-thing www.theguardian.com/fashion/2023/jun/10/when-it-comes-to-nail-polish-let-the-professionals-do-their-thing]]]]

Here is an article with how to do it safely from home if it helps

😱don't let her DIY!!! Go back to the salon and pay for removal. She will take off the tops layers of her nail if she carries on.

Getting the gel polish on your skin is what then leads to allergy.

Which then means you can't have teeth implants or bone replacements etc.

Hence DIY absolutely not recommended.

OMG, I'm genuinely shocked by all this - I had no idea there were health implications! They're so popular - why isn't this big news? (Or is it big news and I've been living with my head in the sand for years?!)

You can get brands that don’t have the problem ingredient.

Acrylate or something is the issue.

It sensitises you to something used in surgical glue.

I went to the salon to have gel nails removed when they chipped, and they ground the polish off and most of the thickness of my nail too with some dremel multitool sander device, it's taken months for them to regrow and have split and torn endlessly from being so thin, I'm never having that done again. You can literally see the difference in the nail thickness where it growing back, they took so much nail off with the polish.

Some salons do use these, but I was told they shouldn't be using them. Mine (when I had them) always used a manual nail file and it was fine, but still not my idea of fun tbh!