Wednesday

A Guide To: Removing Acrylic Nails


Nail and tip remover- 99p Homebargains
Monoi miracle oil- £10 The Body Shop 
Wild Rose SPF 15 hand cream- £5 The Body Shop
Nail Buffer & file-£1.50 each The Body Shop
I abuse my staff discount from The Body Shop!

So before I start: I'm not a nail technician and I'm far from it however I soaked off my acrylics at home for the first time so I thought I'd share how I did it. Some salons charge up to £15 for this procedure but with a little time and patience it can be done for much cheaper!

What you will need:
-Glass bowl
-Artificial nail remover or nail varnish remover that contains acetone
-Cotton wool
-Nail file 
-Nail buffer
-Cuticle oil
-Hand cream
-Moisturising hand wash

Firstly you want to be sitting comfortable and watching something good on the telly! You won't be able to use your hands for a good 30 minutes so make sure that you have done everything of your to-do list beforehand :)

Cover the table/surface you are using with old newspaper or a towel to prepare for any spills.

 Apply Vaseline around the nails to prevent them drying out.

Pour the remover into the glass bowl and pop your nails in to soak. Just put your nails in far enough so that they are covered, that acetone is strong stuff so you don't want to coat your whole hands with it!

Leave to soak for about 20-25 minutes, You will notice the acrylic turning into a weird gloop, just use some cotton wool soaked in the acetone to wipe it off. The acetone is dissolving the acrylic so after a while the nail may drop off or become loose. Whatever you do DO NOT FORCE THE NAIL OFF! I pulled at my thumbnail and ripped it down the side which was a) very painful and b) looks awful, its not worth it, just be patient!

After all of the acrylic has been removed your natural nails will feel very dry and papery. Make sure you wash your hands a couple of times with a moisturising hand wash and then apply a rich hand cream.

File down your natural nails into a short, neat shape and use a buffer to even and smooth the nails. Apply a cuticle oil to replenish the skin around the nails as it will be dry. I used Monoi Miracle Oil from The Body Shop which is one of my favourite products! Its so nourishing and smells lovely without leaving the skin greasy. It can also be used as a bath oil, hair conditioner, massage oil and a body moisturiser. Apply hand cream and a cuticle oil regularly for the next few days to recondition the nails and get them nice and healthy again :) If you can, avoid using nail varnish for a couple of days too just to let the nails breathe...

I hope this helps! I had my acrylic nails on for almost 9 months without a break which can be really damaging. I really miss having perfect chip free nails though so no doubt I will be getting them put on again soon. 

How many of you have acrylic nails? Have you tried to remove them yourself before?
Thanks for reading :)
Rachelle xxx




2 comments:

  1. New/Recent Follower - Hi, I have acrylic nails myself and have had them on for about a year with only a week or so without them on. I just couldn't live without them!!

    I have had a few lift before which I have then proceeded to pull off (I will second that pain - definitely not something I will be doing again any time soon.) I will definitely try out your tutorial though.. I think it's time my nails had a breather!!!

    xx

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