How to remove gel nail polish at home - without damaging your nails

How to remove gel nail polish at home - without damaging your nails

When our gel manicure is ready to be taken off, we start picking and before we know it… we’ve managed to peel off our gel and ruin our nails in the process. Learn how to remove gel nails the right way - it's never been easier to remove gel nails at home!

As tempting as it may be to pick at your gel polish, this is an easy way to damage your nails for the foreseeable future. While the best way to remove gel polish may take some patience, ensuring your gel polish is removed safely means that your nails will stay in tip-top condition.

Take a look at our full range of remover products here!

What you’ll need:

OR you can use Bluesky Remover Wraps.

    Why you need to take the shine off your nails:

    Just like your pre-manicure prep, you’ll want to remove the shine from the gel. This helps to remove the top layer of the gel polish and to give the acetone a better chance of soaking down through the layers.

    How to soak off gel polish:

    You can either use remover wraps or acetone and foils to remove your gel polish. If using acetone, take the foils and carefully soak the pad in acetone. Place the foil on your first finger, wrap around and secure.

    Leave for 10-15 minutes and remove. Gently push away the remaining gel with a wooden cuticle stick, and repeat the process for any gel that remains on the nail.

    You can also use the soaking method using a bowl of acetone. Warm up a bowl of water, and place a smaller bowl of acetone into this to warm up the acetone (do not microwave or heat acetone itself).

    Place your hand into the bowl of warmed acetone and leave for 10-15 minutes until the gel starts to peel. Use your wooden cuticle stick to gently more the gel, and soak again if needed.

    Repeat for all nails (top tip: it’s usually easier to do one hand, remove all gel and then repeat the process for your other hand).

     

    If you’ve picked up some Bluesky remover wraps, the process is very similar – except all you need are the wraps! Here’s how to use them to get gel polish off your nails:

     

    Why won't my gel polish soak off?

    If you're finding your gel polish hard to remove, make sure you have properly buffed your nails. Use a file to break the free edge - this will break the seal of the gel polish on your nails, making it easier to remove

    Try not to leave the acetone on longer than 15 minutes as the acetone will begin to dry. This will cause the gel to re-harden and become much harder to remove from the nail.

    Test a nail by removing the foil or wrap and use your cuticle pusher/stick to see if the gel is starting to come away. Most of the gel should have already started to crumble.

    When the gel is starting to come away from the nail, carefully scrape at the gel to remove any excess from the nail. If there’s still some stubborn gel clinging to your nail, take some new acetone/a new wrap and soak the nail for 2-5 more minutes.

    Soak your nails for 10-15 minutes

    Add the finishing touches

    Take your buffer and gently buff your nails to remove any final residue left on your nails. You can then use your Bluesky Nail File to shape your nails if needed, before washing them to remove the acetone that may still be present on the nails.

    For the finishing touch, nourish your nails with some Cuticle Oil to give them some additional moisture after using acetone. Removing gel polish can dry the nails out, so make sure to hydrate your nails straight away with our Cuticle Oil.

    Your nails will now be fresh, free of gel polish and ready to go!

    Bluesky Remove & Revive Kit

    Bluesky Gel Nail Polish Remover Kit

    Get everything you need to remove gel polish safely at home in a convenient kit.

     

    If you'd like to try some new gel colours, take advantage of our shop & save offer:

     

    Mix & Match Gels:

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    Shop Bluesky Gel Polish

     


    2 comments

    • Shirley Campbell

      You oh recommend using cuticle oil after removing polish but if I’m reapplying polish won’t that stop the gel from adhering to my nails ?

    • Helen Reid

      Looks great

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