How To Remove Acrylic Nails At Home Without Damage

Need to remove acrylic nails quickly? It’s no secret that once you’ve had your nails done, acrylics can be a pain to remove. If you’re over your long nails or need to have natural nails for whatever reason it’s definitely frustrating to not be able to get your acrylics off.

Acrylic is pretty tough and unfortunately, some nail varnish remover and filing isn’t going to cut it. Luckily, if you know what you’re doing removing acrylic nails shouldn’t be too hard, so here’s what you need to know.

How to remove acrylic nails

So, first of all, if you want to remove acrylic nails the first thing you should do is book an appointment at the salon where you got them done. If you can’t make it to that salon pretty much any nail salon that offers acrylic nails will be able to and won’t mind removing nails you got done at a different salon.

Removal can be anywhere between £10-20, but the professionals will remove your nails safely without damage to your natural nails underneath. The real issue with acrylic nails is that your natural nails underneath can break (which is incredibly painful) and acrylic can damage your nails, so not getting a proper removal can be super risky and painful!

How to remove acrylic nails at home

However, let’s say you can’t get to a salon, there are no appointments and you desperately need them off. If you can’t get to a salon, you can remove your acrylics at home, but be warned it can be a tricky process! Make sure to carefully research and explore all options so you don’t damage your natural nails (which can be super painful if you do).

Removing acrylic nails with acetone

The easiest way to remove acrylic nails is with acetone, which is what the beautician at the nail salon would also be using.

First of all, cut down your nails short to be in line with the natural length of your nails underneath. Next, add 100% acetone to a bowl and prep your fingers by putting vaseline around your cuticles. There are a few ways you can do this. You can either soak your hands straight into the bowl or place a piece of acetone-soaked cotton wool onto each nail and wrap each nail individually with foil.

Whichever method you choose, you’ll need to leave your nails soaking for at least 20 minutes, so you might find it easier to do one hand at a time so you’ll still have use of one hand during the waiting period.

Once the 20 minutes is up you should see some lifting of the acrylic, use a wooden cuticle stick to push off and remove the acrylic and a nail file to gently buff off the top layer.

If after 20 minutes all of the acrylic hasn’t lifted, soak again for another 20 minutes and continue.

How to take off acrylics without acetone

Acetone is the answer to easy acrylic removal, but let’s say you don’t have it and you’re in a rush. Well, there are other ways to remove acrylic nails but it’s going to be a bit more work.

Again, start by cutting down your nails to your natural length to try and remove as much of the acrylic as possible. Next, gently use a nail file to remove the top layer of gel or nail varnish colour (but don’t over file too much as you don’t want to file through to your natural nail).

Next, dip some cotton wool into acetone-free nail varnish remover (which is much easier to get your hands on than pure acetone, as they sell it in Superdrug and most supermarkets) and wrap the cotton wool onto each nail with foil.

Leave for 20 minutes and then use a cuticle stick to push off the leftover acrylic. Unfortunately, this method can be super time-consuming and the acrylic won’t lift as easily as it would if you were using acetone, so you may need to repeat this method a few times before all the acrylic is removed.

Soak off acrylic nails with warm water

Another method of removing acrylic nails without acetone is to try a warm water soak. You can fill a bowl with hot (but not boiling) water and soak your hands for 15-20 minutes. You can then use a cuticle stick to push off the acrylic as it starts to lift.

The hot water will cause the nail glue to break down, but this method is also quite time-consuming and may not produce perfect results on every nail straight away, so you will probably need to repeat it a few times.

Once you’ve done this, make sure to use cuticle oil on your nails to help promote growth and to moisturise your nailbeds.

How to remove acrylic nail glue

Once you’ve got the majority of the acrylic off from your nails, you may be left with residue from the nail glue.

To remove nail glue fill a bowl with warm water and soap and submerge your nails for 15 minutes. Use a cuticle stick to push back glue gently and gently buff off with a file.

Aftercare

Once you’ve managed to successfully remove acrylic nails, aftercare is important! Acrylic can really damage your natural nails, and it’s not unusual to have weak or broken nails after removing acrylics.

Always use a cuticle oil on your nailbeds to help promote growth and to moisturise to make sure your natural nails are looked after. Cut back your cuticles and use a hand cream or moisturiser to finish off your aftercare.

How long do acrylic nails last?

A good set of acrylic nails will normally last 3-4 weeks, but it depends on how fast your natural nails grow. Most salons will recommend getting an infill every 2-3 weeks, but the majority of people can go 3-4 weeks before returning to the salon.

Once you’ve got a set of acrylic nails on, you can get regular infills instead of removing them. An infill will restore the nails and give you the option to change the colour or design making the nails look brand new. Once you’ve had enough of having acrylic nails, or your natural nails have grown out super long underneath the acrylics you can get the acrylics removed and a new set put on, or you can take a break and opt for a more low-maintenance gel manicure instead.

If you want to attempt doing your nails at home without a trip to the salon, you can get a student discount at Mylee for at-home gel kits and lamps or check out Superdrug and LOOKFANTASTIC for fun new nail colours, files and tools to perfect your manicure.

Check out an essential guide to nail shapes to ask for at the salon.