Safely remove acrylic nails at home with acetone and foil—no salon needed! Protect your natural nails by following these easy steps for a damage-free acrylic nail removal

Acrylic nails are perfect for a stunning, long-lasting manicure. However, when it comes to the time of removal, you might realize that you simply do not know how to remove acrylic nails without damaging your natural nail. Visiting a salon is always available, but if you want to save time and money, learning how to remove acrylic nails at home is just the thing.

Learn to remove the acrylic nail safely and successfully with this guide for you at the comfort of your home. 

Why proper removal of acrylic nails matters

Acrylic nails are bonded to your nails with an extremely effective adhesive. Without proper removal, you can damage your nail bed, and your nails will be left brittle and weak. The best education is knowing the right way to remove acrylic nails to keep your natural nails healthy.

Tools You Will Need

Before we begin, you’ll need the following:

• Acetone nail polish remover
• Aluminum foil
• Cotton balls
• Nail buffer
• Cuticle pusher
• Moisturizing hand cream or cuticle oil

Step-by-Step: How to Remove Acrylic Nails

1. Shorten Your Acrylic Nails

Cut your acrylic nails as short as you can. Use your nail clipper and be careful not to slice the acrylic too much near the real nail. Cutting down the length of the acrylic reduces surface area, hence, making its removal easier.

2. File the Upper Layer

Buff the surface using a coarse nail file with gentle rubbing to remove the top protective coat so that acetone would penetrate better in cleaning.

3. Dampen cotton balls with acetone

Take some cotton balls and soak in acetone nail polish remover. Pure acetone is the best stripping agent for acrylic nails; so make sure to use the pure kind. Apply a saturated cotton ball over each nail, making sure that the entire acrylic surface is covered.

4. Wrap Your Nails in Aluminum Foil

Bind small pieces of aluminum foil around your nails to hold the soaked cotton balls in place. This aids in trapping heat for the speedy removal process. Leave your nails in this position for 20 to 30 minutes. Patience is in high demand during this step on how to remove acrylic nails.

5. Gently remove the Acrylic

Wait for 20-30 minutes. Soak one of the nails with acrylic on it, and then tap on it to soften it. Using a cuticle pusher, gently scrape off the softened acrylic. Do not apply too much force as this can damage your nail. If the acrylic won’t come out easily, soak your nails for some time more.

6. Buff and Moisturize

After doing all of this, use a nail buffer to help smooth out your natural nails. Finish off by putting some nourishing hand cream or cuticle oil on to rejuvenate both your nails and cuticles. In fact, it is highly essential to keep your nails moist after the acrylic removal as acetone dries your nails.

How often can I remove Acrylic Nails?

Acrylic nails are not gentle to the natural nails so it’s a must to give the letter a break between sets. For somebody who wears acrylic nails very often, knowing how to remove acrylic nails does not damage them can reduce the agonies.

Knowing how to remove acrylic nails at home saves you so much time and money from unnecessary overpriced salon charges, ensuring that it is done safely without destroying your natural nails. And don’t forget; be patient during the removal process and moisturize your nails later on.