How to remove gel nails at home

There are two types of gel varnishes, Gellux Gel Polish and Gellux Hard Gel. The Hard Gel is ideal for a long term solution, but is more difficult to remove. The Gel Polish can be removed easily by following some simple instructions. If you’re going to attempt to remove them yourself, then it’s important that you know the difference between the two, and which you have had applied. In this blog, I’ll describe the difference between the two and give you some tips for removing the Gellux Gel Polish quickly and safely.

At the bottom of the blog I’ve added a guide to caring for and removing your gel polish.

This is the same for all the brands : Gellux, OPI, Shellac, Gelish etc.

Gellux Gel Polish Manicure

The Gellux gel polish is a ‘soak off’ gel, so therefore can be soaked off using acetone. They are porous, so acetone can soak them off. I charge slightly less for my application of gel polish nails because I give people the option of removing them at home to save money. Gel nails have a really bad name for being hard to remove, but if you know a few secrets you can easily remove them at home with no problems. Never pick or scratch the gel off as this will damage the nail bed. I give all my clients clear instructions on how to remove the gels verbally and written to take home. The secret to removing Gellux gel nails is to warm up the acetone first by placing it in hot water before making the foil wraps around your nails. This excites the molecules causing a faster and more effective chemical reaction. Also massaging through the foil wrap can help too. It’s equally important to buff down as much of the gel before reaching your natural nail. The top coat should be completely removed. I prefer foil wraps to soaking as it minimizes the contact acetone has with the skin. Applying vaseline or similar to the skin around the nail greatly reduces this risk also. I use the new ‘easy base coat’ from Gellux also and it still gives the 15 days no chip 0r peel results. I use heat mittens in my salon in Norwich, but these are easy to make at home with a hot water bottle and towel. The more heat you use the faster the acetone or Gellux removal solution works. Never boil the acetone though. This will cut down the removal time and the gel should just crumble away. I can’t stress how important it is not to pick off the gels as this leaves your nails feeling weak, soft, bendy and possibly even cause them to split. It’s always good to massage in some cuticle oil after removing the gels or alternatively almond oil works perfectly.

Gellux Hard Gel manicure

The Gellux hard gel extensions are not ‘soak off’ gels, so therefore need to be filed off. It’s important to do this with a hand nail file, not electric file and to leave a very thin layer of gel on the nail to naturally grow out. These are called a hard gel as they are longer lasting and strong enough to hold some length. They can be infilled every 2-3 weeks, so are ideal for a long term solution. They don’t soak off because they are non-porous.

Gellux gel overlays use the hard gel on your natural nail length. Often gel polishes are referred to as these, so if you’re unsure whether your beautician uses hard or soft gels, please make sure you check, as they need to be removed in different ways.

 Caring for, and removing your Gellux Gel Polish nails

How to protect your Gellux gel polish nails

• Avoid strong detergents and wear gloves when cleaning or doing the garden as strong chemicals can loosen gels.
• 
Don’t pick the gels as it may damage the nail bed.
-Don’t use your nails as tools. Avoid opening cans of coke for example.
• Don’t use a metal file to tidy up any edges.

How to remove Gellux polish 


1. First remove the clear top coat from the nails by buffing gently with a 180 file (180 refers to the grit). It is important that this top layer of clear gel is completely removed. Take care not to buff down to the natural nail.
2. Next use ‘Soak Off Gel Remover’ (or pure acetone) on a nail size pieces of lint or cotton wool. Secure the lint in place on each nail with aluminum foil. Apply vasaline to the skin around the nail to protect it first.
3. Leave the foil parcels in place and remove after 20 minutes.
4. The gel should now be ‘crumbly.’ Use a cuticle stick or cuticle handy to ease away the gel.
5. Buff with a sanding sponge if small amounts remain.
6. Wash hands and unless reapplying Gels, use Protect Nail Oil to restore moisture to the nails and cuticles.

The science behind removing gel polish:

The solvent swells the polymer network until it breaks into chunks and crumbles away. By warming the solvent this can cut the product removal time in half.

To do this safely stand the solvent in hot (not boiling) water before using and wrap a warm towel with hot water bottle inside around your hands while soaking off nails.

If you are finding it difficult to remove gel polish, stop and call me. Don’t pick the gel off, it will damage your nail.

info@www.elizabethsmithbeauty.co.uk

How to remove gel nails at home