DIY Shellac Removal in 5 Easy Steps

So about 6 weeks ago I went and got my nails done. It was my first time getting Shellac done as I usually get gel nails applied.

I’ve been trying to save super hard the last few weeks for Florida and I’m just a little bit lazy so I didn’t want to spend any more money getting them off or going back to the salon to get them off, so after a good few long weeks and a dozen chips on my nails I decided to do it myself and it’s a lot easier than I thought it would be!

Firstly you need 3 main things: Acetone, cotton pads/buds, and tin foil.

The acetone I bought in Hairspray and cost about €8-9, but if you don’t have one near you any pharmacy should sell removers just make sure that you get one with acetone in it. You need the acetone in the remover as this is the only thing to melt off the shellac.  The other items everyone should have about the house, I also used a small dish to put the acetone into, just so not to make a mess as the acetone can melt off varnish and stain some furniture, so if you’re like me and you don’t want your mother giving out that you’ve ruined her table then put a board or a cloth in the area you’ll be working on.

Step One: Preparation

I’m not the most organised person but when doing things like this I think you need to be. I cut the tinfoil into 10 squares, cut the cotton pads in half (if you have cotton buds you don’t need to do this) and I poured the acetone into the little bowl. Finally I laid the rest of the things on the table.

Step Two: Application

Now we get down to business, make sure everything is at hand as it will make everything that but easier for you. I dipped the cotton pad into the bowl of acetone and rinsed some excess off, I then wrapped it around the nail. I also taped it so it would flap back up. I then got my foil and wrapped it around the cotton pad (think burrito for this step). With a full sized cotton pad I wrapped it round the foil and squeezed it tight (I used the cotton pad as some acetone squeezes out).

Step Three: The Waiting Game

Once all the fingers have been covered you need to leave them for ten minutes to soak, squeezing the nail every now and again.

Step Four: Removal

After the ten minutes you’ll want to take of each foil one at a time, if you take them off altogether the soaked nail will dry very quickly. When removing, rub the nail with the foiled cotton pad like you would when taking polish off, this will remove any excess gel on the nails. If there is any leftover gel just scrape it off with your nail or an orange stick and it should come of very easily.

Step Five: Manicure

When all the gel is taken off each nail they will look very dry and ragged, you’ll need to buff and file each nail and then apply some cuticle oil and some clear polish and that’s it you should have lovely clean nails that look brand new.

 

Tips:

·         Doing one hand at a time is a bit easier than doing the two together

·         If you have more than 2 layers of Shellac on the nails it might take a bit longer than 10 minutes.

·         Having the foils bended over will make it a little easier when wrapping them up

·         This method can be used on any other 2-3 week manicure gels and on glitter polishes

Now that you know how to remove your gels there is no point in going to the salon and spending any more money then you have to and it’s not as hard you might think it is, as long as you have the right tools you’ll be flying.

Before

After

Thanks for reading!

Love Sarah xoxo