Removing Acrylic Nails

As someone who loves bright colors and making a statement, I love doing my nails. But, I hate when my nails peel and break. To avoid this I've had acrylics, on and off, since I was a senior in high school. While doing a calculation for how much I need to save before paying back my loans with this paycheck I realized that I pay about $1,000.00 per year on acrylic nails. This realization made me pause for a minute and realize I could be using this money for something else. So, I kissed my acrylics goodbye and set to work removing them.

~*~Disclosure~*~ I honestly recommend getting a professional to do this, but for those of you who are like me here's how I typically remove my nails.

Supplies:
Pure Acetone
Cotton Balls
Aluminum Foil
Nail File
Nail Clippers
Orange Stick
Buffer Block
Hand Lotion (I swear by H2O+'s Hydrating Body Butter for a quick moisture addition)







Tips:
*Do this outside, if the acetone spills it won't eat through your floors. Plus, you can work on your tan!

 *Do one hand at a time so you can still read, text, or do something to pass the time.

*Use a glass bowl to put the used cotton balls and aluminum foil in. This kept the acetone from ruining my patio furniture, and didn't allow the garbage to blow everywhere.

Directions:
1) Using a cotton ball and acetone, clean off the nail polish that is on top of the acrylic.

2) Soak a cotton ball with acetone and wrap it around the nail of the first hand you plan on doing. Place a small square of aluminum foil on top of the cotton ball and wrap this around your finger. I always extend the foil past the cotton ball, towards my knuckle so the acetone is less likely to drip.
Repeat this with all the nails on that hand and sit back to wait. I typically wait about 15 minutes to let the acetone "eat away" the acrylic. During this time feel free to read, text, or whatever.

3) Making sure your orange stick is within reach remove the first piece of aluminum foil. Using the cotton ball that was on the nail, rub the acrylic towards the end of the nail (away from your hand). You should use a considerable amount of pressure, but not so much that you feel like your nail will break. Once you feel that the cotton ball can no longer push the acrylic, take your orange stick and lightly (VERY LIGHTLY) prod the acrylic to remove it a bit more. Repeat this with all the nails on that hand.

4) Depending on how much acrylic is on your nails this is the time that I elect to trim my nails down. A good pair of nail clippers should be able to cut through a small layer of acrylic along with your nails. If there are any spots of acrylic that seem loose you may be able to use the nail clippers and gently pry them away.

5) Re-wrap the nails with fresh cotton balls/acetone and aluminum foil, and sit back to wait again.After 15 minutes, use the cotton ball and orange stick to work away the acrylic again. Keep repeating this until all the acrylic is gone.

6) Follow steps 2-5 on your second hand.

7) Take your nail file and shape your natural nail to a short neat shape. I would not do a square or pointed shape because your nails will be very thin and easily broken.

8) Using the buffer block smooth and shine your nails. My Walgreen's has a nice block that is four sided and each side is labeled for its function (File Nails, Remove Ridges, Smooth Nails, and Shine Nails).

9) Once your nails are buffed to your preference be sure to wash your hands thoroughly and use an extremely moisturizing lotion. I would wait a few hours before applying any type of polish, your nails will need the chance to breath and soak up any type of moisture they can.


Good luck!