Remove Acrylic Nails

Acrylic nails are a great way to add instant length and design to your nail. At some point, however, you will need to take them off. If you don't know how to remove acrylic nails, read this wikiHow to learn how.

10 Second Summary

1. Clip your nails and file the topcoat off.
2. Apply petroleum jelly to your cuticles.
3. Place an acetone-soaked cotton ball over each nail. 4. Wrap aluminum foil around each nail.
5. Wait 30 minutes, then remove the foil and cotton balls.
6. File off any leftover acrylic and re-shape your nails.

Steps

Soak the Acrylic Nails in Acetone

  1. Clip your nails. Use a nail clipper to trim the tips of your acrylic nails short. Cut off as much of the acrylic as possible. If cutting is difficult due to the thickness of the nails, use a coarse nail file to file them. But make sure you don't cut any of your nail bed because it will bleed.
  2. File the topcoat off of the nails. Use a fine-grade buffer to file off the paint and remove as much of the acrylic as possible. Use long strokes that run the length of the nail.
  3. Pour the acetone into a bowl. Fill a medium glass bowl halfway with acetone. Some people like to place the bowl in a larger bowl filled with warm water, to warm the acetone. Do not microwave the acetone or use it near any source of heat. Acetone is extremely flammable.
    • Make sure the room is well ventilated, since acetone has strong fumes.
    • Do not light a cigarette near acetone.
  4. Apply petroleum jelly to the skin surrounding your nails. Acetone dissolves plastic and is also hard on skin, so it's important to protect yourself. This step will prevent your skin from becoming irritated by the acetone, particularly if you have hangnails.
    • Take care not to get too much petroleum jelly on your nails, since the acetone should be able to reach it and dissolve it.
    • Use a cotton-tipped wooden applicator if you need help applying the petroleum jelly more precisely.
  5. Apply the acetone to your nails. Saturate one cotton ball per nail in the warmed acetone, then place the cotton balls on the tips of your fingers. Wrap them tightly against the acrylic nails using strips of aluminum foil. Let your nails soak in the acetone for 30 minutes.
    • You can use a non-plastic tape to fasten the cotton balls if you don't have aluminum foil.
    • You can also simply soak your nails in the bowl of acetone if you know that acetone doesn't irritate your skin.
  6. Remove the foil and cotton balls from your fingertips. The cotton ball and the nail should come off easily.
    • If you soaked your acrylic nails in the bowl of acetone, gently pry the nails off using an orange wood stick.
    • If the acrylic nails are still firmly stuck, repeat the process for another 20 minutes and attempt to remove them again.
  7. Scrape off the leftover acrylic with the nail buffer. The acrylic should be soft from the acetone bath, so take the opportunity to buff the rest of it away. If the acrylic begins to harden again while you're buffing, use a cotton ball soaked in acetone to dampen it.
  8. Shape your natural nails. Use nail clippers and a nail file to smooth the edges. Buff your nails lightly with a fine-grade nail buffer, moving from the base of the nail to the tip.
    • To avoid damaging your nails, file in one direction only, and avoid using a sawing motion.
    • The top few layers of your nails may have been removed with the acrylic. Be careful not to tear or damage them further when file and buff them.
  9. Restore the moisture to your hands. Acetone causes skin to become extremely dry. Rinse off the remaining traces with soap and water. Dry your hands and rub them with body oil, olive oil or a moisturizing lotion.

File the Acrylic Nails Away

  1. Clip your nails. Use a nail clipper to trim the tips of your acrylic nails short. Cut off as much of the acrylic as possible. If cutting is difficult due to the thickness of the nails, use a course nail file to file them.
  2. File your nails. Use the course side of a buffing tool to file down each acrylic nail. Work on one nail at a time, filing away the acrylic until it has become a thin layer overlaying your natural nail. Continue until you've filed away as much of the acrylic from each nail as possible.
    • You may have been able to file away enough of the acrylic that your nails look almost acrylic-free. If you're worried about nail damage, now is the time to stop. Removing the rest of the nail will necessarily involve taking off a few layers of your natural nail, which can cause long-term damage.
    • If you'd rather remove all traces of the acrylic, continue to the next step.
  3. Use a cuticle stick to pry up the edge of an acrylic nail. Once you've lifted the edge, place the tip of a cuticle scissors under it and use the scissors to start clipping away the acrylic. Continue lifting the edge and clipping the acrylic until all of the acrylic has been removed.
    • Repeat this process for every nail until the acrylic is completely gone.
    • Resist prying more than a little of the acrylic at a time from your natural nail. If you pry off too much at once, it will rip off layers of your natural nail.
  4. Buff your nails. Use a nail buffer to remove the last traces of acrylic. Shape your natural nails with a nail clipper and file. Apply cuticle cream and moisturizer.

Remove the Acrylic Nails With Dental Floss

  1. Find a partner. This removal method requires a second person to work, since two hands are needed to pull the dental floss under the nails. If your nails are already very damaged, or if you are worried about damaging your nails, this method probably is not the best option, as it often takes layers off of the natural nail as the acrylic is pried off.
  2. Pry up the bottom edge of an acrylic nail. Use a cuticle stick to gently pry up the entire bottom edge.
  3. Have your partner slide dental floss under the edge. He or she should face you, slip the dental floss under the bottom edge of the nail, and hold the two ends of the dental floss in either hand.
  4. Your partner should begin working the floss back and forth under the nail. Tell him or her to slide the floss back and forth and pull it up, so that the nail begins to come loose. Continue this sawing motion until the acrylic nail is free from the natural nail.
    • Make sure your partner doesn't yank the floss upward too quickly; you don't want your natural nail getting torn off with the acrylic.
    • Repeat the process with every nail until they're all removed.
  5. Buff your nails. Use a buffer to clean up your natural nails, which may be a little torn from the process. Apply cuticle cream and moisturizer.
  6. Finished. Your nails should be acrylic free. 

Tips

  • Don't put acetone in a plastic bowl. It will deteriorate and get acetone everywhere.
  • You can buy a professional Acrylic Nail Remover kit in the local drugstore.
  • The filing method should be used after your natural have grown out enough to be showing more than the acrylics.

Warnings

  • Acetone is extremely flammable. Keep it away from sources of heat or flame.
  • If it is painful to remove the nails or if they aren’t coming off after repeated attempts, stop and consult a nail salon for help.
  • Using acrylic nails carries a slight risk of infection if a gap between the acrylic and your natural nail develops. If your natural nails become thick and discolored, talk to your primary care physician or dermatologist.

Things You'll Need

Method One: Soak Your Nails in Acetone

  • Nail clippers
  • Nail file
  • Fine-grade buffer
  • Acetone nail polish remover
  • Small glass bowl
  • Petroleum jelly
  • Aluminum foil
  • Cotton balls
  • Foil strips
  • Orange wood stick
  • Mild soap and water to wash your hands
  • Moisturizer

Method Two: File the Acrylic Nails Away

  • Nail clippers
  • Nail file
  • Fine-grade buffer and course buffer
  • Cuticle stick
  • Cuticle scissors
  • Moisturizer

Method Three: Remove the Acrylic Nails With Dental Floss

  • Dental floss
  • Nail clippers
  • Nail file
  • Fine-grade buffer
  • Moisturizer

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Sources and Citations

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