Gel nail polishes are on trend today and they give the pretty look to your nails that you want to put different colors of gel polish on different days. Removing them with acetone is the easiest way. But acetone tends to dry out cuticles and nails, and that’s why how to remove gel nail polish without acetone has become a great concern.
Using a soapy mixture on your nails can be the first choice. You can file your nails properly. Applying the peeling process also works to remove gel nail polish. And you can definitely use professional-grade acetone-free remover for removing gel polish.
Without acetone, it is a little bit troublesome to remove your nail polish. But it is not entirely impossible too. With a little bit of hard work and you can remove your gel polish or other types of nail polish following the same method.
Is Acetone-free Nail Polish Removal Possible?
Many people avoid acetone because it carries some harsh chemicals that dry out nails. Keeping that in mind many manufacturers also manufacture nail polish removers that do not contain acetone in them. The nail polish removers are acetone free, organic, and smell nice as well.
Besides, they work pretty well and almost leave you startled as they act like an acetone-based nail polish remover. It’s because these nail polish removers use a solvent like ethyl acetate, and it has agents to remove nail polish quickly.
There is a Mineral Fusion nail polish remover that is free of acetone and provides a natural removing formula. Apart from this remover, you will get other removers carrying methyl ethyl ketone instead of acetone as their prominent ingredient and thus helps your nails to be hydrated and cuticles fine.
Advantages of Removing Gel Nails without Acetone
There are actually tons of advantages if you remove your gel nails without acetone. But there are also hassles, time-consuming facts, and other downsides as well. But a little bit of patience, trouble, and skill can bring beauty to nails in a double way, and for the advantages, you will be great for sure.
- Healthy Cuticles: Because acetone has many damaging qualities, it damages cuticles by making them unhealthy and dry. A lot of soaking in acetone makes your cuticles lose their original softness and lightness. Therefore, removing gel nails without acetone cannot bring damage to the cuticles.
- Hydrated Nails: You will even get nails that are hydrated. Acetone makes nails dry out soon and therefore, nails get broken down easily. To keep your nail hydrated and beautiful always, there is no alternative to using an acetone-free nail polish remover.
- Organic Touch: Without acetone, most nail polish remover comes with organic or vegan components. These elements are extremely good for nourishing your nails and cuticles.
- Fresh Smell: Besides all these advantages, you can save your nose free of irritation if you remove gel nails without acetone. Many organic removers use lavender extraction to provide a spa-like fresh smell and help you from irritation.
There are many other advantages of using a remover that is acetone-free. You can get a moisturized, lightweight feeling in your nails and also, can do DIY projects or nail arts in your art easily without making your nails worse.
What Steps to Take Before Removing Gel Polish Without Acetone?
Without acetone, it is going to be tough to remove your nail polish. But you need to take care of some things before you do the final removal of your gel nail polish without acetone. Apply these easy solutions and make the gel polish loosen the bonds inside. And also some of the nail polish will come off in the process making the final step easier.
1. Trim Your Nails
If your nails are extended, then trim them so that the hard work becomes less difficult. This way you can cut some amount of polish with the extended nails and give a better and new look to them. Also, trimming the nails will help other glued nail polish to loosen their bonds.
2. Use Hand Sanitizers
Even though hand sanitizers might not seem that much of an effective remover, they will help to loosen the adherence of the nail polish. It also helps the gel nail polish come off sometimes without adopting any further process.
3. Apply Hydrogen Peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide is a very useful substance that helps remove the nail polish to a great extent. For ordinary nail polish, many people use this as an alternative to acetone. But as gel nail polish is a little bit stubborn, you might not be able to remove all of it using this substance only.
4. Massage with Cuticle Oil
The substances that are stated above might dry out your cuticles in the process. So, you need to massage the cuticles with cuticle oil. This oil also works as an agent to remove dead cells around the nails and encourage the gel nail polish to come off easily.
See How to Remove Gel Nail Polish Without Acetone:
How to Remove Gel Nail Polish Without Acetone?
Now that you have already prepared your nails and removed the loosened part of the polish, it’s time to dive deep into the process of acetone-free cleaning. In this process, you will need some basic ingredients and make sure you have enough time on your hand.
1. Make a Soapy Mixture
You need to soak your nails in an effective mixture of soapy water. It helps the gel nail polish come off the nails easily without scratching. To make the soapy mixture you are going to need a bar of dish soap, tolerably warm water, oil, and a cup of vinegar. Stir the mixture together in a bowl.
Then dip your nails right into the bowl. You need to let your nails soak the mixture for about 15 to 20 minutes. After the required time you can pull your nails out of the bowl and let them dry. When your hand is dry, the gel polish will come off on its own.
2. File your Nails
A nail file is a very important tool that every girl has in their makeup arsenal. It has a different purpose to serve. You can even your nails with a nail file. It clears away the patches and stubborn residue of gel nail polish to a great extent. Just buff your nails with it in a back-and-forth motion and get clean nails in exchange.
3. Peeling Process
This process is manual and definitely acetone-free. It is also not effective if the gel nail polish is itself not peeling off. You will even leave brittle on your nails. Use this process only when you are in a super hurry and need to adopt this hack quickly. Never forget to use an immense amount of oil on your nails during this process. It’s because it will make the process a little bit easier to proceed.
4. Use Commercial Acetone-Free Remover
There are other ways like using commercial acetone-free gel nail polish remover. There are tons of them and you will get instant results. But always try to remove the topcoat of the polish using a nail file before applying a commercial acetone-free remover. This will quicken the whole job of removing gel nail polish.
Remember to nourish your hands, nails, and cuticles using a soft hand moisturizer or olive oil after removing the nail polish.
Check this video:
How to Remove Gel Nail Polish with Salt?
Salt has scrubby agents in it; therefore salty warm water can help you remove nail polish from your nails. Even though it has a slow effect, you can use this method as a homemade remedy. To remove your gel nail polish with salt, you need to have some other ingredients too.
Bring some hot water, salt, and dish soap. These are basic materials so you will not have trouble finding them. After mixing these ingredients together in a bowl, make sure the hotness is tolerable. Then let your hands rest in the water for 15 to 20 minutes. Within this time, the nail polish will have a salty reaction.
When you will let your hand out and dry it out, the gel nail polish will come off the nails. Some parts will be swelling so you need to peel them off immediately and remove all the polishes from the nails.
How to Remove Gel Nail Polish with Oil?
There are some oils that actually work as a nail polish remover. Oils like olive oil or cuticle oil are best to do the job. Just pour oil on your nails and rub your nails gently. And then gently start to pull out the gel nail polish with the fingernail of another hand from the edge of the cuticles of your nails.
For another option, go with an orangewood stick and do the peeling process instead of using your fingernails. And if there is still some residue, use a nail file to remove them. By buffing your nails properly, you can clean all the polish from your nails.
How to Remove Gel Polish with Nail Polish Remover?
Using a nail polish remover to remove gel nail polish is an easier process. A nail polish remover comes with different cleaning agents and that’s why it works on your glued nail polish to remove them easily. Follow the right process to use a nail polish remover below.
- First thing first, use a nail file and remove the topcoat to get a better result. It prepares your nails so the remover can penetrate easily and loosens the bond of nail polish. Also, it quickens the removal job to a great extent.
- Then, to protect the skin around your nails, you can apply some oil or petroleum jelly and massage the cuticles.
- After that, apply the remover on your nails and warp your nails with plastic rather than using foil paper. It’s because plastic works better than foil paper in this case.
- After you let the remover penetrate deep into the gel nail polish for about 4 to 5 minutes, unwrap your nails.
- You will see the nail polish is loosely patched up. Use an orangewood stick and peel them off. Also, you can use a cuticle pusher and push the loosely connected gel polish easily.
- Then use a moisturizer to keep your nails hydrated and cuticles healthy.
Can Only Water Remove Gel Polish?
Pouring water on your gel polish to remove it will not work until your nails are chipped. That means after a new manicuring, you cannot get a satisfying result by using only water. To remove it with water, you need to wait at least two long weeks after the manicure.
Then, to find a loose spot you need to lift that part. After that pour lukewarm water directed on the loose section of the gel nail polish. Speed up the hose and it will help to break down the other parts of your nail polish too. Use your fingernails too and push the loose part to come out easily. Gradually, they start to come out and your nails will be ready again for new paints.
Does Salt Water Remove Gel Polish?
Salt water does remove gel polish effectively. You just have to make sure that the water is warm tolerably. Also, if you add oil to the mixture, the salt water will work better. The process is long as you will have to sit for almost 20 minutes long to make the gel polish come out of your nails. But overall, the result is positive and reasonable.
Can Hand Sanitizer Remove Gel Nail Polish?
Hand sanitizers carry alcohol and thus rubbing this with the help of a cotton pad on your nail polish is one of the best ways to remove them. As we have already mentioned, hand sanitizer can loosen the gluing agent of gel nail polish. Let your nail soak the hand sanitizer for ten seconds after rubbing it with a cotton ball. Then you can peel the polish easily out of your nails.
Can Vinegar Remove Gel Nail Polish?
White vinegar, as one of the best cleaning agents, works fairly to remove nail paint too. It has an acidic formula in it that helps to break down the bonds of gel nail polish within. You need to make a mixture first to make the white vinegar work on nail polish.
Take a bowl, pour a cup of vinegar and a little bit of lemon juice; add some lukewarm water, and stir them all together. Then soak your hands in the bowl for about 15 to 20 minutes. Because of the cleaning agent, vinegar will help to remove the dead cells of your hands too.
After soaking, pull out your hand and let them dry. You will notice the swelling condition of the gel nail polish. Use a cuticle pusher and push them out of nails and see them coming out satisfyingly. Now, your nails are all clean and your dead cells are gone from your hands too.
Can Hydrogen Peroxide Remove Gel Nail Polish?
Hydrogen peroxide even has a professional-like quality to remove polish from your nails. Many salons use this light chemical in place of acetone as it carries harsh and abrasive chemicals in it. So, to remove old manicures or gel polish, hydrogen peroxide contributes a lot.
Put some drops of it in warm water and let your nails soak in it. After 5 to 10 minutes the reaction will take place and it will soften the nail paint. You can then easily peel off your gel nail polish or maybe file it gently to clean your nails.
What Removes Gel Nail Polish Instantly?
For the instant removal process, you need to acetone remover. It saves your time to a great extent as it affects nail polish within minutes and helps you remove it as soon as possible.
And if you like acetone-free removers to get your gel nail polish removed instantly, then there are many other alternatives in the market too. Some organic and natural-based removers can instantly remove nail polish and you can adopt them.
Learn More Effective Ways to Remove Nail Polish:
Final Thoughts
To conclude, as acetone has many uncomfortable agents, people are trying to adopt other ways knowing how to remove gel nail polish without acetone at home. This way they can also get better service or salon-like service without even going and spending money in a salon.
As gel nail polishes look pretty and beautiful on nails, changing them on a regular basis is a great idea. And for this, you cannot just go to a salon to remove your nail polish. Better adopt the ways we have mentioned above and do your manicure daily as per your own wish.
