How to Remove Acrylic Fingernails

Acrylic fingernails add elegance and beauty to our hands. These fake nails are attached to the tops of real nails with a bonding agent. They rarely break. Nail polish doesn't chip off. They can be worn long or short. Acrylic nails are great! Until it comes time to remove them.

Removing acrylic nails is difficult and can be very painful if not done correctly. I once had my acrylic fingernails removed by a "professional" and she did something very wrong. My fingernails (the part that was left and hadn't been ripped off) hurt me for a month. My once strong nails were reduced to paper thing remnants.

Acetone can be used to remove acrylic fingernails. This substance can be purchased at most retail stores. You can use acetone for nail removal in one of two ways:

First soak your hands in warm water for 5-10 minutes. Then place the acetone in a bowl and soak your fingernails for approximately 30 minutes. Keep rubbing the acetone around the edges of the nails to help loosen them. When it appears that the fake nails are sufficiently loose, gently attempt to peel them off your nails. They should remove easily, but if not, allow a few more minutes to soak.

Instead of having to soak your hands in a dish for half an hour, try using cotton balls. Soak a cotton ball in acetone and place it on top of the nail. Place a piece of aluminum foil on top of the cotton ball and wrap the foil all the way around your finger in order to hold the cotton ball in place on your nail. Repeat for every nail. Leave on for approximately 30 minutes. When you remove the cotton ball and foil, the acrylic nails should come off easily.

Acetone is very drying to skin. Therefore, it helps to apply Vaseline to the skin around your nails to help protect them during the soaking process. After the fake nails are removed, again apply a liberal amount to your hands and concentrate on rubbing it into the skin around your nails.

These methods of removing acrylic fingernails may seem a bit long and tedious, but in the end will save you from the pain of removing the nails incorrectly. Being beautiful takes effort, even when the beautifying agent is being removed.