How to Remove Gel Nail Polish

Gel nails are durable, painted-on nails that closely resemble real nails. Most people go to the salon to have them removed by a professional, but you can skip this step and take them off at home. Read on for information on how to remove gel nails three ways: soaking, filing and peeling them off.

Fill a bowl with acetone. Acetone is a chemical that reacts with the gel nail to loosen its adhesive and free it from your natural nail. Acetone is a common ingredient in nail polish remover, but in order to remove gels, you need a concentrated amount of pure acetone.

Cover the bowl of acetone with plastic wrap or foil. Use a rubber band to hold the cover in place.

Place the acetone in a larger bowl of warm water, so the acetone warms up. Let it sit for 3 to 5 minutes. Then remove the acetone from the outer bowl to prevent overheating. Be careful with this process, because acetone is flammable. Keep the acetone away from any direct heat sources, and warm only gently and with care.

Wrap your nails in acetone. Dip a cotton ball in acetone to completely saturate it, then hold it against your nail and wrap it in a strip of aluminum foil to fix it in place. Repeat with your remaining nails. Let your nails soak in acetone for 30 minutes.

If acetone doesn't irritate your skin, you can dip your nails straight into the bowl instead of using cotton balls and aluminum foil. Make sure not to soak them like this for more than 30 minutes.

Remove the foil and cotton balls. Remove the foil and cotton ball from one nail first. The gel should come right off when you swipe it with the cotton ball. If it does, repeat the process with your remaining nails.

You may have to help the gel come off by peeling it back a bit.

If the gel on your test nail is still firmly in place, replace the acetone-soaked cotton ball, wrap it up in foil, and let your nails sit for another 10 minutes before trying again, continuing until the adhesive is softened and the nails can be removed. If this method doesn't work within one hour, the adhesive is probably resistant to acetone and another method should be employed.