Easy At Home Gel Polish Removal Helpers

I am no beauty blogger, but I want to share a few products that have made it a whole lot easier to effectively remove gel polish from nails after your pretty manicure has seen better days.  It is much less expensive to do this at home than at the salon, and finding these nifty helpers certainly makes is easier than trying to wrap your fingertips in foil.

I found these handy nail clips on Amazon.  They have them for both your fingernails and your toenails.  As in the salon, you must first rough file the top of your nail to break up the hard shellac top coat; then you simply saturate your cotton pad, lay it on the nail, then secure it by placing the clip over the tip of your finger or toe.  I typically let my nails soak for about 10 minutes.  When I open the clip to slip it off of my finger or toe, the polish literally slides off with the cotton pad.  I don't even have to scrape any residual polish off the nail.

I have used different brands of acetone to remove my gel polish manicures, but my favorite is this one from IBD, available on Amazon.

To keep the acetone from excessively drying out your cuticles, be sure to dip a qtip in petroleum jelly and rub over your cuticles and the skin around each nail before placing the acetone soaked pad on top of your nail. 

After removing all of the polish, I like to wash my hands in warm, soapy water.  I then use a tiny bit of good old Palmer's Cocoa Butter Fast Absorbing Body Oil with Vitamin E on my nails and hands, rubbing it in well.  I do a final seal with CeraVe Moisturizing Cream.  You can use any nail/cuticle oil and hand cream/lotion you prefer - this is just what works for me. 

I thought about posting photos of my hands and feet with the nail clips in use, but I'm pretty sure no one wants to see that!  Just know these little helpers work well and are worth the $7.99 investment.

The gel polish just slides right off