How The Heck DO You Get These Things To Come Off?

Recently I revealed that I got my very first manicure. It was a fun experience and I really liked the results. I sprung for the gel manicure and it was chip free and shiny. They lasted approximately 12 days before my nails had just grown out too much and the polish started lifting at the edges. So almost two full weeks. Not bad.


Now here's the thing. Removing gel nails is a bit more involved than wiping away normal polish. I was determined not to go back to the salon to have my nails returned to natural, so I did a little research, and this is what I found.


To remove gel nails applied to your own nails...not acrylic nails...you will need the following.

1. a towel to work on
2. 100% acetone polish remover
3. cotton balls
4. aluminum foil
5. a plastic cup
6. a rough nail file
7. cuticle oil (optional)


Before you begin, put 5 cotton balls in the plastic cup, then soak them in polish remover, and set aside. You will also want to pull apart 5 pieces of aluminum foil large enough to wrap around your finger while holding a cotton ball on your nail.

Supplies needed to remove gel nails.

~ The first thing you'll need to do is buff the top layer of the gel manicure with the emery board. The idea is to make cracks in the gel for the acetone to seep into.

Buffing my nails.

~ Next, take a cotton ball from the plastic cup, place it on a nail, and then wrap it with a strip of foil. Repeat on your other four fingers. Only do one hand at a time.

Nails covered with cotton balls and wrapped in foil.

~ Let the acetone do its thing for ten minutes. Then remove the foil. Don't unwrap the foil, just pull them off.

Nails after soaking.

My nails still had the gel on them, but it had been softened and peeled back.

~ The last thing I did was to pull/scrape the soft gel off my nails, giving each nail a final swipe with a polish soaked cotton ball once the gel was off, and finishing with a little cuticle oil. Then repeat the whole process on the other hand!

Clean nails. Gel free.

I'd like to say my nails are as good as new, but they are rough feeling, like sandpaper. I'm sure after a week or so they will smooth out. They don't look bad, but it definitely confirms my plans to only get my nails done a few times a year. Gel nails, anyway.

So that's it! No need to pay the salon to remove your fancy gel polish, just do it at home the same way they would do it at the salon. 

~ Love & Light ~

Crystal Nails In Oz

I'm 35 years old, and until last week, I had never had a professional manicure! I have good nails and don't wear polish, so doing them myself has always been easy. Enter my pal Rcena, who gets her nails done regularly. The last few times we have hung out, I found myself starring at her perfectly shaped and colored nails. She told me that she gets the gel nails and that they last a long time and don't chip. I filed this information away in my "maybe one day" folder and forgot about it.


My sister Sara and her family made a last minute decision to come to town for a visit this past Friday. For some reason I got the idea stuck in my head that I should get a gel nail manicure before we went to visit them at my mom's house that night. I didn't want to drive in to Springfield though (where Rcena gets her nails done), so I looked for a place in Ozark. There are several salons that do nails in town, but I chose a place called Crystal Nails. Randomly.

Crystal Nails Salon

The first thing I noticed when I walked through the door was the intense smell of acetone. If you don't like the smell of finger nail polish, I'm afraid you wouldn't last a second! After a few minutes I adjusted (or was high off the fumes and forgot about it). The salon is clean; the staff was nice, and they had me choose my color and began the manicure right away. I had called to make an appointment, but walk-ins are welcome too. Half an hour later my nail technician, Cam, had finished, and I was really happy with the look. She charged $25 (gel nails are considered a deluxe manicure) and I felt it was a fair price.

I probably won't be getting manicures regularly, but a few times a year when I'm feelin' fancy I will definitely pop by Crystal Nails to get the royal treatment. I would recommend their services to anyone looking for a manicure or pedicure!

My gel nails by Crystal Nails in Ozark.

Crystal Nails

1742 s. 20th st.

Ozark, MO. 65721

417-485-4456

~ Love & Light ~