We got expert advice on how to remove your grown-out gel manicure safely (no picking!) in the comfort of your home.
This article was originally published in March 2020.
I think most of us can agree that in the beauty-sphere, shellac and gel nail polish has been the best thing to come along since sliced bread. These LED-cured polishes bestow our nails with chip-resistant coverage, extreme shine and extend the longevity of our manicure for weeks.
But with the highs, come the lows. The shellac removal process is, well, a process! That’s why most of us leave it to the skilled nail artists and technicians to deal with when we transition from an old polish job to a new one.
According to Leeanne Colley, the owner of Toronto’s Tips Nail Bar and a professional manicurist who’s worked with celebrity clients including Lady Gaga and Gigi Hadid, it’s not hard to remove gel polish at home, but it does take inner strength. “Sure, you need a few tools, most of which you probably already have at home. But the most important tool that people need is patience.”
There’s a common misconception that removing gel nail polish leaves nails weak and unhealthy. Untrue, says Colley. “When removal is done correctly and patiently, it doesn’t damage your nails,” she says. But peeling or picking, that’s a different story. It’s tempting and occasionally satisfying, but it causes major damage.
“A single peel will remove at least six [of 50] layers of your nail,” says Colley. “It’s the worst thing you can do for your nails.” Frequent peeling weakens nails and over time it leaves them brittle, cracked and left with ridges.
We asked Colley to explain how to remove gel polish at home — which she promises in most cases can be completed in under 30 minutes. This translates to half an episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race — or whatever 30-minute self-soothing show you’ve been binging on since social distancing…
Read the full article here
