REMOVAL

NOTE:  The majority of these methods require acetone.  It is absolutely necessary to use 100% acetone – anything else simply won’t work!  Also, please make sure to protect whatever surface you are working on as acetone can ruin finishes.

The Classic Method

Soak nails in a bowl of 100% acetone until you can gently scrape off dip nails

The Foil Method

  1. Cut 10 little squares of foil (approximately 2”x2”).
  2. Soak a cotton ball in 100% acetone, place on nail, and wrap with foil.
  3. Repeat with remaining fingers.
  4. Kick back and relax for 10-15 minutes while the acetone does its work.
  5. After 10-15 minutes, gently rub the cotton ball on each nail to remove dip.
  6. If any dip remains, repeat process.

The Rice Method

  1. Coat fingers with oil (coconut oil, cuticle oil, etc.).
  2. Fill a large bowl about halfway with rice and microwave on high for 2-3 minutes (until it’s as hot as you can stand it, but not so hot it will burn you).
  3. Add about 1-2 inches of 100% acetone to a gallon plastic baggie.
  4. Insert baggie into rice and soak your fingers in bag, gently moving your fingers around so the rice can help remove the dip from your nails.
  5. Do this for about 5 minutes, or until dip is all the way off.

The Peel Off Base Method

NOTE:  This method does NOT entail peeling off or picking off your nails.  DO NOT DO THIS!  It will badly damage your nails.

  1. Before applying dip powder to nails (or after applying a clear base layer), apply one strip of peel off base (you can find peel off base HERE) down the middle of your nail, avoiding the cuticles.
  2. When you are ready to remove nails, file the edges and gently pop off nails.

The Fill In Method

Rather than completely removing dip nails, some people choose to file off the top coats of color and fill in the grow-out gap.

  1. Make sure that when you apply your nails, you start with a layer of clear dip all over the nail (avoiding the cuticles, of course).
  2. When you are ready to change your manicure, file off the top layers of color until you are mostly down to the clear.
  3. Prep your cuticles and exposed nail bed as you would with any manicure.
  4. Reapply another thin layer of clear.
  5. Apply colored dip as desired and proceed with manicure.

Goop Removal

There are several products on the market that claim to magically remove your manicure when you apply their goop on your nails.  Not only do most of these products only *marginally* work, but most of them are also very toxic.  It is best to avoid these products, especially the ones that say “do not allow skin contact to occur”…this is a big red flag!