How to Remove Shellac Nail Polish

I am absolutely obsessed with gel nail polish, but there’s one problem….it is a royal pain to take off. When I was a newbie to gel, I made the mistake of pouring acetone nail polish remover into a red plastic cup so I could soak the polish off while binge watching Mad Men. Sounds like a good plan to kill time while the gel peels off right? Wrong!! Within 15 seconds, the acetone ate through the bottom of the cup and poured all over my lap and my new couch. Not a fun experience! After many failed attempts I have figured out what works, what doesn’t and what the best nail polish remover tools are. Check out my complete guide below on how to remove shellac nail polish. (FYI, Shellac is another term for gel that was coined by Creative Nail Design- CND)

Why Should You Use Proper Shellac Removal Techniques?

If you don’t properly remove your gel nail polish, it’s highly likely that you will damage your nails. This can mean white spots, brittleness and more icky stuff you don’t want to deal with. While it’s tempting to start picking off the gel, it is really important that you resist the temptation. See what OPI chief scientist Paul Bryson and other experts are saying about avoiding nail damage.

Types of Removal Techniques

There are several techniques you can use to remove your Shellac polish. I have provided the how-to steps for each method and reviewed the pros and cons of so you can choose what will work best for you.

How to Remove Shellac Nail Polish: The Foil Method

Supplies: Acetone, Acetone-resistant container, Cotton balls/pads, Aluminum Foil, Paper

DIY Gel Nail Polish Remover Supplies

Foil Method Supplies

towel, Orange wood stick, moisturizer

  1. Setup:

    Find a space in your home where you won’t risk ruining fabric, nice furniture, etc. Place a paper towel, newspaper or placemat down to protect the surface you’re working on. Then select an acetone-resistant bowl such as glass or ceramic, NOT a plastic cup and pour acetone nail polish remover into the bow.

  2. Cut Aluminum Foil:

    Unroll a cut a big sheet of aluminum foil about 1 foot long and cut into squares around the size of 4”x4”.

  3. Make Foil Fingers:

    Generously dip a cotton ball into the acetone so there is enough to soak your nail. If there is too little acetone on the cotton ball then it won’t remove your polish very well. Place the cotton ball on one of your nails and hold in place grab while you grab an aluminum foil sheet and wrap it around the cotton ball to secure it. Repeat for each finger and you’ll have aluminum hands!

  4. WAIT:

    This is the most important part! You have to wait at least 10 minutes while the acetone works its magic. I prefer to wait 15-20 minutes so almost all the polish peels off.

  5. Twist Off:

    Twist the foil off of your fingers and checkout the results.

  6. Remove Residue:

    After soaking most of the polish will have curled up and fallen off but there might be some spots that remain. Gently use an orange wood stick to remove any remaining polish.

  7. Clean & Moisturize:

    Wash your hands and then apply moisturizing lotion.

 Pros:

    • Less of your finger is in contact with acetone.
    • You can be more mobile during the 15 minute soak period

Cons:

    • Can leave slightly more polish residue that you have to scrape off
    • Can be difficult to wrap the second hand in foil once the first hand is wrapped
    • Takes more time

 How to Remove Shellac Nail Polish: The Soak Method

Supplies: Acetone, Acetone-resistant container, Paper towel, Orange wood stick, moisturizer

  1. Setup:

    Get an acetone-resistant bowl such as glass or ceramic, NOT a plastic cup. It helps to pick a smaller bowl so you waste less nail polish remover. There is even a Nifty Acetone Proof Soaking Tray you can buy for less than $3 if you don’t want to put nail polish remover in one of your kitchen bowls. Then find a space in your home where you won’t risk ruining fabric, nice furniture, etc. Place a paper towel, newspaper or placemat down to protect the surface you’re working on.

  2. Buff your nails:

    Buff your nails to remove the shine. This is the main secret step to successfully removing the polish that most people skip over.

  3. Pour and Soak:

    Pour enough acetone nail polish remover into the container and submerge your fingers. Soak for AT LEAST 15 minutes!! If you get impatient, then you have to scrape off lots of leftover polish and can damage your nails.

  4. Remove Residue:

    After soaking most of the polish will have curled up and fallen off but there might be some spots that remain. Gently use an orange wood stick to remove any remaining polish.

  5. Clean & Moisturize:

    Wash your hands and then apply moisturizing lotion

Pros:

    • This is the lazy method so it requires less effort and takes less time
    • I think it is the most effective at removing the most shellac polish

Cons:

    • Acetone isn’t great for your skin so soaking your fingers in it can leave your fingers dry
    • If you don’t pick the right container, the acetone could potentially dissolve the container
    • Acetone has a strong smell so having a bowl of it in front of you is not fun

How to Remove Shellac Nail Polish: My Mom’s method

Cotton balls on blue backgroundMy mom used to buy special removal pads that were expensive but didn’t really do a better job of the foil method. So she adapted the foil method to be a little easier for her and to save money instead of buying special removal pads.

Supplies: Acetone, Cotton Balls/Pads, Medical Tape, Paper towel, Orange wood stick, moisturizer

 

  1. Setup:

    Find a space in your home where you won’t risk ruining fabric, nice furniture, etc. Place a paper towel, newspaper or placemat down to protect the surface you’re working on.

  2. Cut Medical Tape:

    Cut 10 pieces of medical tape around 2”-3” long and place on the edge of your table so you can easily pick them up individually.

  3. Wrap Cotton Balls:

    Place the cotton ball on one of your nails and hold in place while you wrap the medical tape around to secure it. Repeat for each finger then pour acetone on the cotton balls. If you dip the cotton balls before wrapping them with medical tape, then the tape won’t stick very well. Make sure you pour enough acetone on the cotton ball or else it won’t remove your polish very well.

  4. WAIT:

    This is the most important part! You have to wait at least 10 minutes while the acetone works its magic. I prefer to wait 15-20 minutes so almost all the polish peels off.

  5. Remove Cotton Balls:

    Unwind the tape and remove the cotton balls. It’s time to checkout the results.

  6. Remove Residue:

    After soaking most of the polish will have curled up and fallen off but there might be some spots that remain. Gently use an orangewood stick to remove any remaining polish.

  7. Clean & Moisturize

    Wash your hands and then apply moisturizing lotion.

Pros:

    • Less of your finger is in contact with acetone
    •  It’s easier to do the second hand after the first is done

Cons:

    • Takes a little longer
    • Can leave slightly more polish residue that you have to scrape off

What’s the Best Method to Remove Shellac Nail Polish?

Many people say it’s terrible to soak your fingers in acetone, but the Soak method is my preference simply because it’s easier and it doesn’t agitate my skin or cause dryness. If you have sensitive skin then I recommend using the foil method or my mom’s method. I did a little experiment to test the effectiveness of the Soak vs. Foil method, check it out below!

The Foil Method vs. The Soak Method

I decided to run a test to see which method works the best to remove that stubborn gel polish so I used the Foil Method on my left hand and the Soak Method on my right hand. The Soak Method won with a slight lead over the Foil Method as it took slightly more polish off. Checkout the results below.

Left Hand Before Gel Removal

Left Hand Before Gel Removal

Nails before gel removal

Right Hand before gel removal

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nails on my left hand Wrapped in Foil

My Left Hand with Foil.

My Right Hand Soaking in Acetone

My Right Hand Soaking.

 

 

 

 

Left hand after Gel removal

Left hand after Gel removal with some big chunks remaining.

Nails on my right hand are pretty clean after the removal

My Right Hand with Most of the Polish Removed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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As you can see, both methods worked pretty well but the Soak Method clearly left less polish afterwards. Less polish = less scraping which is great a way to prevent nail damage. The pictures show a little bit of white residue left on my nails but after washing my hands, I was good to go and ready for my next fresh coat of polish! Hopefully this how to remove shellac nail polish guide will help make your removal experience easier and faster!

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