How to remove shellac at home without special liquid, foil, means, from extended nails. Video

Shellac is a combination of gel and simple varnish that stands out for its high strength and durability, but it needs an unusual removal procedure from nails. There are a couple of common ways to remove shellac without the help of a professional. At home, it can be removed with the help of professional removers and their substitutes.

In extreme cases, cutting is used, but with a non-professional approach, this method can significantly harm the nails. It is better not to apply it yourself without extreme necessity and experience.

Preparing hands and nails for shellac removal

Before starting the procedure, hands should be washed with soapy water and treated with a disinfectant. Remaining sebum can soften the effect of the solvent and affect the removal of the coating. It is necessary to prepare all the tools and materials for the procedure.

When choosing a salon remover for erasing shellac, it is recommended to conduct a sensitivity test before the procedure. Most removers will need to pre-polish the nails, but this is not necessary to remove the shellac.

Homemade Gel Removal Tools

In order to remove the silk coating from nails at home, you will need to arm yourself with the following set of devices:

• a remover containing acetone;
• professional or food foil;
• essential oil or greasy cuticle cream;
• manicure file;
• buff or fraser for cutting;
• glass stick;
• manicure brush;
• cotton wool sponges;
• orange stick.

After preparing the tools, you will need to study the shellac removal scheme. Knowing the main steps of the procedure, and not the generalized picture, will increase the chances of success and reduce the risk of nail damage.

Shellac removal scheme

Methods for removing shellac from nails at home are performed according to the general scheme with some possible differences.

The generalized scheme of the procedure includes the following steps:

1. Hand preparation.
2. Soaking the cotton wool sponge in a solvent and applying to the nails.
3. Fixation of sponges with pieces of foil.
4. Exposure time of the solvent.
5. Removing cotton swabs and foil.
6. Removal of gel residues with an orange stick.
7. Polishing natural nails with a glass file.

If it was not possible to completely remove the shellac in one session, the procedure must be repeated. There is no need to try to pick or peel off the varnish by force. It is allowed to reapply in 1 procedure no more than 2-3 layers of solvent, otherwise damage to the nails cannot be avoided.

Professional remedies

Safe removal of shellac at home is best done using professional tools designed for this purpose. There are 3 categories of solvents for cleaning varnish coatings: with acetone, with vitamins and without acetone.

All liquids, regardless of type, act according to the following principle: they penetrate into the solidified gel and make it soft for subsequent removal.

Acetone-excluding removers contain acetone substitutes:

• ethyl acetate;
• methyl ethyl ketone;
• amyl acetate.

These substances have a delicate effect on the nail, but require a longer exposure time and often do not completely remove the coating in 1 application.

The most popular and affordable means for safely removing gel coatings include:

When choosing a suitable shellac remover, it is important to consider the base on which the coating is laid; different types of products are used for natural and extended nails. Using a steamer or milling cutter will simplify the process and get rid of the gel without harming your nails.

Removing the gel with professional products

Regardless of the brand of the selected solvent, the procedure for erasing the gel remains unchanged, its duration is 20-30 minutes.

Having prepared the tools, you can proceed to the removal procedure itself:

1. Pre-treat the cuticle line of each finger with a fat cream.
2. Take several cotton wool sponges and divide them into 4 parts, each of them to fit the nail.
3. Next, you need to soak the pieces of cotton wool in the coating remover and apply them to your nails.
4. Fix the cotton wool by wrapping it with a piece of foil.
5. Leave in this form for 5-15 minutes. Each solvent has an individual exposure time indicated on the package or in the instructions.
6. Remove the foil after the solvent has been exposed.
7. Using an orange stick, get rid of any remaining foil on your nails.
8. If the gel is not completely removed, it is recommended to repeat the procedure.

It is recommended to remove the gel coating in turn from each nail, first the left hand is processed, then the right. The final stage is the aesthetic correction of the manicure. To do this, it is enough to polish the nails in their natural shape and apply a special repair varnish to protect the nails from damage.

Home remedies

Ways to remove shellac from nails at home will help you get rid of boring coating without wasting money on expensive salon treatments.

Common ways to remove shellac without using a solvent include:

• Removal with colorless varnish - removes the coating not perfectly and can leave marks on the nails, but in emergency situations it can help, just spread a layer of varnish over the shellac, wait a couple of minutes and remove the coating with a napkin, repeat several times.
• A mixture of vodka with alcohol - a folk remedy for replacing the solvent, vodka quickly dissolves shellac and helps to remove it without problems, when using alcohol it is better to dilute it with water, treat the sponge in a solution and apply it on the nail, wrap it with a film, stand for 20-35 and remove with the remains of shellac.
• Acetone - helps to quickly get rid of the boring varnish coating, to remove the shellac, you need to pour a little acetone in a saucer, prepare the nails and put them in a bowl, stand for 10 minutes, remove your hands, gently pry off the coating with a file and remove.
• Regular nail polish remover - before the procedure, it is necessary to cut off the shiny surface of the shellac with a buff, spread it on top with liquid, stand for 10 minutes, repeat the procedure.

If all else fails, you can remove the shellac from the nails by cutting it off with a file, brush off the remnants with a brush, but this method can significantly damage the nails and is recommended only in emergency cases.

Removing shellac with foil

The most common way to remove shellac at home is with solvent and foil. In this case, ordinary food foil is suitable, which must be cut into pieces according to the size of the nail plate. You will also need a removal fluid and a standard set of tools.

The coating removal process is carried out as follows:

1. First you need to file off the shiny shellac coating from your nails with a file.
2. Lubricate the nail cuticle with a greasy cream for protection.
3. Soak pieces of cotton pads in liquid.
4. Apply to nails and wrap in foil.
5. Leave for 10-15 minutes.
6. Remove foil and cotton wool.
7. Remove the remaining shellac with an orange stick.
8. If traces of shellac remain on your nails, you need to walk over them with a cotton pad filled with liquid.
9. File your nails carefully in a natural shape.

After the procedure, the surface of the nails will be a little rough, the nails will be vulnerable, it is important to apply a restorative varnish on them.

How to remove varnish with acetone

Among all the ways to remove gel polish at home, the most popular is to remove shellac from nails with acetone without using foil. Ordinary concentrated acetone is corrosive, degreases and dissolves the gel coating, but it dries out the nail plate, which leads to cracking and brittleness.

The use of acetone is not recommended during pregnancy and lactation. The set of tools remains the same with one difference - adhesive strips are used instead of cotton pads.

To remove shellac with acetone, you must:

1. Apply a greasy cream to the cuticle.
2. Stick adhesive strips on nails.
3. Pour acetone into a bowl.
4. Dip your fingers into a bowl and let sit for 10 minutes.
5. Extend your fingers, carefully remove the strips.

After applying such a bath with acetone, shellac softens and easily peels off the nails without additional help, but the likelihood of dry nails is high. To prevent this from happening, it is recommended to lubricate the nails after the procedure with a nourishing cream or care oil.

Removing shellac with alcohol

You can make a shellac remover at home using rubbing alcohol. For this, alcohol is mixed with water in a 3: 7 ratio - 70% water and 30% alcohol.

The removal procedure is carried out as follows:

1. Prepare an alcohol solution.
2. Cut off the top layer of the coating with a file.
3. Moisten cotton pads in the solution and apply to nails.
4. Wrap in foil and leave for 15-20 minutes.
5. Remove the foil and remove the cotton wool.
6. Gently pick up the shellac layer with an orange stick and remove.
7. Repeat the procedure if necessary.

This formulation is not suitable for all types of coatings, may cause further deterioration and clouding of the nail, and is not recommended for frequent use. If the gel polish has remained on the nails for a long time, it will not work to remove it with ordinary alcohol.

Can I remove shellac with nail polish remover?

In some cases, ordinary nail polish remover will help to remove shellac from nails, but for this it must contain acetone.

Dissolving shellac with a liquid includes the following steps:

1. Prepare pieces of cotton wool and foil, soak them in nail polish remover and apply to nails.
2. Wrap cotton pieces with foil. If the foil does not hold well, it is recommended to fix them with tape.
3. The solvent is kept on the nails for 15-20 minutes.
4. After the expiration of the time, remove the foil with cotton wool one by one.
5. Pry off the softened coating layer with an orange stick and carefully remove. The remains of shellac are scraped off with a file.
6. Sand your nails with a soft file or buff.

How to remove shellac from extended nails?

Home methods for removing shellac from nails remain the same for covering on extended nails. Regardless of the type of shellac base, it must be removed using a special liquid and foil, which is attached to each individual nail.

The exposure time in such a case can be increased to 15-25 minutes, since it is more difficult to remove shellac from an extended coating than from natural nails. In order to prevent the softened shellac layer from hardening, it is recommended to remove each lotion in turn. The procedure can be repeated several times until the shellac is completely removed from the nails.

Practical tips for safely removing shellac from extended nails:

• choose a liquid intended for removing the coating from extended nails;
• degrease the surface before applying the remover;
• for cutting shellac from acrylic, a file with an abrasiveness of up to 150 grit is used;
• after cutting off the gel polish, the surface of the nails must be polished;
• it is strictly forbidden to use liquid with acetone to remove shellac from acrylic nails, it dissolves the modeling gel;
• alcohol is also not recommended for use on an extended coating.

Removing shellac from extended nails is exactly the case when hardware cutting the coating will give a better result than dissolving with professional means. A similar procedure is carried out using a milling cutter, requires certain skills and experience with the device, is carried out exclusively by professional craftsmen in the salon.

Cutting off gel from nails

The most risky way to remove shellac is to file it off completely. For the procedure, you can use a professional nail cutter. A regular nail file or buff with high abrasiveness will also work.

When performing the procedure, it is important to consider the following details:

• only the top layer of shellac needs to be cut;
• the base coat under the shellac must be left;
• you can distinguish the base coat from the nails by its delicate milky color;
• to work near the cuticle, it is better to use a soft file;
• do not put pressure on the nail while cutting.

For cutting off gel polish at home, professionals recommend using a file with abrasiveness (frequency of grit on a nail file) 180-240 grit. When cutting shellac from nails, there is a high risk of damage to the cuticle; in order to avoid this, before and after the procedure, it is lubricated with nourishing oil.

Fastest method of removing shellac without special liquid

The easiest and fastest way to remove shellac at home is with acetone or alcohol.Subject to the rules of the procedure, the negative consequences for the nails will be minimal, and the procedure itself will take no more than 10-15 minutes. If you wrap your nails with pieces of foil, the process will take more time, so it is better to do without it.

A simple and not time-consuming method is an acetone bath... In just 10 minutes, it allows you to soften and peel off the shellac layer, which is very easy to remove later with an orange stick.

If you need to remove the gel coating from the extended nails, the best and fastest way is to file it with a regular manicure file. In this case, acetone or pure alcohol cannot be used, since their concentrate will dissolve not only the gel layer, but also the acrylic layer, thereby damaging the integrity of the extended nail.

Errors when self-removing shellac

The most common mistake when removing shellac from nails at home is considered to be completely filed with a file, but this is far from the only case.

The main mistakes that lead to nail damage include:

• frequent use of acetone alone as a remover;
• the use of pure alcohol as a solvent;
• sharp mechanical peeling off the gel polish from the nail;
• prolongation of the solvent holding time;
• removing shellac from the tip to the root;
• not using cuticle cream before the procedure;
• the use of a large piece of cotton wool, abundantly soaked in liquid;
• neglect of restorative nail care after the procedure.

The process of removing gel polish should be done gradually. Sharp movements against the growth of the nail, the use of an aggressive agent for longer than the specified time can worsen the condition of the nails and lead to their fragility.

Restoration of nails after removing the gel

Home remedies for removing shellac from nails can be irreparable if not followed by proper restorative care. After removing the gel coating, the nails are polished and filed, which leads to their fragility, they require special care.

For a comprehensive restoration, both cosmetics and homemade recipes are suitable, such as: salt bath, paraffin mask and others.

To prepare a salt bath for hands, you will need:

• coarse sea salt - 2 tbsp. l .;
• pharmacy iodine - 6-7 drops;
• orange juice - 100 ml;
• peach seed essential oil - 2-3 drops.

Add these components to a bowl of warm water, put your hands in the liquid and hold for 20 minutes. After the bath, you need to wipe your hands and lubricate the skin with a nourishing cream.

You can quickly restore and heal your nails by adhering to the following care rules:

1. Using a special repair coat will help protect your nails from brittleness.
2. Cuticle oil helps keep nails healthy and free from hangnails.
3. Regular use of natural nail oils will quickly heal cracks and restore the condition of the plate.
4. Rubbing your nails with lemon juice will help strengthen them.
5. To avoid problems with delamination of nails, it is recommended to do hand baths with sea salt.
6. An iodine grid will help get rid of yellowness and brittle nails after shellac.
7. Beauty salons offer a variety of treatments designed to restore nails and give them a well-groomed look after removing the gel coat, for example, sealing nails.
8. Do not forget about nutrition, eating fresh fruits, vegetables and nuts will provide the body with the vitamins necessary for the natural restoration of nails.

Removing shellac from natural or extended nails can be done at home without the costly services of a master. By choosing a less traumatic method of removal and observing all the rules of the procedure, you can get rid of shellac without damaging the nails and a long recovery period.

Author: snowhites2 (Galenko Ksenia Yurievna)

Article design: Anna Vinnitskaya

Video about removing shellac at home

How to remove shellac and not damage the nail plate: