Place each saturated cotton ball over your nail and secure in place. Then, place foil on top of the cotton—this step is important to trap in the heat which then helps with removal.
You don't need to remove all of the top layers, the aim is to file it slowly to start loosening the product and remove the shine. Soak a cotton pad in 100% pure acetone. Place the cotton pad around your finger and wrap aluminium foil around it, do this for each finger and allow to soak for 15 minutes.
Hold it in place by wrapping a foil square securely around the fingertip. Leave them in place for ten minutes from when you finished the first one. The foil does more than hold the cotton pad in place for your shellac removal.
(You don't have to buy any special tin foil—Romah recommends cutting cooking foil in small squares to wrap around each finger). According to Yankee, this traps in heat to help the gel break down faster.
Place an acetone-soaked cotton ball on top of your nail, then wrap a small piece of aluminum foil around your nail to hold the cotton ball in place. Once all ten digits are wrapped up, sit back and relax for 15-20 minutes will the nail polish remover does its thing.
This is why heading to a professional to remove shellac nails is a good idea. A liquid solvent used to remove stubborn polish. Like traditional nail varnish remover, but seriously strong (I'm talking removing Sharpie strong). Cotton pads will be soaked in acetone, and wrapped around each nail, to dissolve the polish.
Wrap each nail with foil, and cover all the cotton swabs. Then let it sit for 15 minutes. Twist and take out the foil and cotton together. Wipe your nails with polish remover.
Alternatively, put cotton balls saturated in acetone on the nail, then wrap the fingertip in aluminum foil. The body heat warms the acetone and removes the product much faster with less risk of accidental fire.
Wrap the tip of the finger in aluminum foil
After wrapping each nail, wait 10 minutes to let the acetone soak into the gel polish. After 10 minutes, the gel nail polish should be softened and appear bubbling/curling. This means you can pinch away the foil and cotton ball from the nail.
This is rule number one for shellac nails – DO NOT peel them off. Peeling off the shellac nails yourself can damage your natural nails by peeling off the stronger layers of your nails leaving the weaker nails exposed.
When you peel off polish from previous applications, it continuously removes the stronger layers of your nail's surface, which reside on the top of your nails. This then exposes the weaker layers of nail, which can cause the shellac nail polish to peel off with the weaker layers of your nails when applied.
Unfortunately, leaving your CND™ Shellac™ manicure on for too long can result in service breakdown; lifting, chipping, discolouration etc.
It might be tempting, but you should never attempt to peel off a shellac manicure, as you can do a lot of damage to the top layers of your nails if you do. It's best to go back to the salon for proper removal.
Though ideally you shouldn't be removing shellac nails without a proper nail polish remover, you can run warm water over your nails and try removing your nail polish by lifting a corner of your polish that has come loose until it lifts off fully.
The alcohol in many hand sanitizers can dry out polish and crack cuticles, causing polish to chip. “Nails that lack enough moisture often become brittle”, says Cassy Chao, manager of Dream Nails Salon. “Brittle nails don't receive and hold polish or shellac like a healthy nail bed will.”
The tin foil acts as a clean little boat to keep the liquid on your nail and nowhere else. It also acts as an oven making the removal time go faster. Salons will typically do the foil method to benefit themselves and the clients because it really is a win-win all around.
Tuttle says if you want to expedite the process (and make the experience more spa-like), wrap your hands in a warm towel or a heating pad to loosen the gel. "Acetone needs heat to work properly," Elle says.
Your nail technician will use a file to ~gently~ buff your nails. This isn't to scrub the polish off – it just adds a bit of texture to the shiny surface so that the nail polish remover can do its thing. Each cotton pad will be dipped in the acetone and wrapped around each nail.
Wrap your nails in aluminum foil: Tear 10 3-inch squares of aluminum foil, one for each finger. Then take a soaked cotton ball and wrap your fingertips. This can be tricky, so we suggest wrapping your non-dominant hand first to make it easier. Now, sit back and relax for about 15 minutes.
Soak a cotton pad with acetone and wrap it around each nail. Wrap the cotton pad with tinfoil and cover it completely. Wait for 10-15 minutes before unwrapping the foil and removing the cotton. Use a cuticle pusher to remove the excess acrylic on your nails.
Acetone does not dissolve shellac nail polish, it simply facilitates loosening off the polish so as to allow you to easily remove it.
The gel removal is somewhat more difficult than that of Shellac because of the structure of its formula. Because it's thicker, it takes longer to get rid of. Shellac is a thinner polish, hence the remover is able to break through it much faster. With gel, it can take up to a whole 50 minutes to get rid of.
Shellac was the first hybrid polish, produced by CND, and you can expect manicures to last about two weeks. Some may find that the chip-free finish lasts longer than this, but it's recommended that you get them removed after 14 days as by this time your own nail will have started to grow out.