Acrylic nails - removing the product

| August 28, 2010 |

One of the worst parts of any nail technicians job is having to remove product from a clients nails. It is never easy and is always time consuming. I almost said the worst part is removing old product from a client, but it isn’t.

The worst part is removing newer product from a clients nails. While this is rare it does happen. Once in a while you’ll get someone who only wanted nice nails for a specific event or thought they would like them but don’t. Just a side note, if you ever get a client that only wants nails for a party or wedding, don’t give them acrylic. Do a resin or gel product that will come off easier and leave your client’s nails in better shape.

Old product is weaker and has more wear and tear. While difficult to remove it is easier then product that has been recently applied. There are all types of contraptions that they sell that claim to remove acrylic quickly, but I’m not a believer. The best way for me is the old fashion way.

I take my client and file down her nails like I was going to do a fill. Don’t go crazy, you can even skip this step, but if I have the time I find that if I file down the product it soaks off quicker. I don’t cut the nail yet, if I have a problem with the removal, cutting them later may help me out. If I have a little extra time, I get a large glass bowl & put pure acetone in it. Enough to cover my clients nails, but not soak her hands and fingers in it. Make sure it’s just acetone, no fancy colors or fragrances.

I sit my client at a station I have easy access to. About every 5 minutes or so I will take out one hand at a time and wipe off any acrylic that has dissolved. Then I put the nails back into the solution to soak. I’ll repeat this process until the product is gone. Do not pull or pry away the acrylic with nippers or other tools. This will undoubtedly assist in damaging the nail even more, and may even cause pain or infection to your client if the nail plate is inadvertently ripped or torn. I’ll explain a slightly different technique for removal in my next post.