QuestionHow can I take off my solar nails? I have tried nail polish with acetone with no luck. Should I go to the paint store and get pure acetone?
THANKS J
AnswerIt takes about 45 minutes in pure acetone to dissolve the average set of acrylic nails that are made with cosmetic grade acrylic (EMA.) Unfortunately, many salons that do "solar nails" use a dental-grade acrylic formulated with MMA monomer that, aside from not being appropriate for use as a nail product, will take considerably longer.
You'll need to get 100% pure acetone from your local hardware store. Make sure, if you have a UV-cured gel topcoat on the nails, to file that off down to the acrylic. Many gels are solvent resistant and will not dissolve in acetone at all! After you file off the gel topcoat, get a glass, ceramic, or metal bowl and pour enough acetone in it that you can rest your fingers in it with the acetone fully covering your nails.
Set up your bowl of acetone someplace where you aren't likely to spill it. I usually suggest putting in your favorite DVD and setting your bowl on a tv tray in front of you. Make sure you have a towel and a file near-by. Slather some Vaseline on your hands-- this will act as a barrier cream to help prevent your skin from drying out from the acetone. Turn on your movie, put the towel over the bowl and slip your hands under the towel and start soaking.
The towel will keep the smell of the acetone down and keep the acetone from evaporating too fast.
DO NOT TAKE YOUR HANDS OUT OF THE ACETONE! As soon as you take your hands out of the acetone and the air hits your nails they will start to harden up again. So make sure you keep your hands in the acetone for about 40 minutes before you take them out. Then use the file to gently roll off the melted acrylic from your nails.
If your nails have been done with cosmetic acrylic it will get sort of "fluffy" and flake off easily. If it has been done with MMA, it will get gummy and you might only be able to file off some of it. If that's the case, you'll have to soak it again and repeat the process until all the product is removed.
When you're done and you get all the product off your nails, make sure to wash your hands thoroughly and apply a LOT of oil to them. Use olive oil or any other botanical oil (almond, apricot kernal, jojoba, etc) to rehydrate your skin. Reshape your nails with a smooth file and take extra careful care of them for several weeks. It'll will take a couple of days before they start to feel "normal" again, and hopefully they aren't damaged from aggressive filing when they were applied.
This is the only way to remove the product without ripping up the natural nail. You can file down the thickness and that will shorten the process, but be very careful not to file into the natural nail.
