How Much to Remove Acrylic Nails & How Long does it take
Acrylic Nails are one of the most durable and long-lasting nail products available. But this advantage is also a double-edged sword since it makes acrylic nails very difficult to remove. Citation.
This is why it is recommended that you have them removed by a professional at a nail salon. But it is possible to remove them at home.
Now, in this article, we will discuss:
- The cost of removing acrylic nails
- How long does it take
- And walk you through how they are typically removed at a salon
- & How to DIY remove them at home
How Much Does It Cost to Remove Acrylic Nails
The cost to remove acrylic nails is around $7-$18. The price will vary based on:
- Location – removal cost will vary based on where you live. This difference is mainly due to the difference in labor costs.
- Type of Salon – High-end salons tends to cost more.
- Whether you are getting another manicure – you might get a discount if you are taking another manicure.
Your nails will also need to heal after acrylic you can click here to read some tips on how to heal your nails after acrylic.
How Long Does It Take to Remove Acrylic Nails
Once professionally done, Acrylic nails take around 20-30 minutes to be removed.
This will vary depending on:
1- The Removal Method used, if your nail tech primarily uses an electric nail file to do most of the removal, it won’t take very long.
But if your nail tech uses mostly the soak-off method, the removal will take longer.
2- How the Acrylic Nails were Applied – if they were made using plastic nail tips they will come off faster since the nail glue dissolves faster.
But if your acrylic nails were built with nail forms they tend to adhere better to your nails so they will need longer to soak.
Related Article – How Acrylic Ruin Your Nails & Tips to Prevent Damages
How long Do Acrylic Nails Need to Soak to Come Off
Acrylic nails will need to soak for between 15-20 minutes. This will vary based on:
- If an electric nail file was used to file away the hard top layer this allows the acetone to work faster
- How long the acrylic nails are on – if they were on for a long time the acrylic will be weaker and will dissolve faster.
Related Article: Acrylic Toenails 101 – Everything You Need to Know
How Acrylic Nails are Removed at a Nail Salon
- Firstly, the top layer of your acrylic nails will be filed using an electric nail file.
- Next, your acrylic nails will be covered with cotton pads that are soaked with pure acetone.
- And then wrapped with foil paper and left to soak for around 10 minutes.
- Finally, a cuticle pusher will be used to scrape away the soft acrylic.
Now some nail salons will use an electric nail file to file away most of the acrylic nails rather than use acetone.
Related Article – Acrylic Overlays: Cost, How to DIY, How Long will they Last
How to DIY Remove Acrylic Nails At Home
Things you will need:
- Pure Acetone
- Nail File (either a low grit file or an electric one)
- Cotton Pads
- Foil Paper
- Cuticle pusher
- Nail Clipper
Method:
- Firstly, use a clipper to remove the excess length from your acrylic nails
- Secondly, use a nail file to file away the top layer of the acrylic nails
- Next, soak cotton pads with pure acetone and then wrap the pads directly on the acrylic nails.
- Then wrap the nails with foil to keep the cotton pads in place
- Leave the pads on for 15 minutes.
- Next, use a cuticle pusher to scrape away the soft acrylic.
- Finally, once the acrylic is off apply cuticle oil to moisturize your nails.
You can watch the video below for a more detailed guide.
Video of How to Remove Acrylic Nails At Home
Recommended Tools
1- Nail File – for a good nail to remove acrylic nails, click here to see the price for a 80 grit one on Amazon.
If you want to speed things up you can use an electric nail – click here to see the price for one that is perfect for beginners.
2- Acetone – only use pure acetone, click here to see the price for a bottle on Amazon.
How to Remove Without Acetone
Acetone can be extremely damaging to your nails and cuticles, and thankfully acrylic nails can be removed without using acetone.
I have an entire article that will guide you through step-by-step how to remove acrylic nails without using acetone. You can click here to read it.
Also, Check out my article on Acrylic Nails- How Long to Wear & When to take a Break
How to Care For Nails After Acrylic Has Been Removed
I have an entire article where I share 7 Tips to Quickly Heal Damaged Nails After Acrylic
How to Prevent Acrylic Nails From Lifting
If you want acrylic nails to last longer I highly recommend that you read my 10 Reasons Why Acrylic Nails Lift & How to Fix & Prevent.
I highly recommend you read my article The Dangers & Effects of Acrylic Nails – Can it Cause Cancer
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