Well-groomed hands, brilliant colors and beautiful long nails full of stability - there are many advantages if you have decided to apply gel nails. In everyday life, these nails are particularly easy to care for and always look good. Mothers, athletes and women whose hands are always in view at work love this uncomplicated nail design. However, there are reasons to remove the gel from your nails. Although it sounds simple at first, there are a number of pitfalls that can cause painful injuries. We spoke to our nail designer Stefanie to help you remove your gel nails professionally and as safely as possible.
3 questions for the expert: Remove gel nails correctly✔️
There are many rumors circulating about what happens to natural nails after the gel is removed - our nail designer Stefanie tells you what dangers really lurk and how you can avoid them. She also gives you tips on when it really makes sense to remove gel nails.
🤔 When does it make sense to remove a gel nail?
Nail designer Stefanie: “The gel nails should definitely be taken off if the nail needs to be treated. This may be necessary, for example, due to an injury to the nail or a disease such as nail fungus. Even if you have a longer hospital stay, rehab or something similar, it is probably better to remove the gel nails because you may not be able to get them refilled in time, which is very unpleasant for many customers - in this case it is mainly for aesthetic reasons . Gel nails are often filed down at the end of a pregnancy for exactly this reason, because the expectant mothers don’t know when they can next get a refill.”
🤭 What are the dangers of removing gel nails?
Nail designer Stefanie: “If you no longer want to have gel nails, you can have them removed at any time - but you should stick with this decision for a while, otherwise the natural nail will be put under too much strain and will not have time to regenerate. A common mistake when removing gel nails is accidentally removing too much material. The nail underneath is then too thin, tears easily or hurts when hit because it is very sensitive. If removal is done improperly, it can cause injury and redness, which can also become very painful. A well-known after-effect is a feeling of pressure on the nail and fingertips, which can last for a few days.”
✋ How do I avoid mistakes when removing gel nails?
Nail designer Stefanie: “I recommend always having gel nails removed by a professional to avoid lengthy and unpleasant consequences. Once the nails have been filed down incorrectly, even an expert can't do much to alleviate the damage caused. I would choose a method other than sanding to remove gel nails at home.”
DIY: How to remove your gel nails at home
Don't have time to go to the nail salon to have your gel nails filed by professionals? Our expert Stefanie has a tip for you on how you can safely get rid of your gel nails: “To protect your natural nail, you can simply let your gel nails grow out - you only have to shorten the nail and leave the rest he is. You can also carefully remove the top layer of gel with a file so that the bump on the natural nail is not too high. The natural nail itself remains untouched. Once you have filed down the gel slightly, you can simply paint over the entire nail with a conventional nail polish to conceal the transitions. The advantage of leaving a layer of gel: the natural nail retains its stability! While you're letting your nails grow out, you should file them briefly (flush with the tips) so that they don't break or tear. The disadvantage of this method: It can take around eight weeks for the gel to fully grow.”
- Carefully file off the top layer of gel
- Let the rest grow out
- Paint over the nail with nail polish
- Shorten nail
What you need to remove your gel nails yourself:
-
Coarse nail file
(to trim and remove the top layer of gel) -
Fine nail file
(for fine work and to avoid accidentally doing too much
to remove material) -
Rosewood sticks
(to gently push back the cuticles regularly) -
Builder varnish for natural nails
(for protection and stability)
In the studio: Remove gel nails in 5 easy steps
To remove your gel nails professionally, our nail designer Stefanie has put together a step-by-step guide with 5 points for you. This type of gel nail removal should only be carried out by professionals, as there is a risk of injury and damage to natural nails. The use of a milling cutter in particular requires an experienced hand!
- Remove material with cutter
Roughly remove the gel with the cutter, as with the refill.
- Fine work with a file
File the rest off by hand with a finer file - be careful not to damage the surface of the nail.
- Shorten natural nails
The natural nail should then be shortened, ideally flush with the tip.
- Smooth and seal the nail surface
If you remove the gel completely, I would use a polishing file to close the nail surface, smooth it and make it shiny.
- Care for nails
I recommend caring for the nail with building oils and nail hardeners after gel removal , unless the nail needs special protection, in which case you can use a building polish as protection.
Remove nail design⌛Plan regeneration time
After removing the gel from your natural nail, patience is required: it takes around eight weeks until the nail has completely renewed itself and all traces of processing have grown out. The nails should be protected during this time: do not use aggressive cleaning agents when doing housework, wear rubber gloves and use care products regularly. If the gel has been completely removed in the nail salon, you should only opt for build-up varnishes containing calcium for a while and not use any other decorative products - this will give your natural nail the opportunity to regenerate. By the way: If you had problems with your nails, such as grooves or dents, before the nail design with gel, you have to expect that these will reoccur after the removal.
Care products after removing the gel:
After professional and complete removal and also after the gel has grown out at home, you should use high-quality care products that will help your nail regenerate.
- Nail oil roller or nail oil (to care for the natural nail)
- Cuticle care stick (for caring for the cuticles)
- Build-up varnish (for protection & stability)
- Polishing files (to close the nail surface)
