Step 1: Cut them down with nail clippers.
If the falsies are extra long, Gerstein says it’s a good idea to trim them down to where your natural nail starts underneath. This will make them easier to remove.
Step 2: Start filing—carefully.
Remember those e-files we talked about? They’re the go-to for professional nail techs because they’re extremely effective for removing most of the acrylic, a process known as “de-bulking,” Gerstein explains. However, all of the pros we spoke with caution against e-filing at home. It’s extremely easy to accidentally go too hard and end up thinning your nail plate and/or cutting your cuticle, Dr. Stern cautions. And that puts you at risk for both an infection and can make it harder for your nails to grow out in the future, she notes.
Stick with an old-school nail file, but a coarse one. Gerstein recommends an option with 100 grit or less. (The lower the number, the rougher it is.) Here’s where things get a little tricky, though: You’ll have to use a little elbow grease, but still practice restraint. “You can always file more, but if you overdo it, you can’t go back,” Dr. Rastogi says.
Granted, it’s challenging to tell exactly where the acrylic ends and your natural nail begins. And again, you only want to file until you’ve made your way through the majority of the acrylic. So, to give yourself a guideline, Dr. Rastogi suggests painting on a thin coat of regular polish before applying acrylics. When it comes time for removal, you’ll know that once you see that polish color it’s time to stop, she says.
Step 3: Safeguard your skin.
Before step four (which, spoiler, is going to be very drying), Dr. Rastogi recommends applying a cuticle oil to the skin around your nails. It will act as a bit of a barrier against the harsh acetone you need to dissolve and soak off the acrylics, she explains.
Step 4: Soak in acetone.
Wrapping each nail with an acetone-soaked cotton ball and aluminum foil, the way you would to remove gel polish, isn’t really an option here. It’s simply not enough liquid saturation to fully break down acrylics and would add way more time to the removal process, according to Gerstein. Instead, she advises filling a small bowl with acetone and soaking all five fingertips at once. (FYI, choose straight-up, 100 percent pure acetone, and not acetone nail polish remover, which often contains other ingredients.)
Want to speed up the process? “When the acetone is warm, it works faster,” she notes. MAJOR WARNING: Do not, under any circumstances, heat the acetone directly—it’s extremely flammable. (Like, set your house on fire flammable.) Rather, you can set it over another bowl of hot water to gently warm it up. It’s also a good idea to cover the whole set-up with a towel to minimize some of the fumes (which can be dangerous to inhale), Gerstein points out.
Step 5: Check and scrape (gently).