How to take off gel polish?

Gel Polish became a hit in beauty salons since it appeared on the market. We love it for its beautiful shine, durability and rich colours, but also for easy removal.

How is it done? When should gel polish be soaked off and when to file down? In today's post, we will give you a handful of practical tips.

Soaking off the gel polish

Removing gel polish by soaking it off is one of the most popular methods. To perform it we will need:

• product for removing gel polish
• cotton swabs and aluminium foil
• or a special foil for removing gel polish

To soak off gel polish you need to:

1. With Mylar file 180 gently file down the top coat.
2. Pour the product on a cotton swab or special removing foil.
3. Put the soaked swab on the nail.
4. Wrap it with aluminium foil.
5. Wait 10 minutes.
6. Take off the foil and remove any remaining polish with a ceramic removal tool or an orange stick.

While soaking off gel polish you need to remember that it doesn't come off like nail polish does. Usually, after a few minutes, the surface becomes cracked and starts to lift from the nail. Then we need to help it to peel off completely.

The perfect tool for this is a professionalceramic removal tool, it was created for taking off gel polish. It is equipped with a very tough, angled tip that makes gel polish peel off easily from the nail without damaging the plate or splitting it. It is perfect for using in a beauty salon because this tool is durable and easy to disinfect. It is enclosed in an elegant case with Swarovski crystals and a cap.

Remover or acetone?

To soak off gel polish you need an acetone or a special Lanoline Remover. What is the difference and which one to choose?

Pure acetone is very effective but also quite harsh for our nails and cuticles, It can dry our cuticles and burn the skin - when this happens the procedure should be interrupted. The clients often complain about the smell of acetone.

Lanoline Remover is the perfect choice because it has an effectiveness of acetone with the soothing effect of lanoline. It dissolves gel polish fast and doesn't irritate the skin. Moreover, the harsh smell of acetone has been minimalised.

Filing down gel polish

The other method of taking off gel polish is filing it down. We can do it with a file 180 gradation or with an e-file.

This technique is recommended when the nail was hardened with a thicker layer of Protein Base®. The base does dissolve completely in Remover but if we want to simply change the nail colour then there is no need to remove the base completely. In this case, all you have to do is file down the top coat and the colour to the point when you see the base layer and put a thin layer of base coat (especially in places where the nail has grown out) and perform gel polish manicure in a standard way. This method will save us time and the skin won't be frequently exposed to Remover.

Filing down gel polish is a must when your nails have been built with a gel or acrylic because these products do not dissolve in acetone (it can only soften the acrylic). In this case, the quickest way to remove gel polish is to use a special e-file bit.

Indigo offers three types of file bits with different gradation: Indigo File Bit I, II and III. They are high-quality File Bits which quickly but gently take off gel polish without damaging the nail that has been built with gel or acrylic. File bits do not heat up, do not damage the cuticles and fit the nail perfectly so there is more control over the shape of the nail. Working with them is a time saver and a great pleasure.