At this point, you’re reading an article on removing SNS nails, so I don’t have to assume that you need convincing to try out this new nail trend.
And for those of you reading this article that are new to the SNS nail trend, SNS nails are a “signature nail system” that is applied to your nails by dipping them into a powder mixture that later hardens.
This new trend is spreading across the fashion industry quickly because many women want to move away from having their nails under UV exposure when applying gel nails, but still want fashionable nails.
Plus, some manicurists argue that SNS nails do less damage to your nail than gel nails because formulas for the dipping powder include vitamins and minerals, such as calcium, to enhance and strengthen your natural nail. Now, if you’re reading this article, you probably tried this new trend, or you’re thinking about trying it out.
While this nail trend looks great, the key to a successful nail trend is the ability to remove and change the look as much as you would like, and that is why gel and acrylic nails have been successful for so long.
Thanks to this article, you’ll be armed with the knowledge on how to remove SNS nails in order to keep your look up to date and fashion forward.
Removing SNS nails is not as easy as you would think. Keep reading for more information on how to remove your SNS nails for a stylish upgrade.
Tips on Removing SNS Nails at Home
Like any beauty trend, there’s always a home remedy or an at-home treatment to help with any beauty product you desire. Need a new face mask? Check Pinterest! Want to see some trending hair styles? Take a look at Instagram. This article is here to help save you some time that you would otherwise be using to look through countless articles, pins, and hashtag feeds.
Removing nails with Acetone
While applying SNS nails may sound healthier because it does not expose you to harmful UV light, there are varying methods of removing SNS nails, and some of these may or may not expose you to unwanted chemicals.
A common chemical compound used to help remove nail art is acetone; as a quick reminder, acetone and nail polish remover are not the same thing, some nail polish removers are acetone-free and will state that on the bottle’s label. Acetone is a solvent used to help dissolve and break down the remaining nail polish on your nails.
For those who may not know the difference, or didn’t even realize acetone was a key ingredient in some nail polish removers, acetone is a strong and abrasive chemical that is used because of its ability to remove tough nail polishes quickly and effectively.
Unfortunately, like many chemicals we expose our bodies to, acetone has an abrasive quality to it, and it can dry out your nails and surrounding skin.
In order to remove SNS nails using acetone, you’ll need a formula that is 100% acetone (you don’t want to expose yourself to any more chemicals than you need to), cotton balls, plastic wrap or aluminum foil, and a nail file or buffer. Once you have all your materials, it’s time to say goodbye to your SNS nails and take a deep breath; this can be a little bit of a long process for some people.
The first step is to use your nail file or buffer to remove the top layer of color because you need the acetone to be able to work at removing the color from your nails, not the color seal. While you’re working on buffing off the top layer of color from your nails, place your cotton balls in a small bowl with the acetone.
Soaking your cotton balls in this chemical allows the cotton ball to absorb as much acetone as possible; which will definitely help during the next steps.
Now place the acetone-soaked cotton balls on your nails, and wrap the plastic wrap or aluminum foil around the ball to secure it in place. After having the cotton balls on your nails for 15 minutes, remove the wrapping and cotton ball.
Once you’ve removed each one, go back and grab an unused cotton ball to wipe each nail down one more time like you would when removing normal nail polish.
Removing Nails without Acetone
For a less abrasive method of removing SNS nails, there is another, albeit more difficult, method of removing the SNS polish. This method requires much more patience than the acetone removal process; which is why many manicurists tend to use acetone as the primary removal method of SNS nails.
However, not everyone wants to be exposed to chemicals, and that’s completely understandable! So many people are picking SNS nails as an alternative to gel nails because it limits UV exposure, why would you want to expose your nails to intense solvents when you’re trying to pick a “healthier” method of adding glamour to your nails?
Essentially, one of the more successful acetone-free removal tricks is to file down and remove the SNS nail altogether. For this process you’ll need a nail file, a nail buffer, soap, water, and your favorite cuticle oil to help repair and treat your nails after this process.
More: Remove Acrylic Nails Without Acetone
Again, this is going to be a long process that requires a lot of patience, so if you thought waiting 15 minutes for your fingers to soak in acetone was too long, you might want to reconsider this method choice.
Similar to removing the SNS nails with acetone, you’ll want to use your nail buffer or file to gently remove the top layer of the SNS nails; again, this helps with breaking the seal on the color, and the lower layers of color will be easier to manipulate later.
Next, you need to use a more abrasive nail file to file down the bulk of the color product, and when you get down to the base of the SNS nail you need to switch to a more gentle nail file to avoid accidentally filing your natural nail.
Finally, after much patience and focus, you removed the SNS nail, but don’t forget to apply the cuticle oil to your natural nail; this keeps your nail from being dry and brittle, especially after it has been exposed to rough filing for the last 20 minutes.
After massaging the oil into your nails, make sure you rinse off the oil; you don’t want oily fingers when you’re trying to scroll through Pinterest SNS nail inspiration photos while on your phone.
Removing Nails with Nail Polish Remover
Okay, so you want to avoid acetone when removing your SNS nails, but that filing process sounds time consuming and you don’t have time to file down each finger. So what other options are there?
You could use the same thing you’ve been using since you were a teenager attempting to apply the perfect nail polish in your bathroom, nail polish remover.
You used nail polish remover when you accidentally put too much polish on your nail and it spilled onto your skin, and you can use it once again in order to remove your SNS color.
For this process, you’ll need nail polish remover (duh!), cotton balls, a nail file or buffer, and plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Sound familiar? For the nail polish removal process, you’ll need similar materials and you’ll follow similar steps to the acetone removal process.
The main difference in this process is that you’ll need to let the cotton balls wrapped on your nails sit for 10 minutes longer than you would with acetone. After letting the cotton balls work at dissolving the color on your nails for 25 minutes, you can unwrap them and wipe your nails down one more time with a freshly soaked cotton ball.
Don’t forget to use a moisturizer after you’re finished to prevent your nails from drying out or becoming brittle after exposing it to the nail polish remover for so long.
Home Remedies for Removing SNS Nails at Home
So you’ve read through the last three methods of removing your SNS color from your nails, and soaking your fingernails in chemicals and filing the thick color off of your nails sounds unappealing; not only are you defeating the purpose of your “healthier” nails by soaking them in chemicals, but both methods sound really time consuming and possibly damaging to your natural nails.
You’re in luck, though! We’ve poured over more pinterest pages and blogs to find some of the best home remedies and life hacks for removing your SNS color. These methods should be more gentle and a little less time consuming when it comes to SNS nail removal.
Removing Nails with Vinegar
You can remove the color from your SNS nails using distilled vinegar, and while it might not smell great, you’re exposing yourself to fewer abrasive chemicals. In order to use the vinegar, you’re going to soak cotton balls in vinegar just like you did with the acetone and nail polish remover.
Then apply the cotton balls and wrap them on your nails just like you read about before. The only disclaimer is that vinegar can be damaging to your nails because of its acidity, and it is important to moisturize your nails after this process.
More: Nail Strengthener
Removing Nails with Alcohol
Alcohol can be a powerful SNS color remover, and you’ll follow similar steps as you would with acetone and nail polish remover methods. You can use any kind of highly concentrated alcohol substance like rubbing alcohol, hand sanitizer, or even vodka.
However, this method will require you to wrap your nails with cotton balls soaked in this high concentration of alcohol, and you’ll need to do this for at least 30 minutes. The main difference between using acetone or nail polish remover versus alcohol is that the SNS color completely comes off in one movement using the acetone, but with alcohol the color with come off in layers.
So, it’s important to keep wiping each layer off with a clean and freshly soaked cotton ball to completely clean the color off of your nails.
Removing Nails with Slow Drying Nail Polish
While it might seem counterproductive to remove your existing nail polish with nail polish, this process exposes your SNS color to the solvents in nail polish that help in the drying process. Exposure to these chemicals helps break down and dissolve your SNS color in a VERY slow process.
In order to do this, you might want to find a good movie to sit and watch because this process is slow and requires a lot of patience. You’ll paint one coat of the slow drying nail polish to your existing SNS color, and then you need to wipe this coat off. With each layer you paint on and wipe off, some of the SNS color will wipe off as well.
Removing Nails with Items around the House
Though it is highly recommended that you see your manicurist to help in the removal of your SNS nail color, some women have claimed success in removing the color by using household items.
One example calls for the mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water, and, after soaking, this mixture is supposed to help remove the color layer by layer. However, it might not be the best idea to soak your fingers in this mixture because of the adverse effects.
Another home remedy some women swear by is the use of baking soda and toothpaste. You’ll need to mix the two ingredients together, and let them rest on the SNS color for 10-15 minutes. Next, take a toothbrush that you’re not using for your teeth, and scrub at the nail in small circular motions.
The abrasive nature of the toothpaste and baking soda mixture is said to help in removing each layer of color on the nail, but any professional manicurist would suggest that you choose an acetone based method for removing the color from your nail.
Moral of the story…
While you might be getting SNS nails to avoid exposing yourself to harmful UV light rays, you’ll have to use harsh and abrasive chemicals to remove the color later on.
In the end, there really isn’t a perfect way to glam up your nails in a way that is chemical-free or gentle on your nails, so make sure to consistently moisturize and take care of your nails in between visits to the manicurist.