Ordinary polish comes off in seconds. Almost every problem people have with it comes from wiping before the polish has dissolved.
The method
- Use acetone-free remover for ordinary polish. Pure acetone is for gel and acrylic and it strips oils the nail needs.
- Soak the pad properly. A damp pad smears, a wet one lifts.
- Press it onto the nail and hold for ten seconds before moving.
- Wipe once, cuticle to tip, in one direction.
- Use a fresh section of pad for each nail.
- Wash your hands, then oil the cuticles.
Hold a soaked pad on a glitter nail for a full thirty seconds before wiping. Scrubbing at glitter does nothing except take the shine off the nail plate.
Staining
Reds, blues and purples can leave a yellow cast. A base coat prevents it, which is the main reason to use one beyond adhesion. If it has already happened, wait rather than scrub. It grows out in a few weeks.
What does not work
- Hairspray, vinegar and lemon juice. None of them dissolve polish.
- Rubbing alcohol. It shifts a very thin fresh coat and nothing more.
- Peeling, which takes nail plate with it.
For gel, how to remove gel nail polish is a different process. For the same subject in more depth, nail varnish removal.
Questions people actually ask
What is the best way to remove nail polish?
Acetone-free remover on a properly soaked pad, pressed on for ten seconds, then one wipe from cuticle to tip.
Can I use acetone on regular polish?
You can, and it dries the nail and skin far more than it needs to. Save it for gel and acrylic.
Why does polish smear when I remove it?
The pad is too dry or you are wiping too soon. Press and hold before you move.
