If you’re like the rest of us, in the last year you’ve discovered the ease and convenience (and let’s face it, necessity) of doing your own at-home manicures & pedicures. And if you’ve got a fabulous gel nail look that you’ve been rocking, sooner or later you’re going to need to remove it!

There are many types of gel polish remover you can try, but if you’re new to the DIY gel removal process, here are our top 3 tips & tricks to get your easiest and most convenient removal! Give yourself about 20-25 minutes in total to get it right, especially the first time. Practice makes perfect!

Gel polish removal tools

1. “Le Zebra” Nail File

 2. Gel Remover Wraps

3. Gel Polish Removal Tool

4. 10 Removal Clips

5. “Le Clean” Nail Cleanser, Dry Lint-Free Nail Wipes or our Nail Cleanser Prep Pads

Step by step to get gel nail polish off at home:

File the gel polish

File the surface of your gel manicure that you wish to remove.

Insert the finger in the remover Pad

Tear open the remover pad and insert your finger, making sure that the cotton pad is on top of the nail. The acetone from the cotton pad will soak into the gel.

Wrap the Remover Pad

Wrap the packet around your finger, removing the sticker and sealing the packet to ensure an air tight fit.

Secure with Remover Clips

To prevent air from entering, use our remover clips over the remover pads. Wait 15 minutes.

Remove pads and shattered gel polish

After 15 minutes have passed, remove the clips and pads. The gel polish will now have a shattered effect. You can use a cuticle stick or our Gel Remover Tool to gently GLIDE off the remaining polish.

Remove pads and shattered gel polish

After 15 minutes have passed, remove the clips and pads. The gel polish will now have a shattered effect. You can use a cuticle stick or our Gel Remover Tool to gently GLIDE off the remaining polish.

Clean off the remaining polish

Use our Cleansing Pads or our Le Clean cleanser to wipe off the remaining polish.

Voilà! Your gel mani has been removed.

Finish this process by hydrating your hands and nails with our Nail Treatments and our Hand Creams.

Have you followed the steps to remove your gel nail polish at home and you’re not getting the desired results?

Check out our FAQs here:

How to Remove Gel Polish At Home Without Acetone?

In order to effectively remove your Gel Nail Polish you will need Acetone.

How to correctly file the nail (surface and borders)?

Make sure you file the top coat of polish well, both in the center of the nail and at the edges. This step is essential as gel nail polish is designed to stay intact (a characteristic we love) for weeks. Gel duration also means they can be more difficult to remove.

By filing the nail you will "break" the top gel layer and ensure that the gel polish remover is more effective. The more you file the nail, the less time you will wait for the gel polish remover to work.
Just be careful not to file the base of the nail, as this could damage it. We highly recommend using a file with a 180 grit, such as "Le Zebra"... you will get twice the results in half the time!

How can I make sure that I have placed the nail polish remover pads correctly?

Make sure the nail is in contact with the cotton found inside the pad, do not remove it from the packaging during use. Then, remove the plastic that protects the adhesive side and fold the three sides of the Pad into a square, this way you will have the Pad wrapped tightly around your finger. The tighter, the better! This way, we ensure that the acetone acts effectively for the next 15 minutes.

How can I remove the remaining bits of polish once the 15 minutes have passed?

Once the 15 minutes have passed, you can remove the nail polish remover wipes to see if the acetone has taken effect. You should see the polish lifted and cracked. If this is the case, it will be super easy to remove the remnants of polish from your nail; otherwise, put your finger back in the wipe and wait for 5 more minutes. Once the polish is cracked, use a cuticle pusher tool to gently remove the remnants of polish. You can also use our gel polish removal tool. This was created specifically for this important step and you can use both the pointed side and the cuticles-pusher side. For a better result, we advise you to use Removal Clips. These are placed on top of the remover wrap to ensure that everything stays in place. The clips are a 'Must-Have' if you frequently do your manicure, as while you have them on, you can do other tasks!

And there you have it! These are our top 3 tips to get an easy, at-home gel manicure removal. Try it out and let us know what you think! Tag us on your manis + your removals @leminimacaron and the hashtag #leminimacaronLMM Team