Please note : this method will only work for acrylic nails and not for gel nails or any other kind of nails.

• An old and large towel to protect surfaces
• A smaller towel
• A small bowl - a cereal bowl is ideal
• Enough acetone to fill the small bowl
• A larger bowl which the smaller bowl can sit in
• Vaseline
• Nail brush
• White nail buffer

Please make sure you are sitting in a well ventilated room as this stuff can make you giddy with the smell !

Cover any surfaces with an old towel as acetone (acetone is a paint remover) can take more than your nails off if you are not careful.

Fill the small bowl with the acetone

Heat some water and fill the larger bowl

Sit the small bowl into the larger bowl which is now full of water

The hot water will heat the acetone gently which increases the rate at which your acrylic nails will dissolve.

Please do not place the acetone into a micro oven - as it is highly inflammable !

Rub some Vaseline into your finger tips and cuticles. This will give your skin some protection from the acetone which may dry the skin out.

Take care not to cover the actual nail itself with Vaseline.

1. Soak one hand's nails at a time for about 20-30 minutes; sometimes this can take longer.

2. Cover your soaking hand and the bowl with an old towel as this will help with any evaporating liquid.

3. Every 10 minutes very gently scrape away the soft gel like substance that used to be the acrylic nail

4. Don’t take your hand out of the solution for more than a few seconds at a time as the acrylic will very quickly harden again.

Once the acrylic has dissolved

1. Take a wet nail brush gently bush any remaining acrylic. Do this quickly as the substance will quickly harden again once it is out of the acetone.

2. File your nails back into shape.

3. Now finish off by taking a white buffer and gently buff the nail until smooth.

4. Wash your hands as they will be dusty. Take a good hand cream and moisturise your hands. Rub a little cuticle oil onto each nail to finish.

5. Your nails may be weaker and break after wearing acrylic nail so do make sure you moisture them regularly with cuticle oil.

How to remove acrylic nails the easy but slow way. If you have no patience to sit soaking your nails, you could try this method. It does take longer doing it this way, however you are free to do other things while your nails dissolve. You will need

• Cotton wool
• Acetone
• Vaseline
• Baking Foil

1. Rub Vaseline onto your finger tips and around the skin of your nail taking care not to get any on the actual nail itself

2. Soak the cotton wool into the acetone

3. Wrap the cotton wool around your nail and finger tip

4. Wrap the cotton wool with baking foil, this encourages warmth.

This method may take up to an hour.

Once the acrylic nail has dissolved then follow the instructions as above.