You might have to soak them longer as the polish is going to be more stubborn to come off. Another way to remove your shellac nails without acetone is to use warm water.
It is generally safe to go swimming with shellac nails, as the shellac will not come off in water. However, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, shellac nails are not waterproof, so they may become damaged if they are submerged in water for too long.
Shellac can be removed with denatured alcohol. If alcohol doesn't work, try lacquer thinner. If your piece was manufactured by a quality furniture maker after 1930, a thinning product is the best place to start, since your furniture is likely finished with shellac or lacquer.
Any remover with an acetone content of 60 per cent or more will work, but it's best to find one designed to remove shellac or gel polish – like this one – as it will be less harsh on your skin and nail beds. Pure acetone is also very effective, but it can also be drying to your skin and nail beds.
Use warm water and soap to gently remove the acetone and shellac residue from your hands. After removing the shellac nail polish, you may see a chalky white residue on your nails and fingers.
The alcohol in many hand sanitizers can dry out polish and crack cuticles, causing polish to chip. “Nails that lack enough moisture often become brittle”, says Cassy Chao, manager of Dream Nails Salon. “Brittle nails don't receive and hold polish or shellac like a healthy nail bed will.”
Remover: You have a few replacement options to use instead of acetone. Hand sanitizers, hydrogen peroxide, and cuticle oil are some of the most popular and effective methods. You can also try a kitchen oil like olive oil. If you have nothing else on hand, warm, soapy water or vinegar can be used to remove gel nails.
Shellac polish can ruin your natural nails. Scraping and peeling off cured nail polish can physically remove the top layers of your nail bed. If the damage is already done, learn how you can repair broken, brittle, or flaky nails with all-natural ingredients.
The Removal Process
The gel removal is somewhat more difficult than that of Shellac because of the structure of its formula. Because it's thicker, it takes longer to get rid of. Shellac is a thinner polish, hence the remover is able to break through it much faster.
This is why heading to a professional to remove shellac nails is a good idea. A liquid solvent used to remove stubborn polish. Like traditional nail varnish remover, but seriously strong (I'm talking removing Sharpie strong). Cotton pads will be soaked in acetone, and wrapped around each nail, to dissolve the polish.
Break up the shellac with a hammer and dissolve it in alcohol as usual. Dissolve dry shellac flakes in denatured ethanol, which is sold in most paint stores. It also dissolves in methanol, butyl and isopropyl alcohol. Methanol will evaporate the quickest, followed by ethanol, butyl and isopropyl alcohol.
Clean Up: Rinse brush in methylated spirits, then in warm, soapy water to remove all traces of shellac.
IMPROPER REMOVAL/APPLICATION – aggressive removal of CND™ Shellac™ including harshly scraping the natural nail with a metal tool can cause damage.
Some of the more delicate Shellac colours can fade if exposed to chlorinated water followed by excessive sun (remember that chlorine is a bleach and sun intensifies the bleaching action). Wash and dry your hands and nails after swimming and before sunbathing to minimize any colour fading.
Some of the more delicate Shellac colours can fade in chlorinated water and excessive sun (remember chlorine is a bleach and sun intensifies the bleaching action). Dry your hands and nails after swimming and before sunbathing to minimize any colour fading.
To prevent smudging, it is best to wait one to two hours before hopping in the tub or shower. To help speed drying time, use a fast-drying topcoat or a nail polish dryer.
In our experience, SNS can last up to one week longer than Shellac nails without chipping, and SNS also creates a thicker-looking nail from all that powder getting added on. But we've found Shellac to be a little less damaging to our nails long-term than SNS nails.
Shellac is much less damaging to nails than traditional gels (or acrylics), and if your goal isn't to make your nails longer, then they're a great choice. Shellac looks like a thick glossy gel polish, and the main benefit is that it reduces chipping.
A shellac manicure can usually last 14 days without chipping. If you want your shellac to last another fortnight or so, protecting your natural nails, a nude-ish Shellac Forte is your best bet.
The simple answer is your nails are dry causing peeling and brittle nails. Shellac cannot damage or weaken your nails once applied and removed correctly.
If you're feeling pain after applying nail polish remover—or after any other nail treatments—that's a sign your nails are damaged to the point that they're no longer serving as an effective barrier, she explains.
While you can get your shellac manicure removed at the salon, you don't have to. You can buy special shellac remover wraps, but you don't need them. The acetone should loosen the shellac so it can be gently pushed off of the nail; you don't need to scrape or file or otherwise mistreat your nails to remove it.
Baking soda is generally an excellent cleanser, and it will take off shellac polish easily.