How I remove press-on Nails.

The following post contains affiliate links, which sends me a small percentage of any sales at no cost to you.

I’ve been wearing press-on nails for years! They’ve kept my nails looking polished (and sometimes trendy, even) without breaking the bank, and for the most part, without damaging my natural nails.

Approximately 90% of the time, I wear the Kiss Impress nails, which don’t require nail glue since they have adhesive on the back.

People often ask about my nails, and when I say they’re press-on, they say, “Well, how do you get them off?”

For years, it’s not something I ever thought about because the adhesive would lose its stickiness, and that was that.

But, I recently started adding glue press-on nails into the mix, and I quickly discovered that if you don’t want to damage your natural nail, you DO need a plan of attack for removing them.

Here’s how I safely remove my press-on nails:

Step 1: Trim down the faux nail

I don’t wear really long nails, but they’re long enough to trim down, especially when it’s time to remove them. I always trim them down with clippers to make step two as easy as possible.

Step 2: Soak and dissolve

This may seem dramatic, but I’ve had some press-ons that feel like they’re really cemented on! I did some research to find products that would make soaking and dissolving the nails as affordable and eco-friendly as possible.

I bought a pack of the Foil Remover Wraps, which have a tiny cotton pad on the inside to hold your remover of choice. I figured this was better than pouring a bunch of remover in a bowl and soaking.

I’ve used the foil wraps several times now and while you can’t do much while they’re on your fingers, they get the job done quickly. I usually reuse the wraps from one hand on the other hand.

I was mostly worried about the remover because I know they aren’t great for us, chemically speaking. After a ton of research, I settled on the Fresh Avocado Nail Polish Remover.

It’s 99% Bio-Sourced, Plant-Based, Acetone Free, and Infused with Avocado. This stuff blows my mind! It has no acetone, and it takes the smallest amount on the cotton pad, and it dissolves the nails easily.

Step 3: Gently remove

After about 10 minutes in the foil wraps, I use a stainless steel cuticle pusher to get under the faux nail and gently remove it. I learned very quickly that you can’t use a plastic tool, as the remover will dissolve it!

Step 4: Care for natural nails

I’m sure you already have a method for caring for your regular nails, but once I remove press-ons, I always give my natural nails some TLC, which often includes a hand/nail mask, a trim, cuticle oil, and time — I like to wait 24 hours before applying a new set of press-ons just to give my natural nails a break.

I hope my method helps you in some way. Do you have a specific nail care product you love?

To see more writing from me, be sure to subscribe to The Bitter Lemon by clicking “subscribe” on the right side of your screen. Want even more? Subscribe to my newsletter to get roundups, book recs and lifestyle tips.