3 Ways To Remove Press‐On Nails - WikiHow

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• Personal Care and Style
• Nail Care
• Artificial Nails

How to Take Off Your Press-On Nails the Right Way Download Article Two easy methods for removing press-on nails + nail care tips Co-authored by Mia Rubie and Aimee Payne, MFA

Last Updated: June 26, 2025 Fact Checked

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• Removing Fake Nails with Acetone & Foil
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• Removing Press-On Nails with Soapy Water
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• Repairing Damage Caused by Press-On Nails
|
• Video
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• Expert Q&A
|
• Tips
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• Warnings

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This article was co-authored by Mia Rubie and by wikiHow staff writer, Aimee Payne, MFA. Mia Rubie is a Nail Artist and the Owner of Sparkle San Francisco, a nail studio based in San Francisco, California. She has over eight years of nail artist and management experience and is known for her push-the-envelope designs and artistic eye for colors. Her clients include Sephora, Target, and Vogue. Her work has been featured in the San Francisco Chronicle and StyleCaster. She holds a BBA focusing on Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations from San Francisco State University. You can find her work on her Instagram account @superflynails. There are 11 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 589,131 times.

Press-on nails can give you a professional-looking manicure in minutes, but removing them can be a pain and may damage your nails. However, you can do a few things to make removing press-on nails easier and less damaging, such as soaking your nails in acetone and loosening them with a cuticle pusher. Read on to discover the best ways to remove your press-on nails to prevent damage to your nail beds.

How to Remove Press-on Nails

Soak your press-on nails for 10-15 minutes in soapy water if you want to reuse them, or acetone if you plan to discard them. Then, use a cuticle pusher to gently lift the press-on nails off your nail beds. Lightly buff your natural nail to remove residue.

Steps

Section 1 of 3:

Removing Fake Nails with Acetone & Foil

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1. 1 Soak a cotton ball with acetone and press it to your nail. Acetone breaks down nail polish and adhesives, so your press-ons will no longer be usable after taking them off with this method.[1] If you have very long press-on nails, cut them down with nail tip clippers to make them easier to wrap with foil.
   • Be careful not to purchase a non-acetone nail polish remover, which won’t be helpful in dissolving adhesive.
   • Acetone can dry out your cuticle and the skin around your fingernail. Use cuticle oil to protect your skin. As a bonus, the oil may also help break down the adhesive under the press-on nail.
2. 2 Wrap a square of aluminum foil around your fingertip. While holding the acetone-soaked cotton against your fingernail, wrap a 3 inches (7.6 cm) x 3 inches (7.6 cm) square of aluminum foil around the tip of your finger to keep the cotton in place. The foil holds in heat and slows evaporation, making the acetone work faster.
   • Plastic wrap or nail clips are also effective for holding the cotton ball to your nail.[2]
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3. 3 Repeat on each nail and wait 10-15 minutes. Place an acetone-soaked cotton ball and wrap on each nail. Then, wait for the acetone to break down the press-on nail and adhesive. When using this method to remove press-on nails, place wraps on only one hand at a time so you have one hand free to remove the foil.
4. 4 Lift off nails as they start to loosen. The press-on nails will loosen up as the acetone starts to dissolve the adhesive. Use your fingers to remove the press-on nails if possible. Or, you can use a cuticle pusher to work the press-on off your natural nail slowly.
   • Take your time, even if the nail seems loose. Pulling a press-on off too quickly can cause damage to your nails.[3]
5. 5 Wash off the acetone and moisturize your hands. The acetone in nail polish remover can dry out your skin, so make sure that you give them some special attention after you get the press-on nails off.[4] Wash your hands and nails with warm water and mild soap. Then, dry them well and use hand cream on your hands and nails.[5]
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Section 2 of 3:

Removing Press-On Nails with Soapy Water

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1. 1 Soak your nails in warm, soapy water or acetone for 10 minutes. If you plan on reusing your press-on nails, soak them in a bowl of warm water with a few drops of dish soap. Place your fingertips in the water and let your nails soak for about 10 minutes.
   • If you plan to discard the press-ons or they won’t come off after soaking in soap and water, soak them in a bowl of 100% acetone to dissolve the adhesive.
   • Rock the nails back and forth slightly while soaking to the water or acetone loosen the adhesive.
   • Don’t try to force off the nail if it will not come off easily.
2. 2 Use a cuticle pusher to loosen the nail. After soaking, place the end of an orange stick or wooden cuticle pusher between your natural nail and the press-on nail. Then, slowly rock the cuticle pusher back and forth to loosen the nail.[6]
   • Don’t start at the tip of the nail. Start at the cuticle and then work the orange stick towards the tip.
3. 3 Gently buff off any leftover adhesive. After you’ve removed the press-on nails, go back over your nailbeds and buff off any remaining adhesive with a buffing block or fine-grit nail file. A cuticle pusher can also scrape adhesive off your nails.[7]
   • If the adhesive still doesn’t budge, try soaking your nails in warm water again or applying a bit of acetone with a cotton ball.
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Section 3 of 3:

Repairing Damage Caused by Press-On Nails

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1. 1 Go polish and press-on free for a few weeks. Slightly damaged nails may heal themselves in 1-2 weeks. To give them time to heal, don’t apply any nail polish or other press-on nails during that time.[8]
   • Use a few drops of cuticle oil to moisturize your nails and give them a natural shine while you let them heal.
2. 2 Cut your nails short to prevent breakage. Your nails may be brittle after you remove the press-on nails, so cutting them short may help prevent them from breaking or chipping. Use nail clippers or scissors to trim straight across the nail. Then, file sharp corners with a nail file, moving in one direction rather than back and forth.[9]
   • Use a nail file to smooth out jagged edges if your nails are already short.
3. 3 Buff your nails to even out rough spots. Press-on nails can pull off layers of your nails and leave them looking rough and jagged. Smooth out some of the damage by gently buffing your nails with a buffing block or fine-grit nail file.[10]
4. 4 Replenish lost moisture in your cuticles and nailbeds. Apply cuticle oil and hand cream after you remove the press-on nails and reapply at least once a day or after you wash your hands as your nails recover. [11] Keep a small bottle of hand cream in your purse or desk at all times to reapply it as often as you need.
   • Slugging or slathering your nails and cuticles with petroleum jelly after putting on cuticle oil is a great way to rehydrate your nailbeds.
5. 5 Use a nail hardener or strengthening polish. Nail hardening treatments brush on like nail polish and help repair and strengthen brittle, damaged nails.[12] Use them once a day or as often as directed on the packaging.
6. 6 Take a biotin supplement. Studies have shown that taking a daily biotin supplement improves damaged, brittle nails. In some cases, there was a 25% increase in nail plate thickness in patients with brittle nails.[13]
   • As with starting any supplement, talk to your doctor about the best way to add biotin to your diet.
7. 7 Apply a base coat before you use press-on nails again. Protect your nails before your next press-on application by applying a couple of layers of a clear base coat. This will help to create a barrier between your nails and the nail adhesive.[14]
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Expert Q&A

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• Question What is the easiest way to remove fake nails? Mia Rubie Nail Artist Mia Rubie is a Nail Artist and the Owner of Sparkle San Francisco, a nail studio based in San Francisco, California. She has over eight years of nail artist and management experience and is known for her push-the-envelope designs and artistic eye for colors. Her clients include Sephora, Target, and Vogue. Her work has been featured in the San Francisco Chronicle and StyleCaster. She holds a BBA focusing on Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations from San Francisco State University. You can find her work on her Instagram account @superflynails. Mia Rubie Nail Artist Expert Answer In most cases, it's easy enough to just soak your nails in acetone for a few minutes. Do your best to not use force to peel them off, since this can seriously damage your nails. Another option is to just go to a nail salon and ask a professional to take them off for you. They'll usually do a great job. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 4 Helpful 11
• Question Will nail polish remover ruin your press on nails? Hieveryoneitsme Community Answer If your press-ons are good quality, any type of nail polish remover should not ruin them. However, if they are cheap or bad quality (you normally can tell if they are discolored, have snagged edges or have paint chips here), be careful if you are planning on re-using them. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 11 Helpful 19
• Question I recently got acrylics, and they completely destroyed my nails. (Thin and crack/break easily.) I was looking into using press-on nails temporarily; is this a good idea, or should I avoid it? Cecilia Flores Top Answerer Avoid. The glue will destroy your nails even more. Just paint your nails with regular polish at home, and keep cutting your nails until the damaged part fully grows out. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 23 Helpful 28

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Tips

• If your press-on nails were applied with an adhesive tab, you may be able to remove them using rubbing alcohol. Simply apply rubbing alcohol around the edges of the press-on, wait 30 seconds for the adhesive to loosen, then gently rock the press-on back and forth until it comes loose. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 1

Tips from our Readers

The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.

• Always keep the nail glue after applying your nails, just in case you decide to re-use it or if a nail falls off, so you can fix it.
• If you don't have cuticle oil, don't worry. Another oil may still work. Try olive oil, jojoba oil, or whatever you may have.

Submit a Tip All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published Name Please provide your name and last initial Submit Thanks for submitting a tip for review! Advertisement

Warnings

• Never pop press-on nails off without loosening the glue. This removes layers of your natural nails, making them weak and brittle. Thanks Helpful 3 Not Helpful 1
• Be careful when using acetone. It can damage unprotected surfaces and cause lung irritation if inhaled. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0

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References

1. ↑ https://www.chemicalsafetyfacts.org/chemicals/acetone/
2. ↑ https://www.aad.org/public/everyday-care/nail-care-secrets/basics/pedicures/removing-gel-polish
3. ↑ Mia Rubie. Nail Artist. Expert Interview
4. ↑ https://www.aad.org/public/everyday-care/nail-care-secrets/basics/pedicures/removing-gel-polish
5. ↑ Mia Rubie. Nail Artist. Expert Interview
6. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03RnlGDQVbU
7. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03RnlGDQVbU
8. ↑ https://www.aad.org/public/everyday-care/nail-care-secrets/basics/pedicures/gel-manicures
9. ↑ https://www.aad.org/public/everyday-care/nail-care-secrets/basics/how-to-trim-nails

More References (6)

10. ↑ Mia Rubie. Nail Artist. Expert Interview
11. ↑ https://health.clevelandclinic.org/brittle-nails-causes-treatment
12. ↑ https://share.upmc.com/2018/03/brittle-nails-causes-treatments/
13. ↑ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8477615/
14. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsbUS9CpGg4
15. Videos provided by Ninja Nail Fairy

About This Article

Co-authored by: Mia Rubie Nail Artist This article was co-authored by Mia Rubie and by wikiHow staff writer, Aimee Payne, MFA. Mia Rubie is a Nail Artist and the Owner of Sparkle San Francisco, a nail studio based in San Francisco, California. She has over eight years of nail artist and management experience and is known for her push-the-envelope designs and artistic eye for colors. Her clients include Sephora, Target, and Vogue. Her work has been featured in the San Francisco Chronicle and StyleCaster. She holds a BBA focusing on Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations from San Francisco State University. You can find her work on her Instagram account @superflynails. This article has been viewed 589,131 times. 8 votes - 82% Co-authors: 6 Updated: June 26, 2025 Views: 589,131 Categories: Artificial Nails Article SummaryX

To remove press-on nails, start by soaking your nails in warm, soapy water for about 10 minutes to help loosen them. When you remove your fingers from the water, try to peel off your nails. If they won’t come off, apply a few drops of cuticle oil and let it soak in for a few minutes before trying again. You can also use a cuticle pusher to get underneath your nails and slowly work them off. For stubborn nails, rub some acetone nail polish remover into them with a cotton pad, since the acetone will help dissolve the adhesive. Once you’ve removed your press-on nails, peel off any leftover adhesive with a cuticle pusher or your other fingernails. For more tips, including how to repair your nails if they’re damaged, read on! Did this summary help you?YesNo

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