The Best Nail Polish Removers
Nothing beats leaving the salon with a picture-perfect manicure. But when that manicure starts chipping away, your hands can look even worse than before. That's where a good nail polish remover comes in. Save yourself a trip to the salon and get your nails looking fresh and clean all in the comfort of your own home. Whether you're looking for a gentler, acetone-free remover or you want the same stuff the pros use, we've done the research to give you our favorite varnish removers available today. Check them out below to get your tips in tip-top shape again.
Mineral Fusion Nail Polish Remover
Naturally nude nails
As much as we love going to the salon for a mani-pedi, this type of self-care isn’t cheap, especially if you’re switching up your color pallette every two weeks or so. And so, most of us learn to do our nails at home, saving us not only time but also money. But to really complete the picture, we need a good nail polish remover, which is exactly where this one from Mineral Fusion comes in handy. This acetone-free option removes most regular and shellac polishes without stripping or drying out your cuticles. Hypoallergenic and fragrance-free, you can use this solvent whenever you need help removing polish and prepping the nail for a new coat afterward. It even comes in a smaller travel size for brush-ups on the go.
Pros:
- Made in the USA
- Paraben and phthalate-free
- Not tested on animals
Cons:
- Won’t work on salon gel nails
Pronto Professional Nail Polish Remover
A tougher treatment
While we know that salon visits are expensive, some of us just don’t have the hand-eye coordination to get the same results at home. That’s why we prefer a gel or dipping powder manicure over regular polish, too — the results last for much longer. Unfortunately, this also means that the manicure is much harder to remove afterward, usually necessitating a trip back to the salon. But what if you could get your manicure off at home for cheaper? Ladies, meet the Pronto Professional nail polish remover. This remover is serious business, effectively removing everything from nail glue to glitter polish. And yet, despite its strength, this solvent won’t leave you with dry, damaged nails. Now that’s a winning combo.
Pros:
- 100% acetone composition
- Doesn’t leave oily residue
Cons:
- Acrylic nails need to be soaked longer to fully remove the adhesive
Sally Hansen Nail Polish Remover
Strengthen while saving
When it comes to nail products, Sally Hansen is a household name, and for good reason — the nail polish brand has been around since the 1950s and hasn’t dipped in popularity since. While other brands are slowly making their way onto the scene, the Sally Hansen logo still signifies products that are affordable yet surprisingly effective, like their signature nail polish remover, for example. The classic-shaped bottle contains eight fluid ounces and lasts longer than other brands thanks to the potent formula. Plus, the remover itself isn’t just good at removing dark and light nail polish — it also features nail-strengthening gelatin that will make your nails stronger the more you use it. Talk about a lasting legacy.
Pros:
- Great cost value
- Doesn’t smell as chemically strong as other removers
- Softens cuticles while it removes polish
Cons:
- Loose cap may cause leaks if the bottle isn’t upright
Pretty Nails Regular Nail Polish Remover
Dip and strip
At-home manicures are a great idea until you’ve spilled half your acetone bottle over your bathroom floor. Not only did you waste your product, but now you’ve got a smell that’s hard to handle and even harder to air out. Thankfully, the designers over at Pretty Nails found a better solution. Their jar remover uses an acetone-soaked sponge to remove the polish from your fingers in several smooth motions without wasting a bunch of little cotton pads in the process. Simply press your fingers into the sponge and twist them around in the angles you need, and you’ll be able to get those hard-to-reach spots in the process. And if you find your sponge is running dry, an insider tip is to add a bit of liquid acetone to the bottom and let the sponge soak it back up for longer use.
Pros:
- Comes with a toe dauber
- Super easy to use
- Good for travel
Cons:
- Higher cost
Karma Organic Natural Nail Polish Remover
No more annoying fumes
Though we may love a self-care spa day, anyone with a sensitive nose in our household probably doesn’t. And it’s not hard to see why when you get a whiff of most acetone-based nail polish removers available at your local supermarket. If only there was a solvent that worked as well as the chemical stuff but without the smell or harsh composition. Fortunately, there is. This natural nail polish remover from Karma Organic uses a completely non-toxic formula to take off polish while nourishing your nails in the process. And if that wasn’t enough, you can choose which essential oil you want to be added to the solvent including lavender, rose oil, tea tree oil, or an unscented vitamin-E option. Turn your bathroom into an actual spa simply by cleaning your nails with one of these great natural scents.
Pros:
- Vegan formula
- Doesn’t contain drying acetone
- No plastic used
Cons:
- Leaves a slight oily residue on the nails
Frequently Asked Questions
Will my nail polish remover expire?
Typically, no. This is especially true if your remover is acetone-based. While your specific bottle may have a best-by date stamped on it, the truth is that acetone is a pretty stable chemical when it comes to having a long shelf-life. So while you may notice a change in efficacy over the years if your bottle isn’t sealed up properly, you won’t harm your nails by trying it anyways.
Is an acetone-based remover better than an all-natural one?
That depends on what you’re trying to remove. Acetone is definitely the strongest solvent out there for quickly and easily removing nail polish, and you’ll likely need to use it if you regularly get dip powders or gel nails done. But if you’re doing simple layers of regular nail polish, then a non-acetone remover can do the same job just fine without the additional worry of drying out your cuticles over time.
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