Nail polish remover usually comes in a plastic bottle with a screw cap, but you can also buy it in tubs that have sponges inside, where you submerge your fingers to take off the polish. The main ingredient in nail polish remover is usually acetone, and some removers are enhanced with aloe and other natural ingredients meant to soften your skin while you remove the polish.
Cotton balls are great all-purpose applicators, especially for removing just a coat or two of regular nail polish. If you have two or more coats of thick nail polish, you might want to use paper towels instead. The relatively rough surface of the towels helps scrape off the nail polish. Cotton swabs are helpful for removing nail polish from the edges of your nails and your cuticles.
Removing nail polish may get messy, so it’s best to do it in the bathroom or another area without linens and surfaces that could get ruined by a stray splash of nail polish. Choose a room with good lighting so you will be able to see your nails clearly.
You may need to use a new applicator every few nails, especially if you have more than one layer of nail polish to remove. If you’re having trouble taking off your nail polish with a cotton ball, try switching to paper towel.
If you don’t have tinfoil handy, you can use a small rubber band to hold the cotton balls in place. Have a partner help you if it’s difficult to secure the cotton balls without causing them to fall off your fingers.
Act quickly - if you wait more than five seconds, the new coat of nail polish might start to dry. You may have to repeat this more than once to completely remove the old nail polish.
