Are you someone who wants to have long nails but cannot grow one? Does your heart sink when your nail breaks before a special day? Don’t worry; the days of stressing about growing your nails without breaking them are over. Fake nails can fulfill your wish of having long nails in no time.
Fake nails are easy to apply, and you can customize them to your desired shape and size. What’s better? You can remove them hassle-free.
They are usually transparent or white. But what if you want to paint the nails on your own? Can you use regular nail polish on fake nails? Let us find that out in this article! You can also get the nails colored and delivered to your doorstep at an added cost.
Can you use regular nail polish on fake nails?
The answer is yes. You can use regular nail polish on fake nails just as your natural nails.
With proper maintenance, acrylic nails can hold a regular nail polish for three weeks.
There can be two reasons you want to change your nail paint on fake nails. The first is, of course, boredom. Since acrylic nails last pretty long, there can be days when you will no longer resonate with the shade you are wearing.
If you are bored with your current look and want a different splash of color on your nails, feel free to grab the acetone. Once you remove the existing nail paint, your nails are ready for a new color.
Second, if you are someone who likes your nails to be prim and proper at all times, you may want to change the nail paint post the second week. It is then that the color starts fading from the tips, and the nails start to lose their shine.
Using acetone will bring back the shine and the color that may have turned dull over the weeks but will not take off the color.
However, if you have gel polish on your fake nails, you will not change the color with a regular nail polish remover. To remove gel polish, you will have to use a nail drill.
Let us now look at applying regular nail polish on acrylic nails.
- First, take a base coat and apply a single coat of it on your nails. Wait for about one whole minute for it to dry. Please do not skip this step, as it will ensure that your acrylic nails don’t get any stains from the nail paint. Dark colors often stain nails, so it is best to apply a base coat.
- Apply one coat of your regular color nail paint and wait for it to dry. Apply the second layer on top of it and repeat the same. It increases the intensity of the color and makes your nails look more attractive.
- The last step is to add a single layer of topcoat and dry for around 8-10 minutes. You can use a heater fan or a hairdryer to dry them too. But make sure your nails are at a safe distance. Too much heat exposure can create bubbles on your nail paint. Keep your hands away from water till the polish dries.
- To make your nails look polished at all times, you can repeat this method every three or four days. If there’s any special event you have to attend, feel free to change the color too.
How do you get nail polish to stick to fake nails?
Now that you know that regular nail polish works fine on acrylics, let us talk about how to make it last longer. While it is completely unavoidable, we can always delay the process! Who would want to wake up to chipped nails anyway?
The most foolproof method is to apply a base coat and a top coat before and after your regular nail polish application. Use a top coat specifically made to make the regular polish last more on acrylic nails, and voila! Your nails will look fresh and beautiful for a longer time.
Similarly, applying a base coat will act as a barrier between the nail paint and the fake nails. It will keep the nail polish from chipping.
When removing the nail paint, please make sure that you do not use any harsh chemicals on them. Abrasives can cause the polish to wear away faster.
Ways to change the polish on fake nails
Different people have different preferences for choosing which nail polish remover is the best to remove polish from acrylic nails. Like everything else, what works for one may or may not work for the other.
Some women prefer acetone-based removers over acetone-free removers and vice versa. Pronto is the best acetone remover in the market, while OPI is the go-to non-acetone remover.
No matter your preference, make sure that your remover does not have abrasive ingredients. As much as you want to look good, you do not want it to come at the cost of your acrylic nails.
If you are new to fake nails, my advice will be to opt for a remover formulated for fake nails. You can always work your way up to better ones when you gather enough knowledge about the same.
Now that we are talking about the two kinds of removers let us jump straight to the most exciting part.
The most basic way of removing nail polish from fake nails is to apply pure acetone over your regular nail polish.
Take a cotton ball to remove polish from all the corners of your nail. Look carefully for any residue before you soak your delicate fingers in acetone. Please keep it for about seven to ten minutes.
(a) Do not scrub your nails with the acetone-soaked cotton pad if you soak your fingers in a bowl. Scrubbing will make your nails brittle and will damage the acrylic. You may also end up damaging your skin. So, the best way is to be gentle. Take the cotton pad and wipe the surface of your nail slowly and lightly. Do not rush this process. Make sure not to touch anything apart from your nails.
(b) If you opt for the foil method, you will need aluminum foil. Take a sheet of aluminum foil and cut a small strip out of it. Now fold the small part twice. Take these two layers and place them for 30 seconds under lukewarm water. Once the foil is warm enough, soak one layer of foil in acetone. To ensure equal application of acetone on all sides, you can turn the foil over your finger like a pen. Look out for any residue and wipe it off. Like the bowl method, for this one, too, do not let the acetone come in contact with your skin.
For both methods, please make sure that your nails are properly dry. The fresh polish will wear off right away if your nails are not dry.
Do not hurry and apply the new nail polish right after the removal. Not only will it be a waste of effort, but you will end up wasting the polish too.
It is always advisable to use a base coat with pure acetone for acrylic nails. The acetone helps in the seamless application of regular nail polish and makes your polish last a long time. However, if your nail polish is gel-based, stay clear of acetone.
Conclusion
The most important takeaway of this article is that you can use regular nail polish on fake nails.
But while you are at it, make sure that you take the necessary precautions. Make sure that you are using good products and know the ingredient list. For acrylic nails, stick to acetone, while for gel nails, avoid them.