Top 13 Best Homemade Nail Polish Remover

Do you love painting your nails or try different types of nail art? Do you change the nail colour often?

Well, if the answer to both the questions is yes then you will simply love this article. As a nail colour addict, you always do keep nail polish remover at home, close to you.

But, do you actually know the contents of the remover? These are pure chemicals that are harmful for your skin especially if you use them regularly.

The common ingredients are acetone, ethyl or butyl acetate. Using these chemicals regularly over a long period of time has its own side effects on skin.

This is because these chemicals take away all the natural oils present in our skin and dry it out. The skin ages faster.

Whether you are looking for a quick solution or completely want to avoid acetone and other chemicals, below are some easy ways to make homemade nail polish remover.

Home-Made Nail Polish Remover Recipes

1. Lemon

Lemon is a kitchen ingredient that also acts as bleach. It is full of vitamin C and is a citrus fruit. Many salon and spa these days use it for their exotic manicure and pedicure sessions. It is easy to remove nail polish with a lemon as you only have to rub a slice on your nails!

Ingredients:

• Lukewarm soap water
• Lemon slice
• Lukewarm water
• Hand and nail cream

Method:

1. If you wish to remove nail polish at home easily then it is necessary to soak your hands and feet for 5 to 10 minutes in lukewarm soap water.
2. Then, take out your hands and feet from water and use the lemon as a homemade nail polish remover over the nails to rub off the existing nail polish.
3. The nail polish will come off easily and your hands and feet will become soft. Wash them thoroughly with lukewarm water and then apply a hand and nail cream for moisturizing them.

2. Vinegar

Vinegar is acidic in nature (1)and is the only one that can effectively dissolve the nail polish. This is a local ingredient found in homes and super markets.

Ingredients:

• Lukewarm water for soaking
• Cotton pads
• ½ cup Vinegar
• ½ cup Lemon Juice
• Hand and nail cream

Method:

1. Vinegar is an excellent nail polish remover substitute but to break down the old nail polish easily you must soak your hands in warm water for 15 minutes before beginning the process.
2. In a bowl mix together both vinegar and lemon juice.
3. Remove your hands from warm water and pat dry.
4. Take a cotton pad and soak it in the mixed solution. Now you can start removing the chipped nail polish off your hands by rubbing the cotton pad on your nail.
5. If you have applied a thick coat of nail polish then it may take a little long than the normal nail polish removers but do remember that those are chemicals.
6. After you finish removing the nail polish, wash your hands thoroughly and apply hand and nail cream.

3. Alcohol

If you do not have lemon or vinegar at home then during emergencies you can also use rubbing alcohol as a nail polish remover substitute.

It is less harsh than other chemicals used for preparing commercial nail polish remover.

Rubbing alcohol is a good alternative for people who also suffer from other hand or feet infections. This is because it is anti bacterial in nature (2).

Ingredients:

• Rubbing alcohol
• Lukewarm water for soaking
• Cotton ball
• Hand and nail cream

Method:

1. Before you begin rubbing the alcohol on your nails it is important to soak them for 15 minutes in lukewarm water.
2. Now take a cotton ball and soak it with alcohol. Now begin rubbing it on your nails to take off the chipped nail polish.
3. In the end, wash normally and moisturize with hand and nail cream.

More: Is Rubbing Alcohol Acne, Good or Bad

4. Deodorant

If you are single and do not have the above stated supplies then you most probably will have a deodorant.

Deodorant contains a solvent which helps to remove the chipped nail polish and is hence a great nail polish remover substitute.

The solvents found in deodorant are less harsh than acetone and can thus be safely used.

Ingredients:

• Deodorant spray
• Cotton ball

Method:

1. Before you embark on trying the home remedy do ensure that you are not allergic to these spray deodorants
2. The nozzle of the deodorant spray must be kept close to the nail.
3. Now, spray it and then immediately wipe off the chipped nail polish.

More: How to Make Homemade Deodorant

5. Hand Sanitizer

If it is an emergency and you have to remove the nail polish outside your home then the best substitute for nail polish remover will be a hand sanitizer. This is a product that is easily found in bags and purses nowadays.

Ingredients:

• Hand sanitizer
• Cotton ball
• Hand and nail cream

Method:

1. Take the little hand sanitizer on a nail and then immediately rub a cotton ball over it to remove the chipped nail polish.
2. You can do it for all the nails until they are clean. But do not squirt in lot of sanitizer just for the heck of it.
3. After this remedy, you must wash your hands thoroughly and moisturize it with a hand and nail cream.

6. Nail Polish

Now, this may seem childish and even impossible but it actually is possible to remove chipped nail polish with the application of a new coat of nail polish.

It is the best substitute for nail polish remover. The nail polish has solvents which on application get dried up to give you a perfect shiny coat on nails. These solvents help to keep the nail polish soft.

Ingredients:

• Nail Polish- that you can waste
• Kitchen paper

Method:

1. Apply new nail polish on a nail and quickly take the kitchen paper and wipe it off.
2. Always ensure that the nail polish is not of express dry quality.
3. You may have to try a few times to clean your nails completely.

More: How to Get Rid of Yellow Nails Naturally

7. Emery nail board

If you check your manicure and pedicure kit at home you will have an emery board in hand with you. This is the best substitute for nail polish remover.

It is the most natural way to remove your chipped nail polish at home. You can do it at your leisure and it may even lead to giggles from your side.

Later after buffing your nails new, you must wash your hands thoroughly and moisturize your nails with a hand and nail cream.

8. Toothpaste

Toothpaste has fluoride and other ingredients that are great for curing small problems at home like acne, burn etc. You can also use it as nail polish remover alternative.

It is a product that is always available at home or anywhere you go. Therefore, if you are in a hurry and do not have commercial nail polish remover you can safely use this product.

Ingredients:

• Toothpaste tube
• Cotton balls
• Hand and nail cream

Method:

1. Take a pea sized amount of toothpaste and apply it on each nails.
2. Rub with the cotton balls right away.
3. The nail polish will get removed easily while the paste is wet. So do take care not to dry the toothpaste on nails.
4. It is a very cheap alternative. Wash your hands properly after removing the nail polish and apply hand and nail cream.

9. Hair Spray

This is just like a deodorant and works in the same manner. It has solvents that help you remove nail polish just like a remover. Thus it is a good nail polish remover alternative for emergencies.

Ingredients:

• Hair spray
• Cotton balls
• Hand and nail cream

Method:

1. You will need to be careful while doing this remedy. Carefully spray it on your nails from a close corner.
2. Immediately rub the cotton ball over your nail to take off the chipped nail polish.
3. It will not take you much time to remove your chipped nail polish from hands because the solvents in the product are also used for making a remover.
4. Later wash your hands thoroughly to remove the chemicals and apply hand and nail cream.

10. Vodka

Vodka is just like rubbing alcohol. Therefore, if you do not have anything with you then vodka does come to your rescue as a great nail polish remover alternative. It is always recommended to use 80+, strong vodka to remove chipped nail polish.

Ingredients:

• 80+ Vodka
• Cotton balls
• Hand and nail cream

Method:

1. Dip a cotton ball in vodka and then use it to rub off the old nail polish.
2. After you are done, wash hands thoroughly and apply hand and nail cream

11. White Vinegar and Citrus Fruit

This is a very potent solution against the chipped nail polish. Both are acidic in nature and act as bleach. They are great substitutes for nail polish remover.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup vinegar
• ½ cup citrus fruit juice
• Cotton balls
• Hand and nail cream
• Lukewarm water for soaking

Method:

1. First soak your hands for 15 minutes in lukewarm water to soften the nail polish. When doing a home remedy it is important to soak them for easy removal of chipped polish.
2. In bowl mix together the citrus fruit juice and vinegar to make a solvent.
3. Dip a cotton ball and rub it on your nails.
4. Wash hands with water and apply cream.

12. Soak Hands To Remove Nail Polish

If you do not want to use any harsh chemicals on your skin then go the all natural way. Hot water is the substitutes for nail polish remover.

You may be wondering how it is actually possible. When you soak your hands in hot water for 10 to 15 minutes approximately then you actually soften the cuticles, hands and nails too.

Therefore, the nail polish becomes soft making way for you to rub it off easily.The hot water gets under your nail polish and weakens the bond.

13. Home-Made Nail Polish Remover- Exotic Recipe

This is a recipe that will steal your heart away. Well, if you make and use it once you will never want to buy a harsh chemical based remover again in your life.

How to make home-made nail polish remover? If you have been searching for a home-made exotic recipe for removing nail paint then read below:

Ingredients:

• 2 ounce glass bottle
• 4 drops of Grapefruit essential oil
• 6 drops of Lemon essential oil
• 4 drops of Sweet Orange essential oil
• Rubbing alcohol
• White vinegar

Method:

1. Take the glass bottle and fill 2/3rds with rubbing alcohol.
2. Fill the rest of 1/3^rd bottle with white vinegar
3. Add all the essential oils written in the ingredients list
4. Gently shake the bottle to mix all the ingredients well
5. The nail paint remover is ready to use.
6. First soak your hands or feet for 10 minutes in lukewarm water
7. Soak a cotton pad with the homemade remover and wipe your nails with it.
8. Wash thoroughly afterwards.

More: 10 Amazing Ways to Get Rid of Ridges on Fingernails 

Safety Measures:

How to make homemade nail polish remover? Well, you may now have all the necessary answers to this question. But you must also remember that these are just alternatives to the mainstream ones.

They may not be effective like the commercial removers. As the key ingredient Acetone is missing.

When applying gloss or nail polish for removing the chipped old paint from nails, it is best to do it when it is wet because it becomes difficult to remove once they dry up.

Always moisturize your hand and nails after any treatment. This keeps your nails soft, supple and healthy.