Perhaps you take an emergency trip to the drugstore to snag a new bottle (and somehow it magically disappears the next time you’re itching for a bare nail. No? Just me?), but did you know you could create your own DIY nail polish remover with a few household ingredients? It’s true: Behold, four ways to dissolve your polish without searching for your AWOL remover. Thank us later. The solution? You can either purchase a non-acetone remover (like this soy-based option infused with vitamins A, C, and E), or you can try your hand at DIY. Below, we’ve rounded up four recipes that work just as well as the extra-strong solvent—and they’re better for nail health, too: Although, you definitely don’t want to overdo it on the sanitizer: “These types of alcohols do major damage to the natural lipids and fatty acids on the surface of your skin, so they damage your skin barrier,” board-certified dermatologist Whitney Bowe, M.D., told us about how to protect your skin microbiome during COVID-19. If you’ve used your fair share of hand sanitizer (perhaps if you’re on the go, unable to wash your hands with soap and water), you might want to remove your nail polish with another alcohol-free solution. If you are going to use sanitizer, though, here’s what Lin suggests: Although it works in a bind, Lin wouldn’t consider paste-to-polish your go-to option. “[It] can be an unpleasant process,” she notes. The lingering, minty-fresh scent might be nice, but gooey fingertips? Not so much. You also have to work pretty quickly, as toothpaste tends to dry up caky after a few minutes. While many online tutorials might recommend soaking your fingers in two parts hydrogen peroxide and one part hot water, you might want to soak a cotton pad in the solution instead and rub it on your nails (to avoid irritating the skin on your fingers). Know your limits here, and maybe steer clear if your skin runs sensitive.
