I mentioned earlier in the week that I broke 6 out of 10 of my nails over the weekend. Now those are pretty bad odds if you are a nail, so I decided to give them some much needed R&R and try to figure out why they have been so weak and splitting lately. It could be a lot of things causing it, but for me it is probably the increased stress, nail polish and acetone use. Since there is not much I can do about stress and I'm not ready to give up nail polish, I decided to do something about the pure acetone.
I have heard rave reviews of Zoya's Remove+, but have been hesitant to shell out the big bucks. I decided it was time to try loodie loodie loodie's dupe for the much talked about remover. For the full, detailed explanation of how this works, please make sure to visit her blog post. Her blog is just amazing when it comes to nail care tips and techniques.
I started out with a 16oz bottle of 100% Pure Acetone, a 6oz bottle of Glycerin and an empty acetone bottle for mixing (not in the photo, but identical to the acetone bottle).
Per loodie loodie loodie, the proportion of glycerin to acetone is about 1-2 tablespoons to 200mL. In an attempt to make the recipe easier for me to duplicate in the future, I went with existing lines on the bottle. I poured glycerin to the 1st line on the bottle. It took a little less than 1/4th of the glycerin bottle (about 1.5oz or 3 tablespoons). I then poured acetone to the next line on the bottle (about 8oz = ~240mL).
I shook the heck out of this mixture which promptly separated when I stopped shaking, so I started adding water in little bits and shaking in between until all of the glycerin was incorporated into the acetone. It ended up taking about 3 tablespoons of water for this to happen.
I marked everything on the bottle so you can see the proportions here...
So did it work? YES, I love this remover. Over the years I have tried a number of nail polish removers with and without acetone and have always been frustrated at how much effort it took to remove the nail polish. If this is an even close dupe to Zoya's Remove+ (which I have never tried), then I can see why it is such a big hit. Using this mixture of acetone + glycerin worked just as well as pure acetone for removing the polish, but take a look at my nails...
Nail polish on the index finger was removed using pure acetone and on the middle finger using the acetone + glycerin mixture. The nail, cuticle and skin around the nail on the index finger were white and dry after just a few swipes with the acetone soaked cotton ball. The middle finger actually looked better after I removed the polish than before. Is that even possible? Either way, I love it! I can't believe the difference. It is the only thing I'll be using on my nails from now on :)
UPDATE: See my followup post with an improved formula.
What are your thoughts on this?
Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)
That is awesome! Where did you get the glycerin?
ReplyDelete@Shally, you can get it from most drugs stores. I got mine from Wal-Mart, same place as the acetone :)
ReplyDeleteWow... I am trying this out ASAP!
ReplyDeleteOoo, thank you for sharing this! =D
ReplyDeleteWhen I empty a bottle of polish remover I'll do this.
I JUST made this the other day! My only complaint is it leaves a slight filmy feel on my fingers, but I always wash my hands after removing polish anyway, so no biggie! Where did you find the glycerin at Wal-mart? I looked everywhere for it there, but could not find it! I found my bottle at a natural food store, but I had to shell out for a big 16oz bottle.
ReplyDeleteIt's near the pharmacy
Delete@Crystal & Rochelle, let me know how it works for you when you try it
ReplyDelete@Angie, I believe it was around the 1st aid section... if you can't find it, just ask someone to show you. They have it for sure.
And I agree, depending on how much glycerin you use, you can get a filmy feel, but I always wash my hands after removing polish so it was not a problem :)
WOW thats a huge difference. I have been wanting to do this since I saw loodie, loodie, loodie's post!
ReplyDeleteBy any chance you wouldn't have a recipe for oil-based nail polish remover?
ReplyDeleteOh wow... this is such a good idea! Thank you so much for sharing. I live in the Netherlands, and don't know if they sell Glycerin over here, but I sure do want to try this!
ReplyDelete♥
Wow, that is a big difference. I will have to give this a try!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recipe! I just bought some glycerin to make a coconut facial cleanser so I think I'll make this moisturizing polish remover, too. I got the glycerin at Target & they keep it behind the pharmacy counter.
ReplyDeleteim headed to walmart later for bubble wrap..so i'll definitely grab this so i can get started on this project which i have been meaning to try after i saw it on loodies blog too. lol
ReplyDeletethanks for sharing ur own experience!
@Polish AMOR, You should definitely try it, it made a huge difference to me.
ReplyDelete@marox79, I'm sorry I don't have an oil base recipe. I have never tried an oil based remover, so if you find a recipe, I'd love to try it :)
@KimsKie, I would check in your local drug store or pharmacy. Usually they have glycerin.
@Sonoma Bento, let me know how it goes for you :)
@DesertNails8, that facial cleanser sounds yummy :)
@Maria, I had been putting it off too, but I'm glad I tried it :)
We did try your version a few hours ago -well, my sister did on her toes- and it does seem more moisturising.
ReplyDeleteI've been looking for oil-based polishes or even better recipes but not much success there.
She used a bit of our acetone-free polish remover as the main ingredient, though.
ReplyDeleteDo the oil based ones still use acetone as main ingredient or do they use something else? Did this recipe still work with acetone-free remover?
ReplyDeleteNice, I love the side by side pic's!
ReplyDeleteAwesome post! I promptly went out and bought the stuff and mixed up my own batch! But.... It keeps separating back out?!?! I already feel like I've added more than 3Tbs, but it won't stay mixed! Do I add even more water? (I'm using both tour exact brands from Walmart, in same proportions...) is the magic trick to shake it for 30 min or more?
ReplyDeleteHelp!
@Leslie, I think you need more water. It doesn't take much shaking when you have enough. I shook for maybe 15 seconds and it has not separated out since I made it on Friday (I just peeked to make sure). If you are using the same acetone bottle that I show, maybe the markings on the bottle were slightly higher so you ended up with more glycerin than I did?
ReplyDeleteEither way, add water in little bits until the glycerin is dissolved completely. It should stay dissolved and not separate out. If you end up with a remover that is too dilute then add more acetone to compensate.
Let me know if that works for you!
@Loodie Loodie Loodie! Thanks for the recipe :)
ReplyDeleteOh! Thanks for sharing! I've been hesitant to use pure acetone, but hate how long it takes to remove glitter polishes, rhinestones, and the like, so I may give this a shot for next time I need something a little stronger.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing! Many people don't understand how harmful pure acetone is for the nails. It's actually made to remove resin from surfboards and stuff. Anyway, that is such a cool idea! I need to try that :)
ReplyDeleteI have a mini bottle of Remove+ that I got in a promo and although it works well it has an annoying smell that I don't really like, and I think it works just as well as my Sally Hansen remover which is only like $2.
I did hear about the smell of Remove+, that's why I chose to try Loodie's version 1st. It is so much better on my nails than pure acetone. The glycerin does leave a filmy feeling that I have to wash off right away, but I do anyways after using anything with acetone. :)
ReplyDelete