Nail glue on your skin is a common issue associated with manicures and pedicures. It forms a clear cast on your skin that could ruin your chances of a great mirror selfie. So, how do you get nail glue off your skin easily and without ruining your nails?
Did you think about acetone? Yeah, I thought so. Acetone has a reputation for saving DIY manicure when it’s about to get ruined with glue. But, other remarkable materials can effectively get nail glue off your skin.
Besides the fact that nail glue on your skin could ruin your manicure, it could do worse. Nail glue on your skin could result in skin irritations and burns. And, there are certain sensitive parts of the body that nail glue could damage if not carefully removed.
So, I have put together some kitchen and bathroom materials that can help you get nail glue off your skin.
8 DIYs to Get Nail Glue off Your Skin
1. Warm Water and Soap
If you’ll be going with these materials, make sure you are using a mild soap. Also, the water should really be warm so you don’t burn yourself. This method works well if you got the glue on your hands or feet or any body part you can immerse in water (except your face).
- Dissolve the soap with warm water in a bowl. Get a bowl that is wide enough to allow you to spread your hands
- Also, make sure the water gets foamy with lather
- After that, immerse your hand in the bowl of soapy water
- Leave to soak for at least 20 minutes. The soaking time depends on the type of glue and how much of it got onto your skin
- Soaking helps to loosen the hold of the glue from off your skin
- In between soaking, you can take out your hand to check the progress
- When you are sure it has softened, use a toothbrush or nail file to gently scrub off the loosened glue
- Continue to scrub gently until the cast comes off
Most importantly, make sure you do not forcefully pull it off. If you do, you might just peel off your skin and cause injuries.
When you are done, apply a moisturizer or hand cream to the entire body part you immersed in water. This is because prolonged soaking in water can expose your skin to dryness. Also, it can make your nails brittle.
SEE: Keep Your Hands Moist With the Best Hand Cream
2. Petroleum Jelly
Petroleum jelly is a versatile and multitasking home remedy. It goes from getting rid of chapped lips, curing dry feet, and removing nail glue from your skin. All you need for this remedy is petroleum jelly like Vaseline, and soap and water to wash.
- Take a dollop of jelly that will be sufficient to coat the glued area
- Rub in the jelly in circular motions until it is evenly distributed
- Continue rubbing until you begin to see the glue cast loosen at the edges
- During rubbing, you will notice that the glue seems lifted off your skin, this is the loosening
- When you have exhausted the jelly but it has not yet come off totally, you can apply more jelly
- However, if you feel like, you can wash off the jelly with soap and water and allow your skin to dry
- After some minutes, when your skin feels more relaxed, you can go over the process again
In addition, after washing the affected area, apply a moisturizing cream to restore hydration and moisture to your skin. This also helps to keep your skin smooth and supple.
3. Hand Lotion
Your everyday hand lotion might just be what you need to get nail glue off your skin.
- Apply a generous amount of lotion all over the glued area
- Gently massage the lotion onto the glue
- Continue to massage until the glue begins to flake
- When all of it comes off, wash the skin area with soap water
You must apply some more hand lotion to protect and moisturize your hands. If it wasn’t your hands that got glued, use a moisturizing cream after removing the glue.
4. Nail Polish Remover
When you get your skin glued, the first remedy that comes to mind is to use your nail polish to wipe off the glue. Acetone-based nail polish remover is the best type of remover for this purpose. But, it shouldn’t be used on sensitive skin areas like the eyelids and lips.
Before you use acetone to get rid of glue, check for cuts or open sores around your skin. If there are any, do not use acetone nail remover to avoid burns. There are two different ways to use acetone polish remover; cold or warmed acetone.
For the cold acetone:
- Soak a cotton pad in acetone-based nail polish remover
- Then, place the swab on the glued area and hold it in place for 5-10 minutes
- Allow the acetone to dissolve the glue by breaking the bond it has with the surface of your skin
- Usually, acetone dries out quickly. So, in between, you should add more until you get results
- When you can no longer see the glue, you can stop
- Finally, use a toothbrush or nail buffer to gently remove any glue residue
For warm acetone:
- First, boil some water and turn it into a bowl
- Then, place the bottle of acetone nail polish remover in the bowl of hot water
- This is warm the contents of the bottle
- Afterward, pour the contents of the bottle into a smaller bowl
- Soak the affected area in the warmed acetone for up to 15 minutes
- Once the glue has dissolved, buff off any glue residue with a toothbrush or nail buffer
Whether you use cold or warm acetone, massage the skin area with enough petroleum jelly. This double-checks and gets rid of any glue that escaped buffing. It also counters the drying effect acetone has on your skin. Moreover, it keeps your skin moisturized and supple.
5. Lemon Juice and Water
Lemon juice is a kitchen material that is fast becoming a go-to stain cleaner. A mixture of lemon juice and water can help you get nail glue off your skin.
- Mix equal parts of water and lemon juice in a bowl
- Then, soak the affected skin area in the mixture for a few minutes
- You can stop when you see the glue loosened and coming off
- Gently and slowly detach the glue cast
- Afterward, you should apply some moisturizer on the clean skin area to restore moisture
SEE: 15 Natural and Effective Ways to Cure Dry Feet at Home
6. Rubbing Alcohol
Rubbing alcohol is the alcohol present in hand sanitizer. It is usually used as a household antiseptic.
- To use rubbing alcohol to get nail glue off your skin, first, soak the glued skin in a bowl of soapy water to soften the skin
- Afterward, pour some of the alcohol into a bowl and soak in it for at least 15 minutes
- Or you could soak a cotton ball instead and hold or rub it over the affected area until it dissolves
- Then, use a toothbrush to buff off any residual glue from your skin
- Finally, wash your hands with warm water and a mild soap
- After drying, do not forget to apply a moisturizer or hand cream (whichever may be the case)
If you do not have rubbing alcohol, you can use a hand sanitizer. But, using hand sanitizer requires that you use a lot of the product.
Read Also: These 13 DIY Materials Can Get Sharpie off Your Skin
7. Oil
For instance, massaging olive oil over the glue can help break the bond between the glue and your skin. Though, you can use any other household oil. After massaging it in, leave it to work the bond breaking.
After some minutes, wipe off the cast and wash your skin with a bar of mild soap and clean water. However, if you have oily or acne-prone skin, you may want to be more careful with this remedy. And, you could use margarine instead of oil.
8. Apple Cider Vinegar
- Dampen a cotton swab with apple cider vinegar and hold it in place for some minutes
- Keep it still until you can feel the glue loosen and almost falling off
- You may add more vinegar until it completely comes off or you can peel it off gently. But, to do this, you must be sure the glue has loosened well, or else you might just rip your skin.
- You can go ahead to wash your skin and treat it to some moisturizer
How to Get Nail Glue off Your Eyes
Getting nail glue on the eyes may sound impossible but it does happen. There are instances where some persons are trying to force the glue cap off, and then, there was glue somewhere around the eye area.
If you get nail glue on your eyes, you do not want to push things unnecessarily. Here’s what to do and what not to do in nail glue on the eye(s) emergencies.
What to do:
- First, rinse your eye with clean water. If warm water is available, you can run it over your eye
- Make sure that when you rinse, you do not rub your eyes with any pressure
- You will notice your eye is slightly opened. The water weakens the bond between the glue and your eye proteins
- After rinsing, use a soft, clean towel to pat dry the eye
- Apply eye drop meant to treat corneal abrasion. This calms the redness and prickly feeling
- Next, cover the eye with an eye patch or gauze. This will ease the pain and any discomfort. Moreover, it protects your eye which is now very sensitive from infections and dirt
As soon as you can, go to the nearest hospital to see an eye doctor. The doctor will examine your eye to check for any residual glue. And, if necessary, medications will be prescribed.
SEE: Best Handmade Soap Made From Organic Materials
What not to do:
- Do not rub or scratch the affected eye
- Don’t use acetone nail polish remover on the eye
- Do not force the eye open until you have at least rinsed with water
- Do not try to peel off the glue. Doing this may peel off your skin and leave injuries
- Do not think you’ll go blind
FAQs on How to Get Nail Glue off Skin
1. Can I get nail glue off my skin without using acetone?
Yes, you can. Other household materials like margarine, oil, lemon and juice mixture, soap, and water work as effectively as acetone in getting rid of nail glue. Moreover, they do not dry out your skin as acetone would.
They are also a great choice for getting nail glue off your child’s skin because you do not have to deal with acetone fumes. And, they do not irritate open cuts or sores.
2. Can nail glue damage my skin?
Nail glue may damage your skin if your force it to come off. And, if it glued two body parts, pulling can cause tears on the skin. Nail glue contains cyanoacrylate which may cause localized dermatitis or skin burns on contact.
3. Will nail glue dissolve away on its own?
Yes, it will. If left alone, nail glue will dissolve away within a few days. But, if you want to speed things up, you can try a home remedy like soaking the skin in warm soapy water. You can also use your hand lotion or nail polish remover.
4. How can I quickly get nail glue off my eyebrow?
You can soak a cotton swab in your makeup remover and either hold it in place or rub it over the glued area. Do this until the glue dissolves. Another alternative is to rub coconut oil over the affected area and leave it to dissolve the glue.
Once the glue dissolves, wash your skin with clean water and apply some moisturizer.
Conclusion
Nail glue contains cyanoacrylate, a chemical constituent of any household glue. It is not impossible to get glue on your skin as long as you handle one. This most likely happens when you do a manicure at home and when you force the glue cap off.
However, it shouldn’t be a case of panic.
Just in your kitchen and bathroom are materials that can save you from the damages that nail glue on your skin may cause. You should not try to force your skin apart or apply undue pressure on the glued area.
If you got nail glue on your eyes, patiently rinse your eye to get the harsh chemicals out. See a doctor for appropriate check-ups and treatment.
Thanks for reading.
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