If you regularly wear Acrylic Nails, then you will know that they can easily collect dirt underneath. As someone who loves to wear Acrylics, its really useful to know How To Clean Under Your Acrylic Nails.
There’s nothing worse than dirt building up there, it can completely ruin the look and feel of your Mani!
If you’ve been to the Salon and spent a lot on a nice set of Acrylics, then you are going to want to ensure that you keep them clean to give you that dazzling look that you have paid for.
Dirt and Acrylics
Acrylics are fixed to your Natural Nails through a dried gel coating. As such, you cannot just raise or lift them off temporarily and return them back once you have cleaned them. They are fixed securely in position.
But being fixed in place doesn’t mean that they are not prone to dirt collection. Unfortunately you can pick up quite a lot of dirt and debris from common daily activities. Whether your undertaking Household duties, working outside, travelling or playing with your kids, its inevitable that some buildup will occur.
Therefore as a preventive measure, it is always advisable to wear gloves when and where you can. This will cut down the amount of dirt your Acrylics are exposed to. It will also eradicate the need to clean your Acrylic Nails using the following steps that will follow below.
Its important to to remove dirt as soon as you can; Bacteria or Fungus is commonly associated with dirt and either one of these can start to interrupt the environment of your nails and cause problems.
Ultimately, having Acrylics should not mean that you cannot continue living your life and fulfilling your commitments. Acrylics are there to enhance your look and appearance, not to make you completely useless and unable to do anything.
Therefore, I’d like to bring to you today a quick and easy three step method to keep your acrylic nails clean. This will return them back to their glistening best.
The Best Way To Clean Your Acrylic Nails
Step One – Use Anti-Bacterial Soap
The first thing you need to do is to wash your hands with an Antibacterial Soap to destroy any Bacteria/Fungus. (My preferred Soap is Defense because it is natural and chemical free. It also is made using Tea Tree Oil and Eucalyptus Tree Oil which are both great for killing strong Bacteria and Fungus).
Start by placing your hands under a tap of lukewarm water. Let the water pass through your hands and be sure to turn your hands/nails to let the water expose underneath your Acrylics.
Then, grab the bar of Anti-Bacterial Soap and lather to remove any large and loose pieces of debris or dirt.
A great way to get the soap under your Acrylics is to gently scratch at a bar of soap. This way you can get chunks of the Soap underneath your Acrylics where it can work its magic.
Once you’ve adequately cleaned your nails, ensure that you dry your nails thoroughly with a towel.
It is important that no moisture remains as this can cause further problems. If too much water is left, it can cause your Acrylics to rise and fall off. Ironically, it can even exacerbate the problem by promoting further growth of Bacteria and Fungus.
For this step, it is advised that you wash your hands as little as possible. Washing your Acrylics too regularly can weaken the Nail Glue that holds your Acrylics on!
Step Two – Use a Nail Brush/Soft-Bristle Toothbrush
A Nail Brush (or MicroFine Soft Bristle Toothbrush) is an excellent way to reach and to remove dirt from underneath your nails. Due to the size and shape of these tools, they are brilliant for getting to those hard to reach areas where dirt commonly builds up.
To do this, gently push the brush underneath your Acrylics and start with a slow brushing motion. Do this for a few seconds at a time, and go through each and everyone of your nails. You should notice that the bristles start to collect any debris that was collecting under your nails.
A great way to improve the effectiveness of the brush is to lightly dampen it prior to use.
I love to carry a brush with me, because that way I can always reach for it and remove any dirt, food or makeup that usually ends up underneath my nails! The Body Shop brush is great for transporting and is really stylish compared to the majority of brushes available on the market.
Step 3: Use Rubbing Alcohol
The final part of this three step process involves using a great little solution known as “Rubbing Alcohol”. Whilst you can buy Rubbing Alcohol, and pour a small amount onto a Cotton Ball, I find this to be quite difficult. You also end up wasting a lot of the Rubbing Alcohol during the process.
You don’t need much Rubbing Alcohol for this to work and less is better.
Instead, I like to use Rubbing Alcohol Wipes which are really inexpensive and a great way to get apply this solution to your nails.
Once you have your Rubbing Alcohol (either the wipes or on a Cotton Ball), apply it to your nails. Rub gently to clean on, around and underneath your nails to remove any final dirt that remains.
Final Words
Acrylic Nails are a fantastic, but only when they are clean!
As always, prevention is always better than cure. Therefore my best advice to you is to always prioritize your Acrylics first, and try not to get them dirty to begin with. A great way to do this is to always wear gloves when and where you can. If you need to do some household chores, then this is the ideal time to use them!
However, I know that gloves cannot always be worn and sometimes, your Nails will just get dirty through your day-to-day lifestyle and activities.
The method above is a great sure-fire way to remove any dirt, debris, bacteria and fungus that collects. Its the best way that I know and that I routinely use to keep my Acrylics at their best.
If you have any other suggestions, recommendations or methods – do let me know by dropping a comment down below!
Hey – I’m Jemma – a certified nail technician and manicurist with over fifteen years of hands-on industry experience. I created AlmondNails.com to share all that I have learned about the nail industry – from the different types of manicures available, suggestions for wear, recommendations for keeping nails strong and healthy, all the way through to providing the best nail salon tips and practices.