How to Fix Gel Nails That Have Lifted at Home

Amanda Bellantoni
by Amanda Bellantoni
9 Materials
$10
30 Minutes
Easy

Do you ever wonder why your gel manicure just doesn’t last? Follow along with this quick tutorial to learn how to fix gel nails that have lifted, at home.

Tools and materials:

  • Emery board
  • Filing cube
  • Cotton rounds
  • Rubbing alcohol
  • Cuticle pusher
  • Nail polish
  • Glitter polish (optional)
  • Clean up brush
  • Acetone
Lifting gel manicure

After a week or two, it’s likely that your gel manicure might start to lift.


When a piece of hair gets stuck under the polish, that’s when I know it’s time to give my gel manicure some attention.


Either remove the polish completely, or do this little hack to prolong the gel manicure.

Lifting gel manicure

1. File the base

Start by filing down the base of the gel manicure where it’s starting to lift.


File the gel polish at that point until it’s basically flush with your natural nail.

Filing

2. File the surface of the nail

Next, file down the surface of the nails, removing all the shine.


You don’t want to go too deep but you do want the polish to look matte. 

Filing

Follow up with a filing cube until the gel polish feels almost flush with your natural nail.

Filing

At this point, your nails should look like this: 

Filed down gel polish

3. Wipe with rubbing alcohol

Next, apply some alcohol to a cotton round and remove all the dust from the surface of your nails.

Wiping nail with rubbing alcohol

4. Push your cuticles

Now, use a cuticle pusher to expose more of the grown out nails.

Pushing cuticles

5. Apply nail polish

Find a color that closely matches the gel polish or is slightly darker.


Then just paint over the manicure that you already have. Paint as close to the cuticle as possible without getting it on the skin.

Applying polish

6. Apply a glitter polish (optional)

This step is completely optional, but I find that a glitter polish disguises the fact that you’re covering up a stale gel manicure.


It is also a very durable barrier and chip resistant. Apply the glitter polish once the colored polish has dried. Don’t forget to cap the ends. 

Adding glitter

7. Apply a second coat and clean up

Instead of a top coat, wait until the glitter layer has dried and then paint on a second coat.

Adding glitter

Then use a small clean up brush with 100% acetone to clean up any polish from the cuticles and skin.

Cleaning up nails

Once that’s complete, you’re set!


You’ve successfully given your grown out manicure another week or so without having to remove everything!

Gel nails

How to fix gel nails that have lifted at home

I do this all the time. It helps to disguise the manicure underneath and there is no more snagging!

Gel nails

Now you’ve learned how to fix gel nails that have lifted at home.


I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! Check out my 16 Easy Tips to Make Your At-home Gel Manicure Last.

Suggested materials:
  • Emery board
  • Filing cube
  • Cotton rounds
See all materials

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