Review (3/5): The All Natural way to remove nail polish!
I'm puzzled by this product. I loved the idea of having a natural, non-toxic nail polish remover. I paint my own nails quite often, skipping the nail salon to save money and time. I've been giving myself manicures and pedicures since 6th grade, so I'm pretty good at it (if I do say so myself) and am well-versed in many of the products out there. I typically use a 100% acetone remover, which is AWESOME, but I hate that there are so many harmful chemicals, not only on my nails, but also in the fumes I'm breathing in every time I use it. So, when I saw this product, I was excited and motivated to try it and like it.
When it arrived, I was also pleased with the size. I had assumed it would be pretty small because of the way the dropper looks next to it in the picture, but it's actually a good sized bottle. Before using any product, I read the directions and particularly with a new type of product like this non-toxic, all-natural nail polish remover. That's when I saw that you have to leave the product on the nail for 2-5 minutes. I don't understand this because once you use the dropper to apply the product to the nail polish that's on the nail, it immediately starts dripping down the sides of the nails onto your hands and makes a bit of a mess. It's also pretty inconvenient to sit there for 5 minutes when I could use my regular nail polish remover and would have clean nails in 30 seconds to a minute. I decided instead to try pouring the product into a shallow bowl and soaking my nails in it instead. This did make it much easier and created less of a mess, but it also requires you to use a lot more of the product than you would just using the dropper.
I waited 2 minutes and took a cotton ball to swipe the nail to see if the polish would come off. It started to, but just the top layer. I re-soaked them in the product for 3 more minutes, and I was able to remove the polish from my nails. I should also mention that I use Orly bonding base coat, which helps the polish adhere to the nail. I also had 3 coats of polish, and a top coat, so that might be why the polish was so stubborn to come off. Plus, it was a deep red, which is difficult to remove no matter what you are using, and it usually dyes my nail beds a bit when I'm removing the polish anyway. As a positive, I did notice that this product was MUCH less harmful on my nails. My acetone remover immediately dries out my nails and strips all the healthy oils from the nails and nail beds. This did not do that. My nails had a nice, healthy shine to them and the nail beds retained their moisture, which is nice.
So, in summary, I love that this product is natural and non-toxic, but it's just not practical for me to spend 5 minutes soaking my nails to wait for the polish to come off. However, if you are super green and more willing to commit to being patient in order to be able to use something that has no chemicals and is good for your body and those around you (which I commend you for!), then this is a great substitute for chemical nail polish removers.