What can be used as a substitute for nail polish remover?

White vinegar is a well-known household product for its sanitising and anti-limescale effects. It could also be used to remove nail polish. Indeed, acetic acid, the main component of vinegar, is an acidic compound that, by altering the pH of the polish, would help to break down the pigments. Gentler than traditional removers, vinegar would nonetheless act more slowly than them and might not be powerful enough to remove resistant polishes or quick-drying formulas.

White vinegar could be used alone or in combination with baking soda, which has mild abrasive properties and could help detach nail polish from the nail surface. Furthermore, baking soda could also contribute to brightening the nails by acting on yellow or discoloured stains. Baking soda would function similarly to white vinegar but, unlike it, it is not acidic, but basic. When applied to the polish, it would disrupt the structure of the resins and pigments, thus facilitating their removal. Baking soda is not used alone but always in conjunction with white vinegar or water. Even though it might be able to remove old or slightly damaged polish, baking soda requires several applications to completely remove the polish and has a limited action for resistant polishes.

Lemon juice is often mentioned as a natural alternative to traditional removers. Known for its brightening and antibacterial properties, it is used in many nail care products. When applied to nail polish, it is said to soften it and gradually detach it from the nail surface. Highly acidic, lemon juice is believed to alter the pH of the polish and weaken the cohesion between its components, thus facilitating their gradual dissolution. However, it may not be sufficient to remove stubborn polish.

Potentially irritating to the skin and photosensitising, the lemon juice should be used with caution to remove nail polish.

Another gentle alternative to nail polish removers is hot water. This practice, appealing due to its natural approach, is based on the idea that heat would help to soften the layer of nail polish, which would make it easier to remove. However, to have such an effect and weaken the adhesion of the resins to the nail, very hot water would need to be used. This would then pose the following problem: the skin would struggle to withstand such heat and irritations or burns could occur.

In practice, soaking the fingers in warm to slightly hot water for about ten minutes could somewhat soften nail varnish, but the effectiveness of this technique remains limited, especially on traditional or long-lasting varnishes. In some cases, it is possible to gently scrape the surface of the varnish after soaking, but this method is both lengthy, tedious and not very effective.

Finally, some individuals use toothpaste as an alternative to nail polish removers. Apparently, some of its abrasive compounds, such as sodium phosphate or sodium bicarbonate, mentioned earlier, would exert a mechanical action that could weaken the nail polish layer when rubbed. Additionally, toothpastes contain surfactants, like sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) or cocamidopropyl betaine, which would help to partially detach the polish from the nail. However, advocates of this method acknowledge that it is far less effective than a traditional remover and requires extensive rubbing to achieve a result, only possible with low-strength polishes.

Apart from avocado oil, none of the alternatives to removers mentioned above have been scientifically proven.