How to Shorten Acrylic Nails At Home (in 30 Mins or Less)

Long acrylic nails are sexy, but sometimes too much length is a bad thing. If your new acrylics are so long that you can’t put in your contacts or text that hot new trainer you met at the gym, it’s time to shorten them.

Here's how to transform your acrylic nails from long to short in less than 30 minutes.

How to Shorten Acrylic Nails At Home ?

Things You'll Need

• Non-acetone nail polish remover
• Coarse nail file
• Nail polish
• Heavy-duty nail clippers
• Fine finishing file

1 – Remove all polish from your nails.

Dip a cotton pad in non-acetone polish remover and rub it over the nail to wipe away all traces of color.

2 – Determine how short you want each nail.

If you shorten the nails too much, you’ll have to soak them off and apply new ones. Draw a small line on each nail with a pencil to mark the desired length.

3 – Use nail clippers to trim your nails.

Place the cutting edge of a pair of heavy-duty nail clippers over the pencil mark and squeeze hard on the handles.

Acrylics are super strong, and you might have to squeeze as hard as you can. Use a pair of long-handled toenail clippers for extra cutting power.

4 – File the cut edge of the nail with a coarse nail file.

The rough grit of the file buffs away jagged chunks and chips of the nail that the clippers missed. Run your finger over the surface of the nail file; if you can feel the individual grains, you’ve got a coarse file.

5 – Buff the edge of each nail smooth with a fine finishing file.

File back and forth along the cut edge of the nail to remove any rough edges.

Tilt the file at a slight angle underneath the corners of the nail to round the edge and prevent it from catching on your clothes.

6- Apply a layer of clear base coat to your nails before re-polishing.

The base coat extends the life of the color for a beautiful, long-lasting manicure.

What Are Other Ways to Trim Acrylic Nails at Home?

Acrylic nails look nice for a time, but they aren’t so nice to your nails.

The thick, acrylic paste that your nail tech paints onto your nail bed contains chemicals like formaldehyde that weaken your own nails and can turn them yellow.

Clipping

One way to shorten your acrylic nails is with a large toe clipper.But since the acrylic is so thick, you have to take your time with it.

Don’t clamp down on a large chump and clip it like you would your toenail because that could cause the rest of the acrylic nail to crack.

Clip it off little by little until you get it to the length you want. You could also use a cuticle cutter to clip off the acrylic.

Electric Filers

Your nail technician doesn’t have a monopoly on electric filers. They sell these at some beauty-supply shops.

The electric filer has different cartridges, ranging from fine to coarse, that shave down acrylic nails in no time flat.

Start off with a coarse attachment, flip the switch and drag it back and forth slowly along the tip of your acrylic nail.

When you get your desired length, go back over the nail a few times with the finer attachment to smooth it out.

Manual Filing – Can I File Down My Acrylic Nails?

If you’re too cheap, or, frugal to buy an electric filer, you might have to use some good old-fashioned elbow grease to shorten your acrylic nails.

You need a strong, sturdy metal nail file for this job.

File it just as you would your own nails with just a bit more pressure. But put on a movie and relax first, because this might take a while.

Acrylic Nail Trimming Do's and Don'ts

Natural nails are a snap to shorten, but acrylics take a little extra elbow grease.

• The removal process for acrylic nails often weakens the nail underneath. Acrylic nails also sometimes get infected.
• Talk to your nail tech about your concerns so that she can prep your nails properly before putting them on and also take extra care when removing them.