Off With Their Nails

Nail technician Heather Sweet has definitely got all he marbles. And she uses them to help remove acrylic nails in just 15 minutes. Sweet, who works at Billy Shears Salon in Knoxville. Tenn., says all you need is two bowls, a bag of marbles, and some acetone. Fill a large glass bowl half way with water and heat it in the microwave until almost boiling. (Sweat does this ahead of time, so the client can start to soak immediately upon her arrival.) Next, put the marbles in the smaller bowl and fill it with enough acetone to cover the marbles Place the small bowl into the large bowl of hot water creating a sort of double boiler. Place the client’s hands into the small bowl and cover with a towel to reduce heat loss and fumes. “Have your client constantly move the marbles and make plenty of noise. The more she keeps the marbles moving, the faster the removal is," says Sweet.  Don’t check the nails for at least 10 minutes; then you can check them and scrape off any loose acrylic."