How to Put an Acrylic Nail Back on Without Super Glue

How to Get Acrylic Off of Cuticles
Written By
David Lipscomb
David Lipscomb
Published: Jul 10, 2013
Updated: Apr 7, 2020
1 minute read
Creatas/Creatas/Getty Images

Acrylic nails, oftentimes, must be applied using a fingernail glue, which is effectively the same as regular cyanoacrylate or super glue. However, plenty of products exist that allow you to simply peel and stick, eliminating a potential mess and facilitating easier removal.

Step 1

Select the size of nail you want. Acrylic nails come in different lengths and widths to fit a variety of fingers.

Step 2

File your natural nails so they are fingertip length or shorter.

Step 3

Clean your fingernails with rubbing alcohol and a cotton ball, or the alcohol pad supplied with the kit, if present. If you have any previous nail polish, remove this with acetone or nail-polish remover.

Step 4

Flip over the first acrylic nail you wish to apply. Carefully remove the adhesive backing with a pair of tweezers.

Step 5

Advertisement

Center the nail on your natural one. Press and hold firmly for at least 15 seconds, ensuring a tight bond.

Step 6

File the acrylic nails as desired.

Photo Credits

Creatas/Creatas/Getty Images

David Lipscomb

David Lipscomb is a professional writer and public relations practitioner. Lipscomb brings more than a decade of experience in the consumer electronics and advertising industries. Lipscomb holds a degree in public relations from Webster…

Sponsored
Our Everyday Life Logo

Explore our everyday life, the best source for food and drink tips, health and general wellness, healthy relationships and much more.

Property of TechnologyAdvice. © 2026 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.