The baking soda will probably start to fizz when you add the lemon juice. Don’t worry, that’s totally normal! If you want to adjust the amount of paste you’re making, just keep a ratio of 2 parts baking soda to 1 part olive oil. Unless you’re making a very large batch, a few squeezes of lemon juice should still be sufficient.

Continue doing this until you have a thick but spreadable paste.

A new toothbrush will work too, but make sure you don’t mix it up with the toothbrush you use for your teeth! The paste is made from all natural ingredients, but nail polish residue can be toxic if ingested. If the paste won’t stay on the brush, it’s probably too thin. Add a little more baking soda to thicken it.

Continue until you’ve scrubbed all of your stained nails.

Since you’ll be wrapping all your nails at once, it’s easiest to prepare your foil ahead of time. You may also want to set out your cotton balls at this time. If you don’t want to use a whole cotton ball on each nail, cut 5 cotton balls in half, instead.

Do not use a plastic bowl, as the acetone will melt it. You can find oil-enriched acetone at well-stocked beauty supply stores. However, if you can’t find it, you can use regular acetone, instead.

It’s a good idea to cover your dominant hand first. That way, you won’t have to try to use your non-dominant hand after it’s covered in foil.

Press and squeeze the foil around your fingertip to help keep it in place.

If you’re concerned it will be too hard to put the foil on your other hand once your fingers are covered, you can do one hand at a time.

While you wait, try watching TV, listening to the radio, or another fun hands-free activity so you don’t get too bored!

It may take a while for the smell of the acetone to fully fade.

If you don’t have cuticle oil, try using vitamin E oil instead. [11] X Trustworthy Source Cleveland Clinic Educational website from one of the world’s leading hospitals Go to source

Over-buffing your nails can damage them. You don’t want to file down into the surface of your nail; you just want to scuff away the nail polish stain.

Since buffing can damage your nail, if this doesn’t work at first, consider trying another method to lighten the stain.