“A week of breathing in and not touching your nails.” Image Source: Getty / Dia Dipasupil / Contributor

There’s a reason nail polish removers have been popping up on the market. We’ve all had the horror story of having our nails destroyed by a haphazard nail polish remover just before the color runs out — that is, when it’s leftover nail polish mixed with a mixture of second-hand products such as shampoo and body soap. In fact, it was the nail polish remover of epic proportions that convinced me to switch to artificial silver foil nails during (so I later learned) New York Fashion Week in 2017. They’re not cheap, mind you, but you can bet the results are worth it.

Because nail care can be such a DIY ordeal (see: galoshes) it’s important to know what to look for when trying to buy the right product for your own needs. How’s this for weird: If you’re considering a “green” product (what do we have to do to have a normal manicure again?), make sure it’s suitable for your hands. Specifically, opt for a non-acetone or gel polish remover. They’re engineered for putting on one layer (or two, if you’re crazy) of polish, then letting the nail color-free polish dry out naturally with absolutely no damage to your sensitive digits.

With that in mind, it was natural to turn to five nail pros who swear by these products for good, natural results: Melissa Boldt, director of aesthetics and nail color trends at Sally Hansen, Anne Tumminello, owner of salon Anne in Park Slope, east Brooklyn, Farah Vasquez, owner of Forever Nail in Tribeca, and, of course, Rebecca Ferraro, founder of the beauty site Rebecca Ferraro’s Nail Polish Project. Here’s their advice.