By Aimee Peebles

I’m a busy mom, and I do my best to take care of myself. My husband and I both work outside the home, so our mornings and afternoons are pretty crazy with our two little boys, work commitments, and play dates. It’s hard enough to get our little ones to school on time without also juggling our polish.

It doesn’t help that I’m a total polish addict. I love my manicures! I just think they’re a fun part of being a mom. My favorite part about wearing nail polish, though, is that I get to customize my nails to fit the occasion or my mood. I use a variety of nail polish brands, including the Essie and OPI colors I wore to my last baby shower, and I don’t hesitate to add a new color to my collection every so often.

While I’m not really into a major manicure routine, I’ve found some handy tips and products that work great for me. These are the same products and tips I use to get the polish off and save my fingertips:

1. Get the polish out

Most nail polish removers contain acetone, which is highly flammable and irritates the skin, so I try to avoid using it. Instead, I use an acetone-free nail polish remover, which is non-irritating and easy to use.

I’ll take off my polish with this nail polish remover, though it will strip off the polish more slowly than acetone. I find that it’s still effective, but the process can take more than 10 minutes.

2. Use warm water

You can’t go wrong with warm water and nail polish remover. This combo is highly effective and quick. I use a sponge to soak my nails, apply the polish remover, and then wash my nails with warm water. The warm water acts as a quick warm soak, which is helpful when you want to soak off the polish quickly.

3. Work in small amounts

Don’t be afraid to use a small amount of polish remover to get out nail polish. I find that it can take longer to get the polish out if I use more than a pea-sized amount. It’s also more likely to irritate my skin.

4. Be patient

I’m pretty hard to convince that nail polish can be removed quickly with a nail polish remover, but I think you’ll be surprised how quickly it can be done with a little patience.

5. Try nail polish remover over a cotton ball

I’ve tried using nail polish remover over a cotton ball and found it to be pretty effective. I’m not the world’s best painter, but this works for me.

And that’s pretty much it!