How To Quickly Dry Nail Polish: Different Ways + Photos And Videos

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

Time is running out: learning to dry nail polish quickly

Well-groomed hands with beautiful, spectacular manicure are an integral part of the image of a modern woman. Many girls know how not only to properly varnish their nails, but even to apply patterns of varying complexity on them. But how often do you come across a situation when time is running out, it's time to go out, and the varnish is not dry at all? We are sure that each of you will remember many such cases. So today we will deal with an important question for any girl: how to quickly dry nails covered with varnish.

Content

• 1 Different types of nail coatings and the difference in drying speed

• 2 Professional products for quick drying of varnish

  • 2.1 Special varnish
  • 2.2 Spray drying
  • 2.3 Oil drying
  • 2.4 Fan-dryer
  • 2.5 UV lamp
• 3 Home remedies and methods
• 4 Most common mistakes: what not to do
• 5 Video tutorial: how to quickly and effectively dry nail polish
• 6 More tips from the forums

Different types of nail coatings and the difference in drying speed

Oh, these manufacturers of cosmetic products! They do not get tired of surprising us with new products almost every season, including means for high-quality manicure. You go into a boutique for nail polish and your eyes run wild: which one to choose? It's not even about the color palette and the variety of brands. It's just that now even varnishes have different properties, for example, they strengthen and heal the nail plate, create a protective layer. And they can dry quickly, and even very quickly. This property is especially interesting to us.

Let's talk in more detail about the various types of varnish that will allow us to make a high-quality manicure as quickly as possible.

1. Regular nail polish is the most common and affordable option. You can buy it at any beauty boutique or stall. In order not to harm your nails, give preference to varnishes from well-known companies, although they are more expensive. However, this will not affect the drying speed in any way - this varnish dries from 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the thickness of the layer.

   

   Regular varnish is inexpensive, but takes a long time to dry

2. Fast drying varnish - the name of the species speaks for itself. These funds are more expensive than usual, but their drying time is no more than 5 minutes. It is necessary to paint nails with such a coating as soon as possible, because it begins to harden immediately after application. We recommend not to skimp on quick-drying varnishes and purchase those that contain UV filters so that the coating on the nails does not turn yellow from exposure to sunlight.

   

   Choose fast drying varnishes from reliable manufacturers

3. The hardener varnish is designed to heal the nail plates and protect them from external factors, including varnish. The hardener can be used as a varnish if it contains pigment: it dries in a few minutes and looks great on nails.
4. Gel varnishes are a fairly popular tool recently not only for painting, but also for strengthening nails. Previously, this procedure was carried out only in salons, now it is also available at home. True, painting nails with gel polish cannot be attributed to a quick manicure: the procedure consists of 3 stages and lasts about two hours, including drying.

5. Shellac is a relatively new invention belonging to the category of gel varnishes. It features a special application technology and almost instant drying. In addition, user reviews indicate that shellac lasts for a month without losing brightness and integrity. True, high-quality application of shellac is possible only in the salon, and the girls also gossip that this coating can ruin the nail plates.

   

   Coating nails with shellac requires professional skills

At home, we use regular and quick-drying varnishes, as well as enhancers. And what is the secret of their quick drying? It's very simple: in the thickness of the layer with which you apply the varnish to the nail. A thick layer dries for a very long time, and if you apply another one on top of it, the manicure runs the risk of being completely spoiled. Therefore, here is your first advice: apply any varnish in a thin layer, wait until it dries, and then paint again, just as thinly and accurately.

Apply a thin layer of nail polish and wait until it dries completely

Professional products for quick drying of varnish

Leading women of fashion use all the possibilities of technological progress, including when it comes to manicure. Fortunately, manufacturers of cosmetic products and related products offer many ways to quickly dry nail polish, namely:

• special coatings for quick drying;
• sprays;
• oil drying;
• nail dryer fan;
• Ultraviolet lamp.

All are great for the common varnishes you use most at home. For quick-drying varnishes, these products will help to harden even faster if you have very little time. Let's take a closer look at them.

Special varnish coating

The way to use this product, which looks like a clear varnish, is very simple: apply it in one thin layer on a slightly dried color coating and wait 3-5 minutes. The varnish will not only harden quickly, but will acquire a glossy shine and additional durability. Now you can easily buy a varnish dryer in the same place as a regular varnish. The most important thing is to opt for the products of a trusted manufacturer.

This product looks like a colorless nail polish, it is applied the same way

Drying spray

Due to their ease of use and efficiency, spray dryers have become very popular. A simple spray can containing oil-based liquid will help you dry your manicure significantly faster. Spray your freshly painted nails so that moisture covers each finger and wait 5-7 minutes.

Spray your newly painted nails and the polish will dry in a few minutes

In addition to the quick hardening of the varnish, you get another undoubted advantage: the product takes care of the cuticles and skin of the hands. True, spray drying does not affect the durability of the coating and its durability, but this disadvantage can be neglected.

Oil drying

Manicurists have long appreciated the effectiveness and benefits of oil dryers, and now you can use them at home without professional help. If you see a small bottle with a pipette cap in the manicure accessories department - feel free to take it.

Special oil-based dryers significantly accelerate the hardening of the varnish

The tool is applied 1 drop to each nail almost immediately after painting with varnish. The oil spreads, covering the nail plate with a thin film, and dries the varnish in 2-3 minutes. Moreover, it simultaneously cares for the skin of your fingers. The more often you use this tool, the less burrs you will get.

Fan dryer

In nail salons, you have probably seen small fans that are powered by mains or AA batteries. Now they can be bought for home use as well. There are models designed for 2 hands, and there are also smaller ones, on which you need to dry your hands one by one. In any case, the method is very simple: bring your hands with just painted nails under the fan, and wait a couple of minutes until the varnish hardens under a stream of air.

Small fan dryer for manicure

A fan dryer can help you cut down on your manicure time if you use gel polish or shellac, and not just the usual coatings.

Ultraviolet lamp

Until recently, the constant companions of all manicure masters are ultraviolet lamps. They are currently available for sale at an affordable price. True, they are mainly used for drying gel and shellac coatings. Experience has shown that UV lamps do not significantly speed up the curing of regular or quick-drying varnishes.

Ultraviolet lamp is used to dry the gel coating

Home remedies and methods

If for some reason you didn't have any special means at hand, but you really need to dry the varnish quickly, time-tested folk methods will come to the rescue. Our mothers used them during their youth, when there were no trace of these newfangled sprays, oils, quick-drying coatings and ultraviolet lamps!

First of all, it is very important to properly prepare your nails for painting:

• Remove the old varnish thoroughly with a special liquid.
• Sand the nail plate with a soft buff.
• Wash your hands with soap and water and dry.
• Degrease each nail by rubbing it with rubbing alcohol or nail polish remover.

After that, the varnish can be applied. And to make it dry faster, choose any of the methods below.

1. Place a bowl of cold water and a few ice cubes next to it before starting your manicure. Dip your hands with newly painted nails into water and hold for 5 minutes. Under the influence of cold and moisture, the varnish will begin to dry faster.
2. Use not cold water, but oil, even ordinary vegetable oil. Put each nail in it one by one for just a couple of seconds. The varnish will dry 2 times faster, and the excess oil can be blotted with a napkin, washed off with cold water or rubbed gently on your fingers.
3. Your fridge freezer! Place your hands with newly painted nails in it and hold for 3-5 minutes until the product is completely dry. Short exposure to cold, by the way, has a beneficial effect on the skin of the hands.

4. If there are special manicure fans, why not dry the nail polish? However, it can be an air conditioner or a draft from an open window. Place your hands in a stream of cold air and wait 2-3 minutes. It is even more convenient to use a hairdryer. Just set the cold styling mode - from the hot air the varnish becomes dull and quickly cracks.

   

   When drying the varnish with a hairdryer, choose the cold styling mode

The most common mistakes: what not to do

1. Prepare the tools or items that you will use to dry the varnish so that they are on hand in time. It's not a good idea to crawl into the closet with your newly painted nails with a hairdryer or spray-drying, put water in a bowl, and open a bottle of oil. All manicure down the drain, and hands up to the elbows in varnish.
2. The older the varnish, the longer it takes to dry. If you want your manicure to be of high quality and dry quickly, throw away the old varnish without regret, no matter how dear it is to you. The new remedy will not give you problems because of the changed concentration.
3. The same applies to too thick varnish. It lays down too thick, which takes a very long time to dry completely. Dilute the thickened varnish, or rather replace it with another, more liquid one.
4. Do not use hand cream, cuticle care products, or similar substances before painting your nails. Nails should be completely dry and free from grease.
5. Do not dry your nails with hot air.

Video tutorial: how to quickly and effectively dry nail polish

A few more tips from the forums

As you can see, beauty doesn't always require sacrifice. The polish on your nails will dry faster than you read this article, the main thing is to do everything according to the rules. All means and methods are available, they do not require large expenses from you. Or maybe you have your own version of quick drying nail polish? Share with us in the comments. Good luck!