How to dry nail polish quickly? How to quickly dry acrylic, gel polish, or regular polish at home?

Every girl has a question: can you dry regular nail polish in a UV lamp or not?
After all, sometimes you really want your manicure to take as little time as possible, and not have to wait half an hour, or even an hour, until the polish dries completely. But a UV lamp will not help you with this, since its rays cannot affect the varnish. It is designed for drying gel, and it has a completely different composition. If you have already bought such a lamp, then you should abandon your usual nail polish and switch to other materials. If you don’t want to do this, then it’s worth considering a few clever ways that will help you get a manicure much faster.

How to quickly dry nail polish at home?

Drying varnish at home

Depending on the quality and thickness of the layer, the varnish can dry from 5-30 minutes. Many women do not want to wait that long and try to speed up this process as much as possible. And while this can be done in a beauty salon using special products, problems usually arise with this procedure at home.

To be more precise, women in a hurry make mistakes that lead to the fact that the varnish does not dry evenly and begins to break off in large pieces. If you want to avoid such problems, then at least properly prepare the nail plate. After all, how long the coating will take to dry depends on this part of the manicure.

Therefore, before you start doing a manicure, be sure to thoroughly degrease the nail plate and only then start applying varnish. It is also worth remembering that a manicure done at home cannot consist of ten layers of decorative coating.

Since you don’t have professional salon products in your arsenal, you are unlikely to be able to dry your nails evenly, much less speed up their drying. Therefore, if you want your nails to dry as quickly as possible, then apply no more than one layer of varnish to them.

If we talk about an emergency measure that will help speed up the drying process of acrylic manicure as quickly as possible, then in this case the best option would be the freezer

The low temperature will dry your nails in literally 2-3 minutes (provided you have applied only one layer of decorative coating) and you can safely go to work or visit

Preparation

Can regular varnish be dried in a UV lamp or not? You already know the answer to this question, so now it's important to pay attention to other points. The fact is that sometimes the polish takes too long to dry because you applied it incorrectly and made mistakes when preparing your nails. If you do everything according to the instructions, then you won’t have to spend too much time on a manicure. You will need to do the following things:

Carefully remove old nail polish. You need to do it really, really well, so that nothing remains of the previous manicure;
File the length and give the nails the desired shape;
Go over your nails with a special file for polishing to make the nail plate as smooth and even as possible;
Wash your hands with soap and dry very well;
Degrease your nails with alcohol or nail polish remover.

It is also worth considering that some things should never be done before applying nail polish:

Apply rich cream to your hands. If you want to treat your skin with cream, then you need to do this after the manicure is done;
Use cuticle oil. This oil is very greasy, if you apply varnish on top of it, it will not adhere well and take a long time to dry;
Apply new varnish to the old one. Firstly, the manicure will be uneven. Secondly, the varnish will dry several times longer;
The varnish is applied only to a dry nail plate. You shouldn't do a manicure immediately after getting out of the shower.

If you follow all these simple rules, you can get rid of many of the problems that you had to face before.

How to quickly dry acrylic nail polish?

Acrylic varnish drying method

Modern fashionistas have a rather favorable attitude towards acrylic varnish. It does not contain harmful substances such as toluene and formaldehyde. Thanks to this, this decorative coating can be classified as a product that causes minimal harm to the nail plate. In addition, it protects nails quite well from mechanical stress and prevents delamination and brittleness.

But despite all its advantages, acrylic varnish also has some disadvantages. One of them is the drying process. If the layer of decorative coating is too thick, it may take quite a long time to dry. It is also very important to apply the layers of acrylic correctly. Be sure to give the previous layer 2-3 minutes to dry and only then apply the second one. Regular olive oil will help you speed up this process.

If you apply a thin layer of it to your nails (use a cotton pad or a swab to clean your ears) and wait literally 5 minutes, then immediately after this time your hands will be ready to surprise others with their perfection. But if you use this drying method, remember that oil residues should never be removed with a napkin or cotton pad.

Since the coating will completely harden in about an hour, a very strong mechanical impact can ruin the manicure and you will have to start doing it all over again. It will be better if you carefully rinse off the remaining olive oil with warm water and let your hands dry naturally.

How to dry regular nail polish quickly?

Degrease the nail plate before applying decorative coating

To understand what can speed up the drying process of regular varnish, you need to clearly understand what can affect this procedure. The first thing you should remember is that such decorative coatings always contain much less fixative than other types

Therefore, if you even slightly violate the application technology, you are unlikely to be able to speed up the drying process. For this reason, if you have already bought an ordinary inexpensive varnish, then be sure to wash your nails with soap and degrease them with a special product before applying it.

The drying process can also be affected by the brush used to do the manicure. To apply regular varnish, it is best to use a thick brush with short bristles. It will apply the thinnest and most uniform layer possible, which will dry in just two minutes.

If you want to speed up this procedure even more, then try cooling the varnish itself. To do this, put it in the freezer or a container with cold water for a while. Leave it there for literally 10 minutes, and then take it out and start creating the manicure of your dreams.

How to dry a thick layer of nail polish?

Speed up the drying of a thick layer of varnish

Unfortunately, not all varnishes can be applied to the nail plate in one layer. If, for example, it is very transparent, then the application procedure will have to be repeated 2-3 times. You will, of course, get the desired shade in the end, but the drying time for such a manicure will be long.

If you want this process to be shortened as much as possible, then by no means rush and let each layer dry separately. At first glance, it may seem to you that this is just a waste of time and will not affect the appearance of your nails in any way.

But in fact, if you are patient, you will eventually cut the drying time of a thick layer by about half. If we talk about folk remedies, then any essential oil can come to your aid. All you have to do is apply a topcoat to your manicure (this is a must) and use a pipette to drop essential oil onto it.

After it is absorbed (this will happen quite quickly), you can use another folk method - conditioner. If you hold your nails under a cold stream of air, the thickest layer of varnish will dry in a matter of minutes

But don't try to speed up the drying even more and don't put your hands under the conditioner itself. The manicure may dry faster, but you are unlikely to be able to enjoy the ideal look of the finish.

Folk remedies

There are traditional methods and special substances. Among the folk methods you can find advice that tells you to immerse the marigolds in cold water. In this way, the solvent is simply washed away from the surface of the coating.

Drying with a hairdryer gives good results. Indeed, warm air flows speed up the drying of the coating. You can also turn on the gas and hold your hands over the fire.

How to dry gel polish at home?

Dry the gel polish using a special lamp

Gel varnish is one of those decorative coatings that are not afraid of water, bit chemicals, or mechanical impact. But this manicure has one not very pleasant feature. In order to dry it, you must use a UV lamp.

Therefore, if you have already decided to give your nails such a gift, then in addition to a high-quality decorative coating, you should also purchase products that will speed up the drying process. But even with a lamp, problems can arise. If you decide to save on this device and purchase it with insufficient power, then the gel polish will dry very poorly

If everything is not in order with the power, then no matter how much you hold your fingers under the lamp, the varnish will still not harden. Moreover, it will become even more sticky and will refuse to dry out. This manicure will have to be completely removed and a new one applied.

For this reason, if you really want your nails to dry as quickly as possible, then invest in a UV lamp with a power of at least 12 W. This lamp will dry your manicure in 5-7 minutes. For faster results, it is best to use a 36 W UV light. In this case, the varnish will dry in 2 minutes.

Is it possible to dry gel polish without a lamp?

Other methods of polymerizing gel polish

If you don’t want to buy a UV lamp, but you still want to give yourself a manicure using gel polish, then turn your attention to gels that are insensitive to light. This coating does not need to be dried under ultraviolet rays.

In this case, the hardening catalyst will be the substance cyanoacrylate. This dense and viscous substance is applied over the gel and literally a couple of seconds after that it begins to harden intensively. The activating substance must be applied very carefully, so if you do not have special skills in manicure, then purchase this product in the form of a spray

This way you can accurately guess the dosage and not damage the underlying decorative coating. You can also try purchasing a gel that hardens when exposed to water. This decorative coating dries quickly enough, but is quite inferior in strength to photosensitive varnishes

Well, and finally, I would like to introduce you in a way that is accessible to absolutely all women. You can try applying gel polish to your nails and drying them in the sun. Although this process cannot be called quick, it will still help the varnish to harden.

Detachments at the cuticle and base

You can avoid unpleasant surprises by checking the expiration dates of products before using them. Gel polish loses its properties over time, especially if it is stored in improper conditions. You should be wary of the texture being too thick and the presence of lumps in the jar. Before use, the bottle with the product must be shaken - the pigments settle to the bottom over time. It is contraindicated to store gel polishes in direct sunlight, for example, on a windowsill. It is better to place them in a specially designated cabinet or box. The use of damaged materials is fraught with detachments at the base and cuticle.

But even the highest quality and freshest products do not guarantee an impeccable result if you do not remove the pterygium at the beginning of the procedure. This should be done even with a European unedged manicure. You can clean the cuticle area using softening compounds and an orange stick. The classic method is to use scissors and cuticle nippers, as well as cutters and equipment. Then the nail plate must be dried using a dehydrator and thoroughly degreased. Be sure to use a primer - without it it will not be possible to ensure reliable adhesion. Bonder can be applied over the primer - these two products complement each other well.

Is it possible to dry regular varnish under a lamp?

Methods for drying regular varnish

A lamp can be used as a means of accelerating the drying of nails only if shellac or gel has been applied to the nail plate. Under ultraviolet radiation, a polymerization process occurs and the coating begins to harden and dry very quickly.

Ordinary varnish does not need to stimulate polymerization, so using llama to speed up the drying process is pointless. The same can be said about ordinary lamps. They will simply heat the decorative coating, preventing it from hardening

In this case, it is best to opt for a high-quality top coat, spray drying, varnish drying, or oil drying. All these products are applied to the nail in a thin layer, which simultaneously stimulates faster drying and acts as protection against mechanical stress.

Fan drying

To make the nail painting process more enjoyable, you should acquire one very interesting device. In specialized stores you can buy mini fans that are designed specifically for drying varnish. This device is very simple, it is powered from an outlet or from batteries.

Most often, such fans are designed for only one hand, but in stores you can find devices in which you can dry two at once. This little thing is inexpensive, so your costs will be minimal.

Is it possible to quickly dry polish with a hairdryer?

Drying nails with a hairdryer

Probably, many women have heard about this method of drying manicure as a hair dryer. Some representatives of the fair sex even claim that this method gives almost instant results. In principle, this drying method has a right to exist.

But you can talk about its effectiveness only if you have a fairly good hairdryer (has a cold blow function) and you have applied the polish to the nail in one layer. In all other cases, the use of this method should be treated quite carefully. After all, if you do a manicure with a thick layer of varnish, then you are unlikely to be able to dry it with a hairdryer

More precisely, only the top layer will dry, and everything that is under it will harden for quite a long time. This, only visually perfect manicure, will smear at the slightest contact with clothing or any other things, and you will have to start all over again

In addition, even slightly cooled air has a very negative effect on the color of the varnish. It becomes duller and cloudier. Therefore, it would be a stretch to say that a hair dryer is an ideal tool for accelerating the drying of nail polish.

How to dry nail polish quickly in cold water?

Dry your manicure in water

As you probably already understood, low temperatures help the varnish dry faster. Therefore, cold water may seem ideal in this regard. But even in this case, there are some nuances in using the method. Everything must be done very carefully

If you do not want the decorative coating to deteriorate, then fill a large bowl with cold water (you can place it on a container with ice) and gently dip your fingers into it. Keep them there for about two minutes, and then pull them out and shake them lightly. If the varnish has hardened, then let your hands dry naturally and feel free to go about your business

If you see that the varnish has not dried completely, repeat the manipulation 1-2 more times. With the same caution, it is necessary to stimulate the drying of the decorative coating under running water, especially at the initial stage

It is very important to be able to correctly adjust the strength of the water jet. If it is very strong, the varnish will be smeared in the first seconds. Therefore, it will be better if you first let the water escape a little, reduce the power of the flow and only then put your fingers under it

How to dry regular varnish faster?

Methods that will speed up the drying process of nail polish
As you can see, there are quite a lot of ways that help speed up the drying process of the decorative coating of nails. Each woman decides for herself which method is right for her and is the one she uses most often.

But our girls are very big inventors, so they come up with new ways all the time. Now we will introduce you to a couple more, and you can decide whether they suit you or not.

So:

Gun for blowing small parts. Point the gun at the nail and hold it in this position for approximately 3-5 minutes. Under no circumstances should this device be brought very close to the nail plate. This will increase the force of air flow and provoke premature peeling of the varnish.

Alcohol-based wet wipes. They must be used before applying a decorative coating to the nail. The substances that they contain will degrease the plate no worse than special products and this will help the varnish dry faster

Try combining several methods at once. For example, degrease your nail, apply the polish while it’s cool, and then immediately immerse your hands in ice water. If you do all three manipulations in one step, your nails will dry in just a couple of seconds.

Sprays

Modern technologies do not stand still; more and more new things are being invented to make life easier. For example, you can purchase a special nail polish drying spray. It all seems like something fantastic, but such a thing really exists. First, colored varnish is applied to the nails, and then a spray is applied as a fixative. It is completely transparent, so it can be used for any manicure.

After just 5 minutes, the varnish will be completely dry, and you don’t have to worry about its safety. This spray contains various moisturizing components that have a positive effect on the skin of the hands. But this product doesn’t add durability to your manicure, so you don’t need to place high hopes on it.