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The nail polish does not dry what to do. Why gel polish in the lamp does not dry: possible reasons, solutions, reviews. How to dry a thick coat of nail polish

I think all women are familiar with the problem when they need to urgently do something or run somewhere, and the newly painted nail polish has not yet dried. What to do? Run, and all the work wasted, or "let the whole world wait"? Or maybe there are other ways to solve this problem? How to quickly dry your nail polish at home?

Express drying of varnish with folk and professional means

Oh, how long and painful it is to wait for the varnish to dry. 40 minutes of hard work, fear of moving your hand and greasing a fresh manicure, and this beauty will last for three days at best.

No one denies that you can use shellac, but not everyone will be able to walk for several weeks with the same design. Many girls prefer to be different every day, and only regular nail polish can be washed and reapplied without significant harm. But how to speed up the process of manicure itself?

On average, nail painting consists of four layers: base, two layers of varnish and top. Each layer dries for 10-15 minutes, and the whole process is delayed for a long period of time. "Oh, if the varnish dries faster!" - exclaims every second girl in the process of manicure. It turns out that this is not from the realm of fantasy, indeed, with the help of professional means and folk methods, you can cut the time of a manicure in half.

How to quickly dry nail polish at home?

Everything we have at hand and in sight can speed up the drying process.

At first, then, without which we will not last even weeks - water. Place your freshly manicured fingers under a stream of cold water. The main thing is not to put your hands in the trays, as the varnish can bubble or start to "strip". Wait 2-3 minutes after applying the varnish and run to the sink.

Secondly, the coldest place in the house is the freezer. After applying your nails, put your hands in the freezer for 3-5 minutes. But be careful, removing your hands from the refrigerator, you can inadvertently hurt your nails and smear your beauty. If you have no one to help, then "do your hands" one by one.

Thirdly, butter. After a few minutes, drop a drop of oil on each nail and stand for another 5 minutes. You can use any vegetable oil, and if you take olive or linseed oil, then also moisturize the cuticles.

Fourth, cold is your friend. A fan or hair dryer in cold mode will help to quickly dry each coat of varnish.

Using at least one of the options for quick drying of the varnish given above, you will reduce the time for manicure by an average of 10-15 minutes.

Professional "drying" - is there an effect?

Surely you have come across products for quick drying of varnish. But they did not dare to buy it, fearing to be disappointed. For the most part, professional dryers contain oil in their composition, which helps to dry the varnish. These funds form a protective film on the nails, which protects the varnish from the harmful effects of the environment and, as a result, prolongs the life of the manicure.

There are three types of drying:

  • In the form of nail polish. It is convenient to use, but excessive pressure on the brush can smear the varnish.

For example, Essence coating for quick drying of varnish " express drying"at an attractive price.

  • In the form of a spray. Spraying must be carried out over the sink, since the product falls not only on the nails and hands, but also spreads over a certain radius. It is very economical.

For example, a quality spray-drying Alessandro for varnish " Nail Polish Speed ​​Dry", 50 ml. Can be ordered in the online store.

  • In the form of a liquid drip. It is convenient to use, dropping just a drop on the nail, you do not touch the "wet" varnish, which means you will not damage it in any way. Minus - it can flow on the fingers.

It often happens that a manicure has to be done in a hurry, and there is not enough time for the natural drying of the coating. In such cases, knowing how to quickly dry nail polish will come in handy. There are not many of them, but they help to speed up the process significantly. Some techniques provide the desired result in just 3-5 minutes.

How can you quickly dry your nail polish at home?

If special manicure products have not been purchased in advance to speed up the drying of the coating, you can use the available tools available in every home.

Here's how to dry regular nail polish quickly:

  1. Ice water. To harden the coloring composition, you need to prepare a bowl of medium depth, filled with very cold water, if desired, add a few ice cubes to it. After applying the varnish, you should place your nails in the liquid for 2-3 minutes and let them dry naturally.
  2. Vegetable oil. This product speeds up the drying of the coating by 2 times. It is necessary to paint on your nails, wait 1-3 minutes, then apply a thin layer of vegetable oil on them with a brush. After 2 minutes, you can rinse your hands with cool water and dry with a napkin. Edible oil, which is sold in aerosol form for baking or frying, has a similar effect.
  3. Cold varnish. This kind of life hack helps the most short-term. Before staining, place the varnish in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes. The cooled coating dries almost immediately after application.

How to dry a thick layer of nail polish?

Some varnishes are too translucent and require multiple applications to achieve rich, vibrant colors. The dense layer of the coating dries for a very long time, and at this time it is undesirable to do anything, because, since the slightest touch to the manicure can ruin it.

In this regard, many women are interested in whether it is possible to dry their nails with a hairdryer, because this device copes well with wet hair.

The fact is that hot air only contributes to the evaporation of moisture, while the varnish needs to harden. Therefore, it is permissible to use a hair dryer only in cases where it has a cold jet supply mode. Warm and hot blowing will have the opposite effect - it will soften the varnish and slow down its drying.

A similar effect can be obtained by placing your hands under an air conditioner, fan, blowing on them, or holding it near an open window.

Also, thicker varnish will dry faster with the home methods above. But professional drying agents are more effective.

Fast and effective ways to dry your nail polish

Special liquids that accelerate the drying of manicure coatings are of several varieties:

Greetings to all readers of our blog and customers of the online store. Today we will focus on a not very pleasant topic for some masters. About why the thick gel polish does not dry or does not completely dry out? In the article we will give practical advice on this matter.

Gel polishes have already firmly taken root in the life of manicure masters and every year more and more brands appear on the market and each is better than the other in its own way. Therefore, craftsmen have to adapt to market trends and look for the best options for themselves.

Just one of these options is thick gel varnishes, they are also called "Monolayers". Given the workload of many masters in time, it is not difficult to guess that no one can refuse to reduce the time of a manicure by covering a nail by just one time.

And after hearing and reading a lot, the master decides to switch to the highly pigmented version of gel varnishes. Purchased by a new brand and starts work. And at this moment an unpleasant situation occurs, the client calls and asks to remake her manicure due to the fact that the gel polish on several nails swelled up. Does anyone know the situation? We are sure to many.

Thick gel varnishes appeared on the market not so long ago, and therefore, at the beginning (mostly), masters experience similar problems. So, let's take it all apart, why does this gel polish not dry ...

There are many reasons why thick gel polish does not dry. We will tell you about the most common causes and mistakes when applying it.

Thick coating layer

1 The reason, probably the most important, is - THICK coating layer. Typically, this problem arises for beginners learning on more liquid varnishes. But as practice shows, the problem is also observed among "experienced" masters with experience, and there is a rational explanation for this.

As a rule, masters studied on much thinner gel varnishes and with experience a habit appeared to cover the nail by 2-3, or even 3-4 layers due to the liquid consistency of gel varnishes of that time. Now the following happens: the master dips the brush as usual and applies a whole drop to the nail. Which is the mistake. Compared to liquid varnishes, it seems to masters that this is a thin layer, since it was applied only once, and not 3-4.

Technique for applying thick gel varnishes

New generation gel polishes are very pigmented, due to this property they gained popularity so quickly. And since they are created using different technologies than their predecessors, therefore, their application technique will be different.

The highly pigmented gel polish should be applied with an almost dry brush in a very thin layer. When working with such gel polishes, remember that for this polish it is better to have 2 ultra-thin layers than 1 "thin" one. So if you applied, in your opinion, a thin layer and it shrank in the lamp, then this is the first sign that you applied a thicker layer. Of course, in the event that you have properly prepared the nail plate and you have a good lamp, which we will talk about next.

Conclusion on this point: With the correct application of thick varnishes, it is important to respect the thickness of each layer. This method will not only reduce your precious time to create a manicure, but also significantly reduce material consumption. Considering the current prices for gel polishes, this is a strong argument.

Weak UF / LED lamp

2 In the process of intensive work, many craftsmen forget to keep an eye on the most important tool - the lamp. Sometimes there is not enough time to have a normal lunch, not to sit and clean every light bulb, right?

But by missing this little moment, you gradually doom yourself to a headache. Nowadays many people use hybrid lamps and think that if the lamp is hybrid, then even if the UF lamps "bend", the LED lamps will dry out anyway. This is fundamentally wrong and here's why ...

For most gel polishes, the recommended drying time is 60 seconds, taking into account the fact that the lamp with a power of at least 36 watts. Take this 36 watt hybrid lamp as an example. As a rule, such lamps have 1 serpentine UF bulb and about a dozen LED bulbs. Each of them gives out its own certain number of watts, which in total gives 36. As soon as one light bulb stops giving out the amount intended for it, the total amount decreases, while the master continues to dry the required manicure for 60 seconds. The outcome is obvious!

How to care for lamps. Troubleshooting

The first step is to keep the light bulbs clean. In the process of work, clients may inadvertently touch one of them with a painted nail and this spot will block the rays of light we need. Some, rearranging the lamp, take it with one hand and smear the reflective canvas or the bulbs themselves.

The next thing to watch out for is the lamp life. Many people write the life time of UF bulbs in hours, but it is more accurate to know the approximate terms, since not one master, after his working day, does not sit and does not count the number of hours worked by the lamp. If you do on average 2-3 manicures a day, then it is better to change the light bulbs once every 5-6 months. Based on this, you can roughly calculate how long it will take to change it for you.

Conclusion on this point: Remember to keep an eye on your lamp and change non-functional bulbs more often. You can wipe the inner surface with almost any degreaser or a means for removing the sticky layer.

Other reasons for gel polish not drying

3 In fact, there can be a lot of reasons why gel polish does not dry. But as practice shows, most often the problem is one of these two described above. We did not write here about forged or expired gel polishes, this scribbling is enough without us. We have shared with you our personal experience and we advise you to listen to these instructions.

10057 23.05.2019 5 minutes

Beautiful and well-groomed nails are an integral part of the stylish image of a modern woman. All kinds of coatings, colorful glitters and patterns on the surface - all this requires not only the ability to create such beauty, but also a lot of time to dry each layer. In order for the manicure to last as long as possible, it is imperative to thoroughly dry and fix the created beauty. What to do if the varnish dries for a long time and how long it takes for this time, as well as the main nuances of a "quick" manicure are discussed in our article.

Time frame

The drying time of the coating will depend not only on the selected brand of the manufacturer, but also on the preliminary preparation of the nail plate and even on the ambient temperature.

In essence, manicure varnish is an enamel with a coloring pigment, the curing time of the coating may differ slightly, but to obtain a uniform and hard layer, you must wait at least 20 - 30 minutes.

Quick-drying varnishes will significantly shorten the waiting period, but you still need to allow sufficient time for this.

Secrets of a successful manicure:

  • Using a base coat and top coat will significantly improve the quality of your manicure. The drying time in this case also decreases slightly, because usually these products dry very quickly.
  • Application of varnish in a thin layer. Even if the mother-of-pearl varnish does not give the required color depth or ugly stains are visible, it is better to wait and brush it once than to knowingly use a too thick layer of varnish.
  • Dry each layer. Even if there is a sorely lack of time, it is imperative to wait for the final drying of each layer, otherwise the coating will be damaged.
  • Poor quality varnish cannot be used. It is impossible to prepare a tasty dish from a stitched or falsified product. The same is with manicure - quality always matters, you should not risk the health of your nails and buy cheap products.
  • Preliminary preparation. Using a special degreaser before painting helps the varnish adhere better to the surface and hold much longer than usual.

It is worth taking note of other useful information. Dark and shiny coating dries longer. If you are pressed for time, it is best to choose a light varnish or metallic color.

The video shows how long nail polish dries:

Why a regular layer does not dry for a long time

Sometimes even using the products of a quality manufacturer does not guarantee an optimal result. Often, it is precisely when there is a lack of free time that a situation arises when the varnish for some reason does not dry on the nails for a long time or the coating "bubbles" and does not manifest itself in the best way. There can be many reasons for this, so let's look at the main points. This will help to save yourself from such disappointments in the future.

Possible reasons:

  • Old or dried varnish... It is often difficult to say goodbye to a “favorite”, even if it has thickened, so tricks with the addition of acetone and other tricks are used. This does not always work, but the speed of drying and the quality of the coating will be very doubtful.
  • Using varnish after cream... A greasy film on the surface of the nail platinum creates a protective barrier on which the varnish does not fit well, so it is advisable to wash your hands well before a manicure and use a special degreaser. In this capacity, a conventional nail polish remover on a cotton pad, which is used to wipe nails, can act.
  • Thick varnish... It is better to apply two thin coats, keeping the required time interval between them, than to use a thick coat.
  • Low-quality products... Less fixative is added to the composition of such varnishes, so it will dry much longer than its more expensive competitors.

If the time is running out, and the varnish does not dry out in any way, you can use the proven methods of drying the coating. If you are doing a manicure just before leaving the house, it is also advisable to pre-think about the comfortable use of this or that method, as well as take care of your other possible actions after the manicure.

In the first minutes after application, the coating is quite sensitive to mechanical stress, so it is better to put everything you need in your bag in advance, prepare the keys and fasten the lock on the shoe.

But what are antifungal varnishes for the local treatment of nail fungus, detailed here

How to speed up the drying of the coating

It should be noted right away that the use of such methods is quite risky for the quality of the coating, because it is very easy to damage the not hardened layer. Do not wave your hands, because you can accidentally touch the surrounding objects with your fingernail. It is ideal to set aside some time to create your own nail art, but this is not always the case. For extreme situations, you can also use the methods below.

"Home" quick drying methods:


Nail polish is an obligatory attribute and a frequent guest in a woman's cosmetic bag. Depending on personal preferences, the assortment and palette of possible shades may vary. Far from the only factor affecting the quality of the created manicure is the ability to dry quickly and form an even and hard layer.

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Depending on the type of varnish, there are special quick-drying coatings, as well as a protective top layer that gives the manicure the desired density. Do not neglect homemade quick drying methods as well. These tips will definitely come in handy in "emergency" situations, when there is simply no time, and the varnish does not want to dry out. The main nuances and recommendations for reducing the drying time of manicure varnish are given in our article.

Gel polish manicure is not only covering the nail with a beautiful varnish or pattern, but also a technical process that requires skills and abilities. When working, manicurists face various problems. Including the fact that the gel polish does not dry under the lamp.

Note: gel varnishes are complex compositions, so drying them is a gradual transition of the composition from a liquid to a solid state. Therefore, it is more correct to say that gel varnishes polymerize.

Gel polish manicure always looks neat

Incorrect hand position under the lamp

If the gel polish does not dry out, then you should pay attention to how the hand is located in the lamp. Ideally, dry each nail separately, which is time consuming. Therefore, separately from everyone else, only the thumb is dried. In this case, it is important that the nails are located in the center of the lamp.

Lamp quality

UV lamps wear out quickly, so after a month of using them, you will notice that the varnish does not dry out. In this case, it is worth increasing the drying time. On average, the lamp is designed for 3000 hours of operation. With a normal rhythm of work, it lasts for six months.

The lamp must be powerful enough

Dirty lamp

Clean instruments are not only the trademark of the master and the provision of sterile conditions. A dirty lamp may weaken the polymerization effect.

Therefore, it is necessary to wipe the lamp daily with the following liquids:

  • with medium pollution;
  • with increased pollution.

Liquid for removing sticky layer

The lamp is not suitable for the type of gel polish

Most often, the type of drying lamp is indicated by a special marking on the varnish jar (UV for ultraviolet radiation, LED for an LED lamp). The latest generation of gel coatings produces varnishes that can cure in both types of lamps.

If the method of polymerization of the varnish is not specified, then when buying a product, you should ask the seller about this.

Important! In LED lamps, LEDs do not burn out and do not lose their power, therefore, if the chosen coating does not require the use of a UV lamp, it is better to give preference to the LED lamp.

Too thick varnish

A mistake typical for novice craftsmen. In addition to the visible aesthetic effect, a thick and uneven layer prevents quick and uniform drying. When applying, it is very important that each coat is perfect. It is better to apply several thin coats than 1 or 2 thick coats.

It is better to apply the coating in an even thin layer.

Saturated shade of varnish

Practice shows that too bright or dark pigment can cause the varnish to dry for a long time. Therefore, a saturated color may simply take longer to dry. A more powerful lamp is recommended for these shades.

The varnish has expired

Don't be neglected. As a rule, the shelf life of the varnish is from 1 to 3 years from the moment the bottle is opened.

Important! Often the varnish can simply, if not used for a long time, it also does not dry for a long time. In this case, you should first check whether its expiration date has expired, and then "reanimate" it by rolling it in your palms. Shaking such varnish is not recommended.

All gel polishes have a limited shelf life.

The sticky layer of gel polish has not been removed

After the polymerization is completed, a sticky layer remains on top, which gives the feeling that the varnish has not dried. This layer must be removed with a special liquid.

Important! It is necessary to use a special liquid for removing stickiness (clinser), and not try to replace it with any improvised items (alcohol, acetone, nail polish remover).

Improper storage of varnish

This product is especially sensitive to light, therefore, for proper storage of gel polish, you must follow the rules:

  • Always close the varnish bottle to avoid harmful effects of both UV lamp and sunlight. Exposure to light can cause changes in the structure of the product. That is why most manufacturers produce varnishes in dark bottles;
  • Manicure under artificial light to protect the varnish from the harmful effects of daylight;
  • Store varnishes in dark places;
  • Avoid temperature extremes. Store varnish in a place that guarantees a constant temperature of 26 degrees. If the temperature regime is violated, the life of the varnish is significantly reduced.

In addition, gel polish does not like shaking. When shaken, air bubbles form in the bottle, which cause poor surface quality.


Improper nail treatment

Often, masters violate the procedure for preparing the nail plate for a manicure, which leads to the fact that the gel polish does not dry in the lamp.

The procedure for processing the nail is as follows:

  • Treat the nails with a buff, which will create a rough surface for applying varnish. It is a big mistake to process a nail with a polisher, since a too smooth surface of the nail plate impedes the uniform application of varnish and, therefore, makes it difficult to polymerize;
  • Apply cuticle oil after nail polish. Gel polish requires a dry and slightly rough surface. Cuticle oil makes the nail greasy, which creates an extra layer between the varnish and the nail.


Wrong varnish

Today, the Internet is replete with offers of various brands of gel polish in different price categories. In this variety, it is easy to make a mistake and buy a base gel polish of poor quality, which does not dry even with strict adherence to all the rules. Therefore, before choosing a gel polish, you should carefully study customer reviews for the product, as well as the reputation of the manufacturer itself.

You should also not save on materials and tools for manicure. When choosing them, it is best to rely on product quality. Good quality materials make the work of the master easier, and the observance of the above conditions contributes not only to an improvement in polymerization, but also guarantees a longer manicure.