9 Best Ways To Dry Your Nail Polish Faster

This post is for you if you enjoy painting your nails but detest having to wait for the polish to dry. No situation is more annoying than going to bed with freshly painted nails only to wake up to find your hard work ruined.

The same holds true if your nail polish won’t dry and you’re running late for a restaurant or meeting. Do you need to know a quick way to dry your nail polish?

We have compiled a number of simple and efficient techniques that will enable you to expedite the tediously slow process.

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Ways To Dry Your Nail Polish Faster

It can feel pleasant to take care of your nails with clear or coloured nail paint. The time it takes for the polish to dry, however, may exceed the advantages of a DIY manicure for some people.

There are various tricks you may use to speed up the process even though it can take lacquer 10 to 12 minutes to properly set on the nail.

For some secure tips on how to dry nail paint more quickly, continue reading.

1. Run Nails Under Cold Water

This trick necessitates some preliminary preparation. Take a small basin and fill it with cold tap water before painting your nails.

Set the basin next to where you’ll be painting your nails and add one or two ice cubes. After painting your nails, give the polish around two minutes to “set” so that it will completely cling to your nails.

Next, soak your nails in the ice-cold water for around five minutes. Water will bead on top of the nail surface as you remove your hands or feet from the water, indicating that the polish is fully dried.

2. Use a Blow-Dryer

Any fan will suffice if you’re drying your hair at home because salons typically utilise some form of fan to hasten the drying process. However, a blow-dryer with a cool setting works just as well in this situation.

When drying, keep pressing the cold button continually. Warm air might melt your polish and create bubbles, which will stop it from setting.

For about a minute, blow cool air a few inches away from your nails. Then, carefully check to see if they are still tacky. Remember that using the dryer at maximum power might also disturb and dry out the cuticle areas.

So keep in mind to maintain a cool temperature and a modest fan speed.

3. Quick-Dry Top Coat

A simple technique to dry nails more quickly is to buy a clear coat of nail paint that has been designed expressly to reduce drying time.

Many commercial quick-drying top coats are on par with or less expensive than standard polishes in price.

The best top coats for nail paint promise to give your nails a layer of lustre, stop chipping, and dry your nails in under a minute.

4. Paint Thin Layers

Start with thin coats when painting your nails; this is the most crucial rule.

It will take longer for the polish to cure if you apply heavy coats, and you don’t want globby polish, do you? Before painting your nails, be aware of how much polish is on your brush and wipe off any extra.

Although it may appear to be slowing down the process, it actually has a significant impact on reducing the entire drying time.

5. Baby Oil

Your nails could dry more quickly if you apply baby oil, olive oil, or even cooking spray. So that you can easily control how much oil you apply to each nail, pour the oil into a decanter or medicine dropper.

You don’t require a lot! When you’re ready to let your nails dry, apply a few drops to each nail and wait a few minutes.

As it lies on top of your nail bed and absorbs into the paint, the oil should help the nail polish dry more quickly.

This technique essentially thins the paint that is already on your nail because thinner paint dries more quickly. Wipe the oil off with a dry paper towel as soon as you notice it beading at the top of your nail.

6. Add A Quick-Dry Top Coat

Any beauty supply store or internet retailer carries drying drops for your nails. Drying drops don’t create additional layer to your manicure like quick-drying top coats do.

These oil-based drops moisturise your cuticles while drying your nails. Anecdotally, it appears that this technique only dries the top coat of nail polish.

Give your manicure or pedicure a few more minutes to set even if your nails seem dry after using drying drops.

7. Place Your Hands in the Freezer

The polish will solidify more quickly when exposed to cold air. Try holding your hands in the freezer if the electric fans or blow dryer you use don’t have a chilly setting.

Even though it’s cold, I think this method is wonderful, and we’ll take any opportunity to avoid smudging our nails before they’re completely dry. Only keep it in for around two minutes.

The top coat of a polish will at least quickly solidify thanks to the cold air. Just keep in mind that the layers beneath could not be completely set, so use caution while applying your tips.

8. Allow Time to Dry Between Coats

Every one of us has erred by putting on coat after coat out of impatience. In addition to lengthening the overall drying process, not waiting for the preceding coat to dry before adding another one might result in a globby mess.

The amount of time between coats should range from 2 to 5 minutes, depending on the polish’s recipe. This has a huge impact and will reduce the likelihood of bubbles emerging.

Yes, painting your nails may take some effort, but it will be worth it to prevent any smudging or smearing.

9. Finish with a Spritz of Hairspray

At the pharmacy, you can get a nail-drying spray to hasten the setting of your polish. However, if you have hair spray at home, quickly spritz it on your nails.

Yes, this also promotes faster nail polish drying. But keep in mind that, much like a nail-drying spray, it only hardens the top coat of polish and not the one beneath.

Therefore, even though you can get on with your day as usual, take careful not to bump your nails until they are totally set.

Conclusion

If you want your nails to dry more quickly, all it takes is a little bit of planning and imagination. Air drying your nails requires a lot of patience. Do not wave your fingers around as this could smear the polish and delay the drying of your nails.

Some nail technicians contend that a manicure isn’t truly “set” for 12 hours or longer, even though the polish looks to be dried. The day after applying a fresh coat of lacquer, take extra care of your nails.

Every two to three days, freshen your manicure by applying a light coat of quick-dry top coat to prevent chips.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Makes Nail Polish Dry Instantly?

Apply a small bit of oil to each of your painted nails afterward. The oil should hasten the polish’s drying process after a short while. Your nail paint dries more quickly since the oil makes it thinner.

Can I Use Olive Oil to Dry My Nail Polish Faster?

Yes! The polish will dry more quickly if you soak your freshly painted nails in extra virgin olive oil for around two minutes. As alternatives, you can also use baby oil, extra virgin coconut oil, or sunflower oil.

How Long Does Nail Polish Take to Fully Dry?

Nail polish can dry in as little as 15 minutes, according to Lim, and the majority of applications should be completely dry in under an hour. Many salons utilize UV-lit fan dryers, which can shorten the drying time.

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