If some people like to keep their nails natural or apply fake nails, others enjoy taking a few minutes to create beautiful manicures. The problem is that nail drying can completely ruin a nail art in seconds. Indeed, the longer the nail polish takes to dry, the greater the risk of damaging it and having to reach for non-acetone nail polish remover to start over. How can you reduce this drying time and calm your impatience? Here are some tips to help your nail polish dry faster!
1) Opt for a lighter color
Many factors can affect drying time, starting with the color of the nail polish. And pigments in dark colors take much longer to dry. Applying a lighter shade of nail polish is therefore recommended in case of delay. Good news for French manicure fans (when the tips of the nails are painted with white nail polish)!
2) Don’t apply too much nail polish to make your nails dry faster
Applying thin layers of nail polish with the brush helps to shorten drying time. Indeed, your painted nails will tend to dry faster if you alternate several thin layers instead of thick layers to save time on the manicure. The thicker the layer of nail polish, the longer it will take to dry. Try letting the first layer dry for two minutes before applying a second layer. You can then move on to the other hand instead of applying two successive layers on the same hand.
3) Start with the pedicure
Toe nails take longer to dry! So, if you want to do a manicure and a pedicure, always start by applying colored nail polish to your toes. This way, both the nails on your hands and feet will have time to dry at the same time.
4) Cold water or cold air to make the nail polish dry faster
Cold helps the nail polish dry faster. To do this, you can soak your freshly painted nails (base coat, nail polish, and a thin layer of top coat included) in a bowl of pre-prepared ice-cold water before applying the nail polish. Let your nails soak for three minutes and they will be perfect! You can also use the cold air from a fan or hair dryer to achieve the same effect.
5) Baby oil
To replace the often expensive traditional drying drops or finishing polishes (which help absorb the nail polish solvents without dissolving the color or shine), you can use baby oil or a spray oil for convenience. This will help thin the nail polish to facilitate drying. Apply a small amount to each nail. After about three minutes of drying, you can wipe off with a towel and show off dry and shiny nails! Please note, baby oil does not act as a quick-drying top coat. It will not provide more shine or long wear to prevent chipping. It just dries the nail polish faster!
