Does anyone know the pain of waiting for nails to dry?
Imagine this: In the midst of your busy schedule, you find time to paint your nails, only to find that not only have you spent time buffing them, but you’ve also promised to be good for the next 30 minutes without your hands!
It feels good to maintain your nails with clear or colored nail polish.
We’ve all been there: paint your nails, blow them out, and wait for them to dry. You pick up your phone, bah, you’re too early. Now you’re left with a damaged nail that you now have to repaint, dry again and waste your precious time again. Why doesn’t nail polish dry faster?
There are a few shortcuts you can try to speed up the process of nail polish fully curing and drying on your nails by 10 to 12 minutes.
How To Make Nail Polish Dry Fast
To cut down on wasting time waiting for your nails to dry, read on for some safe tips on how to make your nail polish dry faster.
1. Quick-dry top coat
Always add a top coat when painting your nails. If you don’t, you’re doing yourself a huge favor.
To speed up drying time, use a clear nail polish specially formulated to dry nails faster.
Finish your manicures with this specially formulated, quick-drying top coat that not only smooths the finish, but also locks in the base layer to keep your hard work from staining.
Many quick-drying finishes are as cheap as regular polishes. The best nail polish top coats claim to add a layer of shine to your nails, prevent chipping, and let your nails dry in a minute or less.
2. Swap out the quick-drying polish
Are you ruining your nails all the time before you even have a chance to put on a top coat?
Then you have to consider replacing your current polish with a quick-drying alternative.
Many brands offer products in different colors for purchase. So you should be able to find a near-perfect match to replace your current favorite.
3. Quick dry in cold water
This method requires some preparation. Follow the steps below:
Step 1: Take a small bowl and fill it with cold tap water. Add an ice cube or two and place the bowl near where you want to paint your nails.
Step 2: Start painting your nails. After you’ve painted your nails, wait about two minutes for the polish to “set” — this will ensure it’s fully adhered to your nails.
Step 3: Soak your fingers or toes in a bowl of cold water for two to three minutes. If you take your hands or feet out of the water, you’ll notice beads of water on your nail polish. This is a sure sign that your polish is completely dry, firm and ready to go.
Step 4: Enjoy the 20 minutes you just saved.
4. Give your nails a hair dryer
Before you start painting your nails, plug your hair dryer into the “cool” setting. After applying nail polish, use a hair dryer to dry your nails with a steady stream of cool air.
With this method, you simply paint your nails with one hand, use a hair dryer, and repeat the process with the other hand.
Be sure to use the cool setting for this dry solution.
You don’t want your skin to be burned by a hot blow dryer!
5. Oil your nails
Baby oil or olive oil can help your nails dry faster. Use a carafe or medicine dropper to hold the oil. This way you can easily control how much oil you apply to each nail. You certainly don’t need much!
Then, when you’re ready to dry your nails, apply a drop or two to each nail and sit patiently for a minute or two.
Read more about Cuticle Oil.
It works because the oil stays on your nail bed and soaks in the color.
This helps the polish dry faster. Thinner paint dries faster, and this method essentially dilutes the paint that’s already on your nails. Once you see beads of oil on top of your nails, wipe off the oil with a dry paper towel.
6. Thin layer of varnish
Have you ever noticed that nail professionals always apply product thinly and evenly? Well, there are two reasons for this:
The polish dries faster due to the thin layer
It also helps to extend the life of your nail art by keeping the polish as close as possible to the nail and preventing it from lifting
This technique can save you a lot of drying time. By applying a few thin coats of polish instead of one or two thick coats, your nails will have a chance to dry between each application. The result is a more even finish and faster overall drying time.
7. Dry drops
If you think time is money, investing in quick-drying drops or nail drying spray is probably your best advice. You can buy these nail drying drops online or at any grooming supply store.
Unlike quick-dry top coats, dry drops won’t add another layer to your manicure.
Also, these drops are oil-based. So, they groom your cuticles while drying your nails. While it may feel like yet another extra cost, these products do cut nail drying time in half.
8. Take care of your manicure
Air-drying your nails takes a lot of patience, but making them dry faster just takes a little forethought and some creativity. If you want your nails to dry faster, don’t flick your fingers around, or you might smudge the polish.
Some nail professionals claim that it takes 12 hours or more for a manicure to fully “set” even after the polish appears dry.
Take good care of your nails, especially the day after a fresh coat of paint.
To make your nail art last longer without chipping, refresh it with a thin coat of quick-drying top coat every two or three days.
