There’s nothing more annoying than spending extra time and care on doing a beautiful design on your nails, or even just a normal mani, only to have your hard work ruined the minute you put your hand into your purse or need to scratch that itchy place behind your ear…
Luckily, there are a couple of ways to help speed up the drying and setting process that are easy to try at home:
Keep it Thin
Replace one or two thick coats of polish with three extremely thin coats rather, and let each coat dry for a couple of minutes before you layer on the next. You may feel like this prolongs your manicure time, but it will actually make overall drying time much faster!
Top it Off
Using a quick-dry topcoat is always smart, but should only be used once your underlying nail polish is already dry. If you apply it over polish that is not dry yet, the still-liquid polish underneath can move around, resulting in lumps or ripples. So, I always suggest that you use one of the other quick drying methods for drying your colour polishes, and then using a quick-dry topcoat as a quick finish. The Essence Quick-Dry Top Coat is very affordable & dries super quickly.
Let it Freeze
Since cold temperatures solidify nail polish, ice water baths are also a great setting trick. Prepare a bowl of water with a couple of ice cubes, before you start painting your nails. Then, when you’re finished painting your nails, dip them in for about 60 seconds. This is a great way to help protect against divots, since it helps solidify polish all the way through, not just on top. Try to keep your hands still while submerged, as moving your nails around in the water and bumping into the ice cubes might leave you with some unwanted bumps and ripples on your nails as well. The opposite also holds true: if you’re having trouble removing nail polish, soaking your hands in warm water will make it easier.
Air Dry it
Salons use fans to help speed up drying, but you could also use your hair dryer as a DIY replacement. Just be sure that you only use the “cool” setting. As mentioned above, heat actually keeps polish from firming. Also, keep it on a low setting and don’t go to close to your nails – strong air against freshly polished nails could create little ripples and bumps.
Spray it Down
After applying your top coat, use a nail-drying spray or drops. These do not so much dry your polish, as create a “slip” on your nails, increasing the probability of anything accidentally touching your nails, to harmlessly slip off, instead of creating a dent or mark. And, if you don’t have any nail-drying spray or drops, mist your nails with cooking spray! It is a great DIY replacement 😉 And, the oil in the spray, drops or cooking spray will double up to nourish your cuticles at the same time.
Tip: Personally I have found that combining the methods above is what works best for me. I would prepare my bowl of ice water, paint my nails with a thin layer of my colour then submerge my hands in (or under) the cold water for a minute. I then allow my nails to dry in front of a fan or using my hair dryer for a couple of minutes, and then add my next thin coat, repeating the cold water-air process. Lastly, would use a Quick-dry top coat, again repeat the cold water-air dry process, and then use a nail-drying spray to finish off.
The best way to dry your nails will always be time. However, hopefully these tips will help decrease the time it takes you to dry your nails, while encouraging you to try more colours or even some nail art?!
Do you have any helpful tips for drying your nails faster? Feel free to share in the comments section!
Article by: Mariaan Enslin