HOW TO GET NAILS TO DRY FASTER
You have happily completed your nails and are waiting for them to dry. The waiting time seems to be taking its toll on you and you want to hurry up the waiting process so you can begin doing other things on your to-do list. You of course do not want to hurry up and get ahead of yourself as you don’t want to look at your nails and see them being all smudged.
In this blog post I will be sharing some tips with you on how to get nails to dry faster. These tips and tricks are not in order. Some of these tips can be completed after doing your nails (whilst in the drying process) some you can carry out before painting your nails.
Paint thin layers
Painting thin layers allows you to have more control over the neatness of your nail. When you paint on thicker layers you are more prone to your nail paint smudging. If you are concerned that the colour needs another coat, do not worry, simply just apply one thin layer then apply another thin layer. Remember that using thinner layers and building it up will allow you to reach the perfect result. It may seem time consuming but it will save you the time in the long run, by saving you having to repaint those nails if you smudge them!
Get yourself a fast-drying top nail coat
Now for me, I never knew these existed. When you are in a hurry these are the best thing you can get. It is simply a clear top coat that you apply on top of your nail once you have completed all of coloured coats. No kidding it dries within seconds!
I love to use the OPI Rapidry top coat. It is a clear coat that you apply on your nails. As I stated earlier it is ideal to use when in a hurry, and the great thing is that is does not apply as a thick coat itself. It also leaves a great clear protective top layer giving you that gloss.
Using oil on your nails before applying any polish
Getting yourself nail oil or simply some olive oil to apply on your cuticles and across the base of your nail will help your nail not only feel softer but also look more healthier. Using olive oil helps to thin the paint on your nail which allows it to dry quicker. You do not need too much oil, just simply get yourself a medicine dropper that would allow you to control how much oil you are placing onto your nail. Leave the oil on for 5 minutes and then test the nail to see if it is dry, then simply use a cotton pad to wipe off any excess.
Dip your nails into cold water
Sounds crazy right? Who would of thought dipping your nails into any kind of water would help the nail paint to set in place. Using the temperature of the cold water helps to leave the formula to set in place. Simply get yourself a bowl of ice and water, allow the ice cubes to melt so that there are no cubes for you to bump your nails on, and then place your hands in the bowl for around 1 minute. If it is too cold then of course take your hands out but try to keep your nails in the bowl for a consistent minute to ensure it locks the nail polish formula in.
Fast-drying nail polish
Now similar to the fast-drying top coat. You could even using fast-drying nail polish and the fast-drying top coat together, and use the top coat for a quick protective layer across your painted nails. Otherwise you can just stick to getting yourself fast-drying nail polish.
Use a hairdryer on the cool setting
Most people have a hairdryer in their home, so make more use of this by using this to help to dry your nails quicker. Remember that we aren’t using the hot setting on the dryer because this can cause bubbles and make your cuticles dry out, resulting in not so great looking nails. Use the cold setting and simply just hold across your nails, depending on how thick the nail polish is you may have to use this after every layer that you apply.
Allow each layer of nail polish to dry for at least two minutes
This may seem obvious but come on, we are all guilty of painting another coat on or rushing to put our socks on and we then realise, the polish did not set leaving a bubble texture. If you haven’t got any fast-drying nail polishes or fast-drying top coats, then ensure you leave the polish to dry for at least 2 minutes. You can use this tip along with using the cool setting on the hairdryer.
That is all for now, I hope you enjoyed my blog post on how to get nails to dry faster.
Take care, Talia x
