So you’ve got your freshly applied coat of nail polish smudged once, and don’t want to face the same situation again. After all, it wasn’t a duck soup to spend on nail art despite so many inevitable expenses of the month. Well, then you’ve made the right decision to learn how long does it take for nail polish to dry.
If you happen to adore trendy nail art designs, you already know that it takes several coats to make those long nails glossy and stunning. First comes the base coat, then comes the frustrating waiting part, then 2 to 3 more coats and again waiting for it to dry. It demands a lot of patience, but once you know how long to let nail polish dry between coats, you’ll be able to gauge how long you’ve to wait.
So let’s talk about it in detail and we’ll also discuss hacks to quickly dry your nail paint.
How Long Does It Take For Nail Polish To Dry?
Smudged nail paints at the last moments when you are done with everything else can create a hassle. Afterall, it wasn’t a walk in the park to apply the nail polish itself, let alone waiting for it to dry unaware of how long it will take.
So coming to the point- how long does it take for nail polish to dry? Generally, it takes a complete hour to dry nail polish with several coats as reported by many nail technicians and artists. However, for a single coat, you might need to wait only for a couple of minutes. Whether you apply the nail polish on your fingers or toes, opt for gel nails, or fake nails, let it set for an hour.
For nail polishes that are free of Formaldehyde, nail technicians report to wait a little longer. Although they won’t look smudged, but will surely carry the imprint of whatever has touched it while it was yet to dry.
As for how long to let nail polish dry between coats, wait for 10 minutes for a single coat and to be on the safe side wait for 30 to 40 minutes after applying other coats separately. In other words, after applying the second coat leave the nail paint undisturbed for half an hour then apply another coat, and so on.
Tips To Quick Dry Your Nail Polish
These 6 ways will help you reduce the frustration that comes with waiting for your nail paint to dry:
1. Hair Dryer Cool Setting
One of the cheesiest ways to quickly dry nail polish is using a hair dryer. But it must be remembered that the settings of air temperature should be set to ‘cool.’ Otherwise, your nail paint can get bubbles and might ruin the look of your dreamy nail art. Keeping a fair distance of a few inches, blow the hair dryer on your nail polish. And you’ll get done with the waiting part soon.
2. Apply Thin Coat
If you’re running late for the event, but still wish to paint your nails some pretty shades, it is advisable to apply thin coats. Thin coats dry faster than multiple coats. This is a small hack but is pretty useful. If you apply thick coats then you’ll surely have to sit counting stars in the sky (my bad, I didn’t know your event is to be held in the morning).
3. Use Drying Drops Or Sprays
No one wants to wait forever for their nail polish to dry. That’s where nail paint drying drops or sprays come to the rescue. They can save you time and make the process of nail drying speed by 3X. It must be remembered that you must pick a solution that doesn’t contain nail-damaging items such as DBP, formaldehyde, parabens, etc.
Furthermore, you must apply the drops evenly on your painted nails and wait for 6 to 7 minutes for the glossy shine to appear.
4. Use A New Nail Paint
Old nail paints often get sticky on application and take a relatively longer time to dry. Sometimes, adding a few drops of thinner into the dried nail paint works but a new one can give better finishing. For this reason, you must pick a tried and tested brand to beautify your nails.
5. Get A Hand Fan/Chinese Fan
You must have seen small playful kids’ toy fans. Such a fan can come in pretty handy when you want to dry your nail enamel quickly. If this seems too childish to you, then a Chinese Fan can be a good investment. But remember this sequence of steps- to apply nail polish to one hand, dry it up, and only then start with the other hand. Otherwise, your nail paint will get smudged and you’ll be worried thinking how long does it take for nail polish to dry after applying it again.
6. Ice Water To Your Rescue
Once you’re done with your perfect nail art, put your fingers in ice-cold water. What will this do? This will solidify the top coat, hardening it so that it will get frozen and you won’t have to wait for longer. Having said that, let’s repeat together one time- it’ll cut down your waiting time and not eliminate it.
Final Thoughts
If you don’t wish to go through the hassles of chipped nails and worry how long does it take for nail polish to dry, flaunt your natural nails as they are. For one thing, unpolished nails can go with any dress. Moreover, you will no longer lose your temper over such a thing. But in case you want to give your nails a colorful touch, the methods listed in this article have got your back.
From swaying a hand fan in style to dipping your nails in ice-cold water, you’ll be thrilled when the waiting period for nail polish to dry won’t be that long.
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