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Nothing makes you feel as brand new as freshly painted nails, but with a great manicure comes the waiting game—the time-sucking experience of sitting still while your nails dry. Sure, the gel manicure has sped things up, so you can walk right out of the salon with smudge-free nails. But with traditional nail polish, you still have to wait at least 15 to 30 minutes for the lacquer to set.
Luckily, there are things you can do to make nail polish dry faster. We tapped three manicurists for their best tips. Ahead, the secrets to cutting your nail polish drying time in half.
Meet the expert
- Renée Oquel Mesa is a manicurist with China Glaze.
- Mazz Hanna is the CEO of Nailing Hollywood.
- Juanita Huber-Millet is the Founder and Creative Director of Townhouse in Los Angeles.
Apply Polish in Thin Layers
Applying thin layers is one of the easiest ways to dry nail polish faster. Mesa says when applying nail polish (lacquer), it’s best to work with thin layers to ensure a smooth and even application and faster drying time. Three thin strokes are all you need: make one down the middle of the nail and two on each side of it. “As a rule of thumb, always wipe off the excess bead of polish from the nail polish brush so the polish doesn’t appear uneven, streaky, or bumpy upon application,” she adds. “This can also help to speed up the overall drying time.” Thicker layers of nail polish take longer to dry than thinner ones, are more prone to smudging, and can dry unevenly, making the nails look thick and bulky and the polish gloppy.
Wait a Few Minutes Between Each Layer of Polish
Even if you want your nails to dry fast, it is best to give time between applying each layer of polish. Hanna says about one to two minutes should suffice, depending on the type of nail polish used. “Spacing out the time between each layer allows the previously applied layer to dry, facilitating an easier applicator of the next coat,” she explains. “But if you quickly apply one coat and then another, the polish can shift and create an uneven, streaky finish.
Use a Dryer
There’s a reason why almost every nail salon has dryers: they work. “Nail dryers allow the solvents in the polish to evaporate faster,” Hanna says. Just make sure the airflow is positioned at a safe distance from the nails to avoid any accidental smudging. “Six inches away should do the trick,” Huber-Millet adds. “When it comes to the temperature, use a low setting on cool for optimal drying.” A blow dryer set on the coolest setting and a low-to-medium speed works just as well for at-home manicures so the polish doesn’t smudge or wrinkle.
Opt for Quick-Dry Formulas
Quick dry polishes aren’t limited just to topcoats, and colored polishes dry in a flash thanks to this innovation. “Quick dry formulas are the unsung heroes of at-home nail treatments and can cut down drying with their speedy solutions,” Huber-Millet says. “These magical products work by evaporating the solvents at lightning speed, leaving the nails touch-dry in no time, but it is important to check the ingredients in the formula.”
Hanna also likes quick dry formulas and finds them a great option to get your nails done quickly and easily. Her favorite one is Dazzle Dry, a four-step system she calls “the absolute best quick-drying formula out there. It applies and removes like regular polish, wears similar to a gel, and dries completely solid within five minutes.” Other fast-drying colored formulas that set in mere minutes include Sally Hansen Insta-Dri and fast-dry top coats, such as China Glaze’s Fast Forward Top Coat and Seche Vite’s Dry Fast Top Coat, which Mesa says penetrates all the layers of nail polish for a high-glossy finish that protects the nail color.
Stick With Sheer Formulas and Lighter Shades
The darker the nail polish shade, the longer it takes to dry. So, when time is of the essence, choosing lighter, more transparent shades, which contain fewer pigments, is a surefire way to ensure that they will dry in the nick of time. Hanna explains that lighter colors tend to dry faster than dark and opaque ones because they require fewer layers, and the overall application is thinner. “Sheer polish is also perfect for when you are in a rush but need a quick mani.” Plus, if you sport a light color on your nails, any imperfections that may arise, like a small nick or smudge, are less likely to be seen than with a darker color. Mesa adds that glitter nail polishes work as a great alternative if you are in a rush.
Use Ice
Strange but true, Hanna explains that dipping the fingertips into ice water constricts the polish molecules, which causes the polish to harden faster. To do it, fill a large bowl with ice and ice-cold water, then carefully submerge the fingertips (after applying a topcoat) into the water for a few minutes without knocking the nails into each other or the ice. To keep the polish from smudging, she says to make sure it is somewhat dry and then gently pat dry afterward. If tiny water beads sit on the nail plate, the nails are dry, and you are good to go.
You can also get a similar effect from sticking your hands in a freezer, but Hanna doesn’t find the freezer method to be as effective as an ice water bath. However, keep in mind that ice-drying methods are not totally foolproof and can sometimes only dry the top layer of polish and not the underneath ones, so the nails can still smudge.
Layer on Drying Spray or Drops
Nail polish drying topcoat sprays and drops don’t technically cut down on drying time like so many people think they do. Instead, Hanna explains that these products add a protective layer over polish rather than accelerate the drying process. “They can give the illusion that the polish is dry when it may not be, so be careful with these.”
Do a Dry Manicure
When time is of the essence, there are a few safe-to-skip manicure steps so the polish dries a little faster. Mesa says to bypass soaking the nails in water and instead do a dry manicure. “A wet or oily nail plate can prevent the nail polish from adhering to the nail plate, which can cause chipping. Also, skip applying lotions and oils until the nails have completely dried.”
Reach for Hairspray
While the experts we interviewed say to use hairspray as a last-ditch effort—and always with caution—the idea is that it can speed up the drying time of your nail polish. But here’s the catch: only an aerosol hairspray works, and it will only work on the upper layers of nail polish, so if a top coat was the last layer to go on, that’s the only one that will dry faster, so you’ll still need to be super careful not to smudge your freshly-painted nails.