Most nail polish applications should fully dry in under an hour; in fact, nail polish can take as little as 15 minutes to dry, Lim says. Many salons have fan dryers with UV lights, which can help accelerate the drying time.
Because there are numerous variables, it will vary from person to person and manicure to manicure. Traditional nail polish can last a few days without any chipping. However, if you opt for long-wear formulas such as no-chip options or gel polish, your manicure may last for up to two weeks before you see any chipping.
Waiting for your nails to dry can feel like forever and we get it, you have things to do. But the good news is, you'll only need a 2-minute drying time between coats. This works perfectly every time. These 120 seconds are crucial for your manicure so that the coats dry perfectly.
In summary: The first layer of base coat will take up to 2 minutes to dry. The first layer of nail polish will take up to 10 minutes to dry. The second layer of nail polish will take up to 20 minutes to dry completely.
'Yes, you can speed up your drying time by submerging your nails in cold water,' confirms Michelle. Hooray! She advises, 'Simply fill a bowl, dip your nails, and wait 3-5 minutes – or however long you can spare! You can even add a few ice cubes to make the temperature cooler.
Generally, it takes 1-2 hours before nail polish is completely dry on its own, especially if you've used a base coat, two coats of nail polish and a topcoat. Formaldehyde-free polishes take more time to dry. Many nail polish dryers allow you to use your hands 5 to 15 minutes after polish is applied.
The danger with keeping your nail polish on too long is that the pigment in the nail polish can soak into the top few layers of the nail and dry it out, Dr. Rowland says. When that happens, fungus, yeast, bacteria, mold and mildew can develop underneath the nail plate, which can lead to long-term problems.
"You also run a better chance of streaking as you paint and smudging as you dry." In addition, Soon warns that excessive nail polish application prevents your nails from breathing and can even dry out your nail beds. Definitely not a good look.
While wearing nail polish all the time won't stop your nails from growing, it does damage your nail integrity. Even with blood supply, nails do still need air to “breathe”. That's why a break from nail polish every few weeks is a must. For keratin granulation, 3 to 4 weeks will be enough time to give your nails a rest.
Nails don't need surface access to air because they get oxygen and nutrients from your blood. Keeping nails hydrated is important if yours are prone to breakage, and a pause in polishing to moisturize would help.
To prevent smudging, it is best to wait one to two hours before hopping in the tub or shower. To help speed drying time, use a fast-drying topcoat or a nail polish dryer.
Tip #1: Opt for a Rapid-Drying Polish
Just put on a coat or two before bed and you'll feel the polish quickly texturize into a fully-dry manicure in just a few minutes. You can stop here and go to bed, or finish with a top coat to smooth out the texture.
Cold air is really the most effective way to solidify the polish faster. If you don't have a cool setting on your electric fans or blow dryer, try holding your hands in the freezer. I know it's cold but it's a great trick and TBH we'll take any chance to avoid smearing our nails before they're dry.
For gel nails, take a break for a week at least once every eight weeks to allow the nails to rehydrate and to allow repair of the underlying structures.
Your best bet is to clean off the old polish after a week and repaint your nails. The one great thing about lacquer is that it's the least damaging to your nails. If you use an acetone-free remover, you can change the polish every week.
Avoid long periods of time in water (for example long baths, swimming, washing up etc). Avoid picking or peeling the product off as this could damage your natural nails. Avoid filing your nails and pushing your cuticles back, as this will break the seal of the nail polish and can lead to chipping.
"Whether you're at a salon or at-home, cold air from a fan or blowdryer will help the polish harden faster," Gibson Tuttle says. If you go the blowdryer route, just be sure to press the cool shot button continuously while drying.
Cold air helps dry your nail polish faster. You can also place your hands in the freezer to help speed up the process. It's a great way to dry your nails and prevent you from smudging them accidentally.
Handy Hairspray
Use a little hairspray from a few inches away so the nail polish will set perfectly without letting the spray spoil the smooth finish. You can also use a cooking spray in a similar fashion and get perfectly dry polish in no time. Make sure to dab excess off with a dry paper towel once you're done!
While it's easy to think that your nails only need a good 10 to 15 minutes to dry, your past manicure sessions have shown that your nails can still get smudged after waiting it out. The truth is, it can take one to two hours for your nail polish to set.
There could be a number of reasons why your nail polish is drying slower than expected. It could be a result of neglecting to apply a base coat. This step is essential to get the nail polish to adhere to your nails. Another cause of slow-drying could be the way you're applying the polish itself.
Luckily, analysts at Glamour.com recently revealed a great way to check if your nail polish is dry. “When you think they're about done, very gently touch your pinky nails together,” the news source reports. “If you can feel the polish “grab” slightly, it's not quite dry yet and you need to give it a few more minutes.”