Does UV Light Dry Regular Nail Polish?

July 20, 2024 by Pranay David

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A UV light doesn’t speed up the process of drying a regular nail polish but it is not recommended. The drying is caused by the evaporation of volatile ingredients such as alcohol, butyl acetate and ethyl acetate and UV light has no role in this process. But if the UV lamp produces enough heat, that may increase the rate of evaporation. Read on to know more.

Article Contains

Can We Use UV Light To Dry Regular Nail Polish
Ways Of Safely Drying Regular Nail Polish

Can We Use UV Light To Dry Regular Nail Polish?

This is not recommended because the heat generated by the UV lamp needs to be high enough to dry up your regular nail polish and intense UV light is harmful. So, in case you are using gel nail polish, it can be cured by using UV light as this triggers a polymerisation chemical reaction, causing the gel to dry and harden fast.

[ Read: How To Remove Gel Nail Polish With Sugar ]

Ways Of Safely Drying Regular Nail Polish

Here are some simple ways you can follow to dry your regular nail polish:

1. Using a Hair Dryer or a Nail Fan: After applying your regular nail polish, use your hair dryer in the cool setting and keep it at a distance of six inches from the nails to blow dry for a minute.

Alternatively, investing in a nail fan is also a great idea as they are designed to blow warm air over the nails and cause them to dry 30-40% fast.

2. Nail Polish Drying Sprays: These have special chemicals that enhance the evaporation rate of the liquids in the nail paints. You will need just some minutes to dry your regular nail paint using this technique.

3. Apply Thin Nail Paint Coats: Such thin coatings dry quickly compared to the thicker coats. So, choose the right shade, so you don’t have to apply thicker coats to get the desired color and get it dried up fast.

4. Hairspray: A minute after applying your nail paint, hold the hair spray 8 inches away from the nails and spray on the hands. Then after 1 minute, wash your hands using cold water to get rid of any residue.

5. Wash Your Hands Using Ice-Cold Water: When you don’t have hair spray at home, just try using ice-cold water. For this, you need to soak your unpainted nails in a bath with ice cubes. This will soften the nails. Then, pat dry and apply your favorite nail polish. This will significantly reduce the drying time.

Never use a UV light to dry regular nail polish, rather follow our tips above to get better results. You will need a little patience and effort but these are the safer ways of drying it.

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