At the disco, many people's manicures begin to glow brightly. But when the lights suddenly go out or when going outside, in a car or other places without special lighting, the manicure behaves differently: for some it continues to glow, for others it stops. Why does one polish glow in the dark and the other not? How to explain that in the light of advertising lights they behave the same? And most importantly: how to buy the right glowing polish?
In order to understand this, we should consider some physical phenomena. Everyone knows that phosphorus glows in the dark. In this case, a transition of the chemical type of energy into light occurs. But phosphorus compounds have long been banned for use in cosmetics. Why are some varnishes called phosphorus?
Why does nail polish glow in the dark?
Some substances have the ability to absorb light and then release it. This does not mean that they are light sources. On the contrary, in order for them to glow, they need to be placed under sunlight or a lamp. This effect is called luminescence. Translated from Latin “faint glow”. Luminescent varnishes glow in ultraviolet and neon lighting, which is used in discos and cafes.
Luminescence is divided into fluorescence and phosphorescence and differs in the duration of glow in the dark. Fluorescent varnishes immediately stop glowing when the light source is turned off, while phosphorescent varnishes continue to glow even in complete darkness. Gradually the intensity of the glow fades, but the polish glows in the dark all night long.
In the production of varnishes, cosmetics, fabrics, and designer paints, organic phosphors are used rather than phosphorus. They are safe, non-toxic and are even used in the production of children's toys. They accumulate light and release it in the dark, changing the wavelength to a shorter one.
Types and brands of varnishes
In the production of varnishes, phosphor pigment is now more often used. Brands of famous luminous varnishes:
- Domestic varnishes “Dance Legends” cost 200 rubles per 15 ml bottle. They are applied directly to the nail, as they contain a base. In the daytime they look like a dense color coating, some with shimmer. There are both light and dark tones. In the dark, the polish begins to glow and can change color: pink will turn green or blue, blue - green, coral - turquoise. These are the colors of the phosphors.
- Domestic varnish “Luminofor” costs 150 rubles per 11 ml bottle. Apply to a white backing. Three types of this varnish have different colors during the day: orange, white, transparent with a yellow-green tint. In the dark they glow yellow-orange, blue-green and yellow-green. When it enters the room from the street, a glow begins. You can charge the varnish from any lamp and from sunlight.
- The domestic brand “El Corazon” produces varnish with phosphors. A 16 ml bottle costs 179 rubles. Several dense colored varnishes glow in the dark with a greenish light.
- ISHOWTIENDA varnish, popular on major international online trading platforms. A 7 ml bottle costs from 80 to 100 rubles. After application, it turns your nails into small lanterns in the dark, reminiscent of fireflies. For a brighter glow, it is applied to a white substrate.
There are many other brands available for sale. It is difficult to determine their quality without seeing the composition. If the varnish contains radioactive light compounds with tritium, they should not be purchased. Harmless pigments are MHB-4E, MHP-6D and TAT 33.
Description of luminous pigments
Colored pigments have appeared on sale, which are used for mixing with acrylic powders for nail extensions, sprinkling in designs and adding to top coats, both varnish and gel. Now there are dozens of phosphors that have different origins and costs. It is possible to industrially dye them in red, yellow, blue and green colors and shades.
The most commonly used substances in the production of glow-in-the-dark varnishes are:
- Sodium isothiocyanate, which is added for a light green glow. It has a short cycle and stops glowing quickly.
- Rhodamine glows red in the dark. It will also go out quickly.
- Strontium aluminate, giving a turquoise or yellow light. Lights up for 16 hours after “charging”. Now it is the most popular ingredient in varnish.
- Zinc sulfide – glows red-violet. A cheap component that is now being replaced by strontium aluminate.
The powder itself is opaque, its color is almost white with a greenish tint. In order for it to adhere to the surface, it is mixed with transparent varnishes. When dry, the coating with phosphors becomes matte. If desired, it can be coated with a glossy topcoat - this does not change the properties of the phosphors in a transparent medium.
Components for working with gel polish
You can tidy up your nails yourself. To do this you need a manicure set and a special lamp. To work with gel polish, you need to prepare the nail plate. To carry out these manipulations you need to have:
- degreaser;
- buff;
- primer;
- base;
- lint-free wipes;
- top;
- polymerization lamp;
- means for releasing the coating from the sticky layer;
- actually gel polish.
The positive aspects of using gel polish are as follows:
- The coating lasts for 3-4 weeks. There is no need to constantly update your manicure.
- The material additionally creates a dense layer that protects the nail plate from damage.
- Nails are strengthened due to their thickening. This allows the nail plate to grow without being injured.
- Drying time in the lamp is from 30 to 120 seconds.
- You can purchase inexpensive products for home use or expensive ones for professional nail design in beauty salons.
- Easy to apply the composition.
- No unpleasant odor.
- Versatility. Suitable for manicure and pedicure.
- Can be used for classic manicure and to create unique patterns.
- An interesting way to improve the health of the nail plate.
- No sawing required.
Why does nail polish stop glowing in the dark?
Sooner or later the varnish stops glowing in the dark. As time passes, the glow of the phosphors stops and they go into a quiet state. Fluorescent varnishes stop glowing immediately. In order for the phosphorescent varnish to begin to exhibit its properties again, it needs to be “charged”: brought to a light source. Unfortunately, this is not useful for fluorescent varnishes.
When purchasing varnish, you should first place the bottle in the area of the light source - for example, under an incandescent or energy-saving lamp (not under a fluorescent lamp). Then the bottle is transferred to complete darkness or lowered into a box. Phosphorescent varnish glows in the dark.
How to “charge” glowing varnish
Phosphors accumulate direct light emitted by its source. Reflected light will not “charge” the varnish. In order to make the polish glow, enough daylight during the day. If you wish, before a party in a cafe where there will be artificial lighting, you can hold your nails to an incandescent lamp or an energy-saving lamp. After an hour-long “charging”, the varnish can glow very brightly for two hours. Then gradually the intensity will begin to decrease. Light green and blue varnishes shine the brightest.
How to make polish glow if it faded at a party? To do this, do not forget the principle of glow of phosphors. As soon as the exposure to direct rays ends, the glow process begins. It is impossible to accurately calculate the brightness of a manicure for a specific hour of the evening. Even when the room is light, but the nails are not exposed to sunlight or lamp light, “discharge” begins. Therefore, in this case, it is better to look for a light source and raise your hands to it.
The glow is especially visible at dusk.
How to choose the right varnish
The composition will tell you a lot - what kind of light the varnish glows can be seen from the pigment included in it. There are a lot of names for pigments, but the most commonly used in varnishes are the following:
- TAT 33, which glows brighter than the others and gives different colors when illuminated.
- MHB-4E, giving a turquoise glow.
- MHP-6D, which produces a purple glow.
Uncertified varnishes containing tritium are radioactive and their glow is dangerous. If the label does not indicate the composition, most likely the manufacturer has something to hide. Therefore, it is better to opt for products from well-known brands.
In daylight, phosphorescent varnishes have a dense texture and a matte surface. They are good for the office, but on vacation it is better to choose neon varnishes: they glow in the dark in the same way as other varnishes with phosphors, but in daylight they look much more advantageous. Phosphorescent pigment is added to the phosphors.
Phosphorescent varnishes and their differences from fluorescent varnishes
If the bottle says “phosphorus varnish”, you should look at the composition indicated on it. Most often it is strontium aluminate or zinc sulfide. These compounds are not phosphorus, but have a long glow cycle - like phosphorus. They glow in the dark, but in daylight they present a dense, slightly matte varnish.
It glows in the dark with a greenish-bluish light, accumulating energy during the daytime. It will not sparkle and sparkle during the day, like fluorescent varnish in the sun.
This happens because the varnishes have different compositions: for fluorescent ones, sodium isothiocyanate (yellow-green color) or rhodamine (red color) is used. These compounds have a short glow cycle and quickly return to a quiet state in the dark. Only constant exposure to ultraviolet light causes fluorescent varnish to glow.
How to make nail polish glow
To make your manicure glow in the dark, you can apply a top coat with phosphor pigments. The light green pigment glows brightest. Manufacturers' recommendations for the ratio of pigment to clear varnish range from 1:1 to 1:10. In the production of paints, a ratio of 1:3 is used, where three parts of varnish are taken for one part of pigment.
After adding the powder to the varnish, it must be mixed well until smooth. When subsequently applied to the nails, the operation is repeated by shaking the bottle. If the pigment is applied unevenly, the glow will turn out ugly.
Video instructions will help you make your own nail polish that glows in the dark.
To make the manicure neater, luminous varnish is applied to a white base. This is followed by two layers of varnish with phosphors. Seal the coating with a glossy topcoat.
Design with reflective gel polish
Most of the time, such a bright shine on the nails is enough to amaze everyone with a shining effect. But masters can’t just pass by without coming up with ideas for using it in design.
We wish you a wonderful journey into the world of magic and sparkle!
The article was prepared based on materials from the site moi-manikur.ru
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Glowing gel polish
In the dark, luminous nails with colored patterns look especially attractive. Some types of designs are difficult to achieve with regular varnish. Sometimes it’s easier to do this with gel polish. The phosphor and gel are mixed on the palette in a ratio of 1:4 - four parts of gel polish are taken for one part of pigment.
The advantage of directly preparing gel polish before application is that the pigment is well distributed over the entire surface. In the bottle it settles at the bottom and you have to shake it for a long time. Gel polishes have a thick texture; simply shaking the bottle (as when using regular polishes) may not help.
Many designs do this. One of them is ombre, stretching color and light. Stamping and stencil design look interesting against a luminous background. Some gel polishes, in particular El Corazon, contain luminous design elements - stars.
What to look for when choosing
An attractive manicure is an integral part of every woman. The use of gel polishes allows you to focus on your nails and change the shade depending on the lighting in the room. In general, reflective varnishes are no different from ordinary products. However, manicurists recommend paying attention to the following nuances:
- Pigmentation. This criterion is responsible for the brightness of the hue. There are dense, medium and translucent. With dense pigmentation, the required shade can be achieved by applying one layer. For medium pigmentation, it is recommended to use no more than 2 layers. Translucent varnishes are most often used to combine with other shades.
- Color. Reflective gels are produced in more subdued shades. This is due to the presence of reflective particles. The peculiarity of such products is that in daylight the coating emits a slight flicker. Under artificial lighting, nails shimmer with bright particles.
- Texture. This criterion is responsible for how the varnish will apply. Preference should be given to products with a more harmful texture. This way you can avoid sudden transitions.
It is also very important to choose products from well-known companies that have repeatedly proven the quality of their products and have earned positive reviews from users.
Brand names of glowing varnishes
The most famous domestic brand of fluorescent varnishes that glow in ultraviolet radiation is “Dance Legends”. There are a lot of color options for both the office and the disco. The second popular brand is Neil Art. During the day they look like regular polishes with glitter that glows green in the evening. Another good varnish is Jerden. Glowing varnishes are also produced by the brands “Patricia Nails”, “Smart Enamel”, “Masura” and others.
Gel polish that glows in the dark is produced by Global Fashion, Patrisa Nail, Rio Profi. To make the coating glow, it is kept in the light for several minutes. The cost of all brands is different, everyone can choose a suitable bottle.
Types and brands of gel polishes
Many brands have released glowing gel nail polishes. When purchasing them, you should choose well-known and respected brands to avoid purchasing low-quality products.
You can purchase glowing gel polish for a lower price on a large online site, but you should check for a quality certificate. Conscientious sellers undergo the certification procedure and always provide a copy of it along with the product.
