How to dilute nail polish if it has thickened: ways to dilute dried polish at home

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Author of the article

Svetlana Pavlikhina

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The situation when your favorite nail polish thickens and becomes unusable is familiar to every girl. There are ways to help avoid this problem. If it does occur, you can dilute the nail polish and thus bring it back to life. The main thing is to know what means are allowed to be used.

Causes of drying out

One of the main components of a cosmetic product is formaldehyde. It is added without fail and plays the role of a fixative. The more this substance is in the composition, the faster the varnish will thicken.

Among the reasons for drying out, two are worth highlighting:

Excessive use. If the bottle is open for a long time, the solvent begins to evaporate.
Rarely used. The components begin to separate and the consistency becomes thick.

Alkyd mixtures

Alkyd compounds have good adhesion, moisture resistance, insensitivity to ultraviolet radiation, and strength. They can be used for external and internal work. Alkyd mixtures contain a main component, organic solvents, driers (for faster drying), and additives. The main component may be:

pentaphthalic resin,
glyphthalic resin with cotton oil,
a mixture of melamine-formaldehyde and alkyd resins.

To enhance the properties of materials, elements of alkyd resins are often included in multicomponent varnishes, paints, and enamels. The traditional thinner here is white spirit.

Basic breeding rules

Regardless of which varnish thinner you use, you must adhere to the following recommendations:

Make sure that the cosmetic product needs to be diluted. Sometimes it is enough to simply shake the bottle so that the liquid acquires a normal consistency.
The solvent must be used in a minimal amount, otherwise the product will become too liquid.
After adding the solvent, close the bottle so that the product and varnish mix, and shake after five minutes. After this, you can start manicure.
If, as a result of dilution, the varnish has become too liquid, the bottle should be left open for a while: part of the liquid will evaporate and the consistency will return to normal.

Bitumen mixtures

Bituminous varnish is a mixture of a special grade of bitumen, various resins and oils. After drying, a durable black film is formed on the surface, moisture-resistant and impervious to chemical attack. It is considered a fairly new material in household use. Belongs to the inexpensive category. It is often used as an anti-corrosion protective layer.

For wooden surfaces it is used when there is no need to emphasize the natural texture of the base (instead of paints). Bituminous material has found application as a decorative coating for the effect of aging surfaces (patina). Another unique feature of bitumen mixtures is cold gluing. The bitumen solution is diluted with white spirit.

To prevent it from thickening during storage, the container must be airtight. The storage location should be dark (without direct sunlight), with moderate temperature and humidity.

Bituminous varnish protects the surface very well from moisture and chemical influences, diluted with white spirit

Using home methods

When thinking about how to dilute varnish at home, you should pay attention to the means at hand. There are several ways to revive your favorite cosmetic product.

Alcohol

If the varnish has dried, it can be diluted using regular medical alcohol. Just add a few drops to the bottle and mix with a toothpick. If the consistency still remains thick, the process must be repeated.

Acetone

This product has been widely used since Soviet times, but it is unlikely that it will be possible to save dried cosmetics. Indeed, the varnish will become more liquid, but its structure and density will change . It will no longer adhere properly to the nails.

In addition, acetone has the following disadvantages:

mixes unevenly with varnish components;
the durability of the manicure decreases;
the structure of the applied coating is heterogeneous;
a change in color is often noted;
negatively affects the structure of the nail.

For this reason, the use of acetone is not recommended.

Micellar water

Micellar water is also used to dilute thickened varnish.

You only need to do a few steps:

Pour 1 tsp into the bottle. liquids.
Without shaking, stir the resulting mixture using a brush.
Wait about ten minutes and do a manicure.

Hot water

It is enough to place the bottle in a container with hot water for ten minutes to make the consistency of the cosmetic product more liquid.

The main thing is not to use hot boiling water: as a result of a sharp temperature change, the bottle may crack.

Nail polish remover

Nail polish remover is designed to remove varnish from nails. It can also be used to liquefy cosmetics. By adding a few drops, it will not only become more liquid, but also acquire an attractive shine.

When using this method, you need to consider several nuances:

If you overdo it with the quantity, the consistency will turn out watery and the varnish will spread unevenly when applied.
After some time, pigment is released, so the bottle must be shaken before use.
It is allowed to use only liquid that does not contain acetone, otherwise the desired result will not be achieved.

Clear nail polish

This method helps solve the problem only for a short time. After 1-2 uses the product fades. This is explained by the fact that the transparent version of cosmetics is not able to change the structure; it takes part of the coloring matter onto itself.

Expert advice

It is worth noting that experts do not recommend diluting thickened nail polish. This is especially true for traditional methods with acetone, nail polish remover and alcohol. Such substances, with prolonged and regular contact with the nail plates, cause them harm. Nails may become weaker, peeling and brittle. If possible, you should not get carried away with experiments to return the varnish to the desired consistency.

A distinctive feature of this professional varnish restoration product is that it does not contain acetone. That is why when diluting the varnish, you not only change its consistency, but also do not change the composition. At the same time, nails are not negatively affected and are not destroyed by harmful substances.

Use of special means

Cosmetics manufacturers produce thinners designed to fill enamel with liquid.

When choosing, you should give preference to high-quality professional options. When using them, the consumption of funds will be minimal.

With the help of solvents, it is possible to restore the ability of the coating to be distributed evenly over the nail plate.

The price of one such bottle is approximately equal to the cost of the varnish itself, but the consumption is much less, so it lasts for a long time.

The main advantage of the thinner is the absence of acetone in its composition. It can be used even when restoring gel and acrylic products.

It is worth remembering that quality indicators improve for about a month. After this, the product dries and thickens again.

It’s worth figuring out what to do when using thinner. The way to use it is simple:

Only 2 drops of the product are poured into the bottle.
The bottle is tightly closed and shaken.
If the consistency does not change, repeat the procedure again.

It is important not to add a large amount of “saving liquid” at once, otherwise the enamel will change its color, turn out to be too liquid and become unusable.

It is recommended to choose thinners of the same brand as the coloring cosmetic product, because they have the same composition.

Raising the Degree

The next household method, also well known, is heating. What do you do with jam that thickens? That's right, place the jar with it in hot water for a while. Under no circumstances should you use boiling water - the glass of the bottle is unlikely to appreciate such a temperature difference. The varnish will actually become more liquid.

Another interesting feature of this method is that you should never shake the bottle - this will trigger the effect of soda, in which bubbles will also appear after shaking. That is, in principle, it is not necessary to know how to dilute nail polish; there are other ways to resuscitate it. It is worth noting that this method is completely short-lived: as soon as the liquid inside the bottle cools down, it will no longer be applied normally to the nails.

Are home remedies and special remedies different?

The effect of using home and special remedies will be different.

The thinners produced are designed specifically to restore the normal consistency of the coloring agent.

When they are used, the structure of the liquid does not change . Accordingly, the quality of cosmetics remains at the proper level.

Any home remedies lead to a change in composition, and as a result, the color often fades and separation of components is noted. There is a risk of acquiring an excessively liquid consistency.

The use of traditional methods should be resorted to in extreme cases.

Non-standard varnishes

How to dilute gel-based nail polish? In this case, it is useless to rely on the above methods; it is better to immediately add strong alcohol - vodka or medical alcohol - to the bottle. The problem is that abuse of this method will significantly affect the quality of the coating: it will be damaged much more easily, and it will crack faster than regular gel polish.

There is another non-standard varnish, caracel, which allows you to create peculiar cracks on the surface of the nail, it is very liquid and dries quickly, which is why it is useless to revive it, even all of the above methods will not help.

Features of dilution of specific varnishes

When diluting matte varnish or enamel with glitter, the question arises about what products can be used in this case. It is worth considering all suitable options.

How to dilute glitter polish

It is allowed to dilute varnish with glitter using both special thinners and folk remedies. They have no effect on the glitter. They do not change their color or fade.

Thinner for matte varnish

The matte version is no different from the glossy one. To restore it, it is allowed to use similar means. But it should be borne in mind that this coating is very capricious.

It is not recommended to experiment with it, so the choice should be made with special thinners.

Adding Clear Varnish

Secondly, if the varnish has thickened, you can add a little clear varnish to it, however, this method is not particularly long-lasting. When mixed, the colorless varnish attracts the coloring pigment from the colored one and fixes it on the nail. One such mixing is enough for one or two colorings, so you will have to use this method regularly.

Storage rules

It is not always possible to avoid problems with cosmetic products.

By following a number of simple recommendations, you can significantly extend its life:

Store in a place protected from direct sunlight.
Do not place the bottle in the refrigerator. Room temperature is considered optimal.
Before closing the cap, you need to saturate the contents of the bottle with oxygen. To do this, it will be enough to blow into it.
Clean the lid regularly. During operation, a dried mass accumulates on it, due to which a gap is formed, and air penetrates inside, which is why the product quickly thickens.
If cosmetics are rarely used, they should be shaken periodically.
Store the bottle only in an upright position.
Do not apply nail polish in front of an open window or in the cold.

How to dilute thick gel polish?

To prevent the gel polish from thickening, it should be stored in a dark and cool place, avoid contact of the product with sunlight

There are several ways to dilute gel polish:

Using alcohol. Regular medical alcohol is what you need to save gel polish. To begin, add a few drops of alcohol and mix it thoroughly with the varnish. If the product is not liquid enough, repeat the process.
You can also add gel polish remover. It will naturally prevent the polymerization process. However, this method will make the gel polish less durable; it will chip off the surface of the nail.
You can dilute the gel polish with the same color gel polish. Another way is to dilute the product with a top coat for manicure.

Thick gel polish