Can regular varnish be dried in a UV lamp or not? Comparison of opinions

Every girl has a question: can you dry regular nail polish in a UV lamp or not?
After all, sometimes you really want your manicure to take as little time as possible, and not have to wait half an hour, or even an hour, until the polish dries completely. But a UV lamp will not help you with this, since its rays cannot affect the varnish. It is designed for drying gel, and it has a completely different composition. If you have already bought such a lamp, then you should abandon your usual nail polish and switch to other materials. If you don’t want to do this, then it’s worth considering a few clever ways that will help you get a manicure much faster.

Preparation

Can regular varnish be dried in a UV lamp or not? You already know the answer to this question, so now it's important to pay attention to other points. The fact is that sometimes the polish takes too long to dry because you applied it incorrectly and made mistakes when preparing your nails. If you do everything according to the instructions, then you won’t have to spend too much time on a manicure. You will need to do the following things:

• Carefully remove old nail polish. You need to do it really, really well, so that nothing remains of the previous manicure;
• File the length and give the nails the desired shape;
• Go over your nails with a special file for polishing to make the nail plate as smooth and even as possible;
• Wash your hands with soap and dry very well;
• Degrease your nails with alcohol or nail polish remover.

It is also worth considering that some things should never be done before applying nail polish:

• Apply rich cream to your hands. If you want to treat your skin with cream, then you need to do this after the manicure is done;
• Use cuticle oil. This oil is very greasy, if you apply varnish on top of it, it will not adhere well and take a long time to dry;
• Apply new varnish to the old one. Firstly, the manicure will be uneven. Secondly, the varnish will dry several times longer;
• The varnish is applied only to a dry nail plate. You shouldn't do a manicure immediately after getting out of the shower.

If you follow all these simple rules, you can get rid of many of the problems that you had to face before.

Fan drying

To make the nail painting process more enjoyable, you should acquire one very interesting device. In specialized stores you can buy mini fans that are designed specifically for drying varnish. This device is very simple, it is powered from an outlet or from batteries.

Most often, such fans are designed for only one hand, but in stores you can find devices in which you can dry two at once. This little thing is inexpensive, so your costs will be minimal.

Ultraviolet nail drying

UV radiation is produced by fluorescent lamps. Dryers of this type have power in the range of 9-54 W. The higher the indicator, the faster the gel polish polymerizes. On average, drying takes 2-3 minutes. Most popular model:

A similar lamp for drying nails is produced by the Harizma brand. It is intended for professional use. Model Description:

Sprays

Modern technologies do not stand still; more and more new things are being invented to make life easier. For example, you can purchase a special nail polish drying spray. It all seems like something fantastic, but such a thing really exists. First, colored varnish is applied to the nails, and then a spray is applied as a fixative. It is completely transparent, so it can be used for any manicure.

After just 5 minutes, the varnish will be completely dry, and you don’t have to worry about its safety. This spray contains various moisturizing components that have a positive effect on the skin of the hands. But this product doesn’t add durability to your manicure, so you don’t need to place high hopes on it.

Varnish drying

There is another way to quickly dry nail polish at home and also fix your manicure. To do this, you will need a varnish dryer, which in appearance is no different from ordinary transparent varnish. Using this interesting invention is very simple:

• To begin with, apply colored varnish in one or two layers;
• After the varnish has hardened a little (after a couple of minutes), drying is applied. This is done very carefully, since the layer should be very thin;
• You just need to wait five minutes and you can enjoy a beautiful manicure.

This drying increases the wear life of the varnish and gives it a glossy shine. To purchase, you don’t have to wander through a large number of stores, since drying is sold in the same place where colored varnishes are sold.

Gel polishes

If you want to get a very durable manicure that will last for several weeks, then you should pay attention to gel polishes. To dry them, you just need a UV lamp. In order to apply this polish, you will need a little more time than a regular manicure, but the end result will be much better. First of all, you need to prepare all the materials that will be required for further work:

• Base coat. It must be applied to the nails before applying color coating;
• Colored varnish;
• Finish coating. It is necessary for the manicure to last as long as possible. This is also a mandatory step that cannot be avoided; Nail file;
• Nail degreasing agent;
• Ultraviolet lamp.

After you have purchased all the tools and materials, you can start applying gel to your nails:

• Polish the nail plate using a special file;
• Treat the cuticle;
• Degrease each nail. This must be done very carefully;
• Apply the base coat in a thin and even layer, then dry it in a lamp according to the instructions;
• Apply colored varnish and also dry it;
• The last stage is the finishing coat, which is also dried using a UV lamp.

If everything is done correctly, then you can not think about a manicure for about three weeks, since the gel polish does not peel off or crack.

My nail polish dryers

I've been looking for the perfect nail polish dryer for a long time.
Very soon there were several bottles of this product in my nail polish cosmetic bag. And still, I can’t choose just one irreplaceable one, since I use each of them depending on the texture of the varnish or whether I have free time. I always use a varnish dryer, even if the varnish dries perfectly on its own. Drying adds extra shine and protects the coating from scratches, which is very important to me. I definitely want to note that I always apply two layers of base and two layers of varnish, so it turns out to be four layers. All the characters in this post were applied to a four-layer coating. ORLY Sec'n Dry

This dryer was purchased at the dawn of my delicacy, and at that time I was satisfied with absolutely everything. The brush of this dryer is the same as that of the varnishes of this brand - thin and long. It is applied in a thin layer due to its liquid consistency. Does not leave stripes or grooves on the surface of the varnish, and does not pull the varnish along with it. Sec n Dry also gives a good gloss to the coating. It can also slightly smooth out imperfections if they were present during the application of colored varnish. Dries completely in 30-40 minutes. I’ll say right away that for me, complete drying of the polish is when you can safely button up your jeans without fear of ruining your manicure. Most often I use this dryer for cream-textured varnishes and jelly-like ones. If I'm not in a hurry, I can use it.

Rating: 4 Price: 250 rubles

Mavala Mavadry Seche Le Vernis

This drying is applied in a thin layer. The consistency is liquid and very easy to apply. The brush is thin and long. Just like the previous one, it does not leave stripes or grooves on the surface of the varnish. The varnish dries completely in 15-20 minutes. Gives gloss. Smoothes out minor unevenness in the varnish coating. I apply this drying agent to cream polishes.

Rating: 5 Price: 480 rubles

INM Out The Door

The famous drying, which is probably familiar to all food lovers. I thought for a long time about buying this dryer, because... there is none in my city. Ultimately, I decided that I definitely had to have it. After the first test of this dryer, I was very pleased. Easy to apply and spread, the brush is comfortable. The consistency is liquid. Gives gloss to the coating. Does not leave brush marks on the surface of the varnish and does not bubble. Drying creates a perfectly even coating and evens out small flaws made during the application of colored varnish. I apply this drying agent to creams. Drying does its job in 10-15 minutes and saves me when I need to quickly paint my nails and go somewhere, or do swatches immediately after painting.

Rating: 5 Price: 350 rubles

El Corazon Quick Dry Top Coat

The consistency of the dryer is very thin. If you put more on the brush, you can flood the cuticle. The brush is flat and wide. When I used it for the first time, out of habit, I began to apply drying immediately after varnish, which was absolutely forbidden to do. The brush began to pull the polish behind it, leaving bald spots on the surface of the polish. Next time I waited 5-7 minutes for the varnish to “set” a little and began to apply drying. The coating turned out even, the brush did not leave any marks this time. The varnish completely dried in 30 minutes.

Rating: 4- Price: 200 rubles

Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat

The consistency of this dryer is initially thick. It lays on the nails in a thick layer, but spreads easily. The brush is comfortable - thin. Five minutes after applying this dryer, I can do whatever I want without worrying about my manicure. The gloss is very good. The only significant drawback is that sometimes it can pull off the polish near the cuticle, making the manicure imperfect, because the semicircle near the cuticle turns out to be wavy. But this does not always happen and not with all varnishes. These are the miracles. When the drying level dropped to half the bottle, it thickened greatly, and I decided to “revive” it with varnish thinner. After dilution, the product did not lose any of its magical properties, and I also noticed that the tightening of the varnish at the cuticle disappeared. Drying has become manageable and now suits me 100%. I apply this dryer to glitter and it makes them just shine.

Rating: 4 Price: 350 rubles

Poshe Super-fast Drying Topcoat

The consistency of the dryer is average. Goes on a little thinner than Seche Vite. The brush is wide, long, does not leave any marks on the surface of the varnish and does not spoil the coating. This dryer does not remove polish from the tips of the nails or the cuticles. The varnish dries in about 10-15 minutes. Drying evens out small flaws made during the application of colored varnish. Poshe coating is like glass. I apply it to any varnish texture.

Rating: 5 Price: ~400 rubles

Eva Mosaic Gloss Shine

This product is declared by the manufacturer as a top coat to give a mirror shine, and only in small print on the bottle there is an inscription that with this top the manicure dries faster. I often saw rave reviews about this product, but could never find it on sale. I found it quite recently and decided to try it out. The product is of medium consistency, the brush is wide, very comfortable, does not spoil the coating with stripes and does not pull the varnish along with it. Drying does not strip the varnish and gives a dazzling shine. Complete drying occurs in 10 minutes. I apply it to any varnish texture.

Rating: 5 Price: 110 rubles

I am also attaching a general photo of the brushes.

From left to right, top row: Eva Mosaic Gloss Shine, INM Out The Door, Poshe Super-fast Drying Topcoat, Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat. Bottom row: El Corazon Quick Dry Top Coat, Mavala Mavadry Seche Le Vernis, ORLY Sec`n Dry.

Thank you for your attention!

Increase

Traditional methods

There are a few more tricks that will help dry the varnish faster without using special tools:

• The painted nails are placed in a bowl of very cold water for five minutes. This way the varnish dries much faster;
• Place your painted nails under a stream of cold air, such as an air conditioner. The effect will be the same as that of a mini fan;
• Vegetable oil is sometimes used for drying. Freshly painted nails are lowered into them. The advantage of this method is that the nails and skin receive additional hydration.

Of course, in any case, special means will be the most effective, but they are not always available. But now you know the answer to the question whether you can dry regular varnish in a UV lamp or not. That this device is absolutely useless in this case, and you need to use other tricks, of which, by the way, there are quite a lot. Now you will no longer have problems with drying the varnish.

Types of lamps for manicure

• classic UV lamps . Many people think that this type of drying is becoming obsolete. Indeed, they are bulky, take longer to dry the varnish than other, more modern devices, and the light bulbs need to be changed on average once every six months. However, they also have advantages: such dryers are “omnivorous” (they polymerize extension gels, gel polishes, acrylics), are affordable and easy to care for. They are still good for beginners and home manicurists.
• LED dryers operate using LEDs. Such lamps ensure uniform polymerization. In addition, the LEDs have a service life of 50,000 hours and are designed to last at least 5 years. However, the emission spectrum of such lamps does not allow drying all types of materials. They are ideal for those artists who work only with gel polish and biogel.
• LED+UV combines the advantages of the first two devices. This solution ensures fast and high-quality polymerization of any coatings for shellac and nail extensions. But you need to remember that the UV elements in hybrid devices also need to be replaced frequently, otherwise the drying efficiency may decrease.
• CCFL+LED . In them, the LED elements are supplemented with a CCFL spiral tube that emits ultraviolet light. It is filled with gas, so it does not heat up, consumes very little electricity and practically does not wear out over time. Such devices are the most advanced, providing quick and effective drying of nails without requiring replacement of consumables. But they are also the most expensive.