Gel nail polish, a beautiful nail polish that also stays on super long and shines for a very long time. This must be a wonderful product, or does it need to dry for hours? Most gel nail polishes need to be cured, not dried. This is why.
Normal gel nail polish consists of regular nail polish and UV gel. Because of this, you need UV rays to cure this nail polish. Without a UV lamp, you won't get much out of this type of gel nail polish. The curing time of gel nail polish depends on which step you are doing. The base coat, for example, needs to be under a UV lamp for 1 to 3 minutes; with LED light, that is 30 to 60 seconds. The color layer needs to be under the UV lamp for 2-4 minutes; with LED light, that is 30 to 60 seconds. The top coat needs to be under the UV lamp for about 5 minutes; with LED light, that is 30 to 60 seconds again. A lamp with UV lamps is less expensive than a lamp with LED lights. But for UV lamps, you have to buy new lamps at some point because they only have a certain number of burning hours. LED lights do not have this problem.
Gel nail polish without a lamp
There are also gel nail polishes that do not need a lamp. This nail polish dries by means of nanotechnology; the combination of photoinitiators and oligomers allows the polish to dry without a lamp. Gel nail polishes that do not need UV rays are more affordable because you do not need to purchase a lamp. It is also easier to remove by using acetone, for example. The only disadvantage is that it is slightly less durable than gel nail polishes that do need UV rays.
Tips
- It is important that you have everything you need at home, because gel nail polish that needs UV rays also has more steps than regular nail polish. What you need is: gel base coat, gel color, gel top coat, and for cleaning your nails, a cleaning agent and/or alcohol wipes. For preparing your nails yourself, you need nail clippers, a nail file, and a buffer to give your nails some texture without damaging them.
- It is important to take good care of your cuticles before you start painting. This makes the nail polish look much neater in the final result.
- Everything must be fully cured before you continue, so sometimes leave your nails under the UV lamps a little longer to be sure.
- After you are finished, your nails may look a little matte and sticky; you can easily fix this by cleaning them with some cleaning agent or an alcohol wipe. After that, they will immediately start to shine!
Want to know more about applying nail polish? Then read our other blogs: What is gel nail polish? Nail polish colors, What is a French manicure? How long does nail polish need to dry? Useful accessories for your manicure or pedicure. Painting nails. How do you remove nail polish from clothing? What is a manicure? How does nail polish work?
