How long to dry gel polish

A beautiful woman is largely determined by a well-groomed manicure. With the advent of gel polish, it has become much easier to keep the coating more durable. Manicure with gel polish will be "worn" from two weeks, depending on the rate of growth of your own nail plate.

Some women of fashion manage to pass without chips and peeling up to one month.

A good manicure determines the correct application of gel polish with the obligatory use of a base top and fixer, high-quality materials used in the work, and, of course, adherence to the drying technology of the coating in a special lamp.

About how much gel polish should be dried in a lamp in order for the coating to please you for a long time, and will be discussed in this article.

As noted above, the peculiarity of the procedure lies in the special conditions for drying the coating in the lamp. To do this, use UV lamps, LED or combined type lamps.

Only such a process will take a lot of time, and the quality of the manicure will leave much to be desired - uneven drying in the fresh air will lead to peeling, swelling of the coating and staining of your natural nail.Therefore, it is better to use a special lamp - the good thing is that there is plenty to choose from.

The power of the lamp determines the drying time of the coating. Basically, manufacturers produce UV lamps with power from 9 to 54 W, LED devices with a range of 12-45 W and a hybrid with 36 W of power.

A UV lamp is perfect for drying shellac with a corresponding mark. In the LED model, it is customary to dry the product marked “LED”. The hybrid lamp is suitable for drying any gel polish.

For home use, you can purchase a UV lamp with a small output of 9 watts, the drying time in this case will take 6-10 minutes. For professional use, you will need a 36W UV machine that will dry your nails in 2 minutes. Lamps with a power of 48 W and above are intended exclusively for use in beauty salons by professional artists.

LED-equipment has a small size, which is very convenient, besides, unlike a UV lamp, it does not heat up during operation. Moreover, the service life of LED lamps reaches an average of 5 years, which is very economical in operation.

The main advantage of the UV device is its ability to dry any shellac, which the LED lamp cannot boast of.

A short drying time can be provided by a hybrid lamp - only 30 seconds. Such a device is suitable for drying absolutely any material: gel polish, colored LED coating, biogel.

It is worth noting that it is necessary to dry the gel polish correctly - if it is not dried out, the coating will be fragile and will quickly crack, peel off, in a word, it will become unusable. And most importantly - if you overdry the gel polish, then nothing will happen. The product just polymerizes and that's it. No metamorphosis will happen to him. Keep this in mind when creating your perfect manicure.

Sometimes in the work of a nail master or an amateur, unforeseen difficulties with the quality of the coating can occur - the gel polish bubbles, wrinkles, and gathers. Let's find out what to do in such cases and how to avoid them.

If you are confident in the quality of the gel polish itself, then the reason why it folds is due to insufficient polymerization of the coating.

Some, in particular, colored types of shellac have a denser and thicker consistency, as a result of which they require additional drying. When applying such gel polishes, carefully follow the application technology - dry each layer in a special lamp for the amount of time necessary for this particular model to completely dry the product.

A failed drying lamp can also lead to the fact that the gel polish does not dry out and is collected. In this case, it is necessary to replace the broken part or purchase a new lamp.

Often, novice masters may complain that the top layer is sticky. Do not immediately doubt the quality of the gel polish or the power of the lamp. The fact is that during drying, the hardened coating acquires the stickiness of the upper top layer.In this case, you just need to wipe the nail with a special tool (degreaser) to make the manicure complete.

In the case when, when erasing the sticky layer, the gel polish remains soft after drying, the matter is in poor-quality material or a thick layer of applied product. Often, a dent may even form at the point of contact. Such a damaged nail should be filed with a file, removing excess material, and a thinner layer of gel polish should be applied. Allow each layer to dry completely.

Another problem that can be encountered when working with shellac is burning of the nail plate. This trouble can occur for two reasons: thin, weakened, damaged nails under a layer of gel polish or too much product on the surface of the nail plate.

The fact is that during the transition of the gel from a liquid to a solid state, a lot of heat is released.

If the process is too intensive, then the nail can be significantly damaged. If you are a nail artist, in this case, exclamations such as “burns!” and "bake!" will accompany all your work.

Working only with high-quality materials, using a base coat and a substrate will help to avoid unpleasant moments when creating a manicure with gel polish. Don't forget to also change the lamps in the UV model regularly (every 3-6 months).

As noted above, gel polish that requires drying in a special lamp will not harden in air. But it is quite possible to make a beautiful and high-quality manicure on your own without a lamp.

The fact is that all gel polishes can be conditionally divided into light-sensitive, requiring curing in a lamp, and non-light-sensitive, which dry in air or in water.

The only difference is that the first ones do not harden without a special catalyst. A special creamy or liquid agent should be applied over the gel polish, only with its help the product will become solid.

To date, in stores you can find gel polishes that harden without a lamp and additional catalysts. It is enough to dip your nails in cold water for 8-10 minutes in order for the gel polish to harden.

The inscription on the bottle "NO-light gel" indicates that you have a product that does not require drying in a lamp. If there is no such inscription, then by default it means that a special UV drying lamp is simply necessary for the coating to harden.

For an independent manicure at home, it will be more convenient to distribute a small amount of non-photosensitive gel polish on the palette and apply it to the nail plate with a brush. So the layer of material will be as thin as possible. Then fix the product with a catalyst (it is more convenient to use a spray) or dip your hands into the water.

Replace gel polish by the similarity of the effect on the nails can be special varnishes with a vitreous coating. They do not require drying with a lamp, but the duration of wearing a manicure will not be so long.

And finally, I would like to note the sequence of stages of manicure with gel polish, the strict observance of which will make you the owner of a high-quality and super-wearable coating:

First, you should very carefully process the free edge of the nail, make it as smooth and free of dust as possible. Remove the top layer with a buff file.Especially this rule applies to nails after manicure with scissors or a cutter. Nails must be degreased and dried for at least 10 minutes, otherwise the coating will peel off.

Then you should apply the base shellac of your chosen shade. The main rule in this case is that the layer should be as thin as possible! Dry each layer in a curing lamp.

And finally, the last stage is the coating with a finishing gel. It will protect your shellac and give your nails a beautiful shine. It is also necessary to dry the final top well in the lamp. If the top coat, drying, forms a sticky film, then it should be removed with a special tool after complete drying.

Apply some cuticle oil to your cuticles. Your perfect manicure is ready!

For more information on how to choose a lamp for drying varnish, see the following video.