How can you dry gel polish without a lamp. Gel polish for nails at home without a lamp: what types of varnish are there and are they harmful? Cooling varnish in the refrigerator

Modern nail design is no longer imaginable without modern innovative gel polishes that have literally revolutionized the industry. Women got the opportunity to have a beautiful original nail coating with great durability. This gel polish lasts up to 3-4 weeks, but to use it you need to follow certain rules and recommendations.

High-quality gel polish after applying each layer requires drying for polymerization. With the help of a special UV or LED lamp, drying is almost instantaneous. But this acquisition is expensive, it is not always possible. In this case, the question arises: what other safe ways dry gel polish at home without a lamp and without loss of quality? Let us consider in detail whether it is possible to dry gel polishes without a lamp, whether they all require mandatory polymerization using a special lamp.

Gel polishes for nails

The term "shellac" usually refers to light-sensitive gel polishes. High Quality, which are polymerized (dried) using a special UV lamp - ultraviolet or LED lamp. You can, of course, dry your nails directly under the sun in the absence of a lamp, but this is a rather lengthy process.

But there is a group of gel polishes that do not require a special lamp for polymerization. Manufacturers have released several types of gel polishes (this includes 3 in 1 single-phase gel polishes) that can dry using other means. When choosing such a varnish, you should look for the term “No Light gel” (insensitive to light) on the label.

Curing without lamp

Advantages of drying gel polish without a lamp:

  • make nail design at home cheaper than in the salon;
  • gel varnishes, insensitive to light, are sold at affordable prices;
  • no need to purchase an expensive special lamp;
  • a simple procedure accessible to non-professionals;
  • saving time.

All means are good

There are several ways to quickly dry gel polish without a lamp, consider the main ones in descending order of efficiency:

  • ice water. Drying with plain water is suitable for gel polishes that are not sensitive to light. Dip your freshly coated hands in very cold water (you can put ice) for 15 minutes, the gel polish will harden. You can polymerize the coating by holding your hands in the freezer for 2-3 minutes;
  • cold cover. Hold the gel polish in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes and immediately apply to the nails, it will dry several times faster;
  • the catalyst (usually based on cyanoacrylate) may be in the form of an ointment, spray or gel. A couple of minutes after applying the varnish, drop one drop of the substance onto the nail plate and spread over the entire surface. The varnish will dry in 1-3 minutes;
  • olive oil. Apply two or three drops to the plate, spread over the entire surface and wait 5 minutes. Then rinse it off with a stream of cold running water;
  • sunlight - dry your fingers directly under the sun, this is a long drying;
  • the blue medical lamp can dry the gel polish, but the process is long;
  • regular hair dryer. The result will be if it is powerful enough and there is a cold air mode. Blow fingers with a fresh coating for 5 minutes with a powerful cold jet, gel polish should be single-layer. The method is long and the drying quality is low.

Video

What else?

In branded nail salons, craftsmen use special professional methods and means of drying gel polish without a lamp, they can also be purchased for home use in cosmetic stores, on the websites of online stores.

Let's note some of them:

  • special spray - usually a bottle of oily liquid. Fresh manicure must be completely sprayed with this composition and wait 5-10 minutes;
  • special oil for drying. Sold in the form of a bottle with a dropper. It is enough to apply a drop of oil on the nail plate, spread over the entire surface, after 5 minutes the coating will harden;
  • fan drying. This is a drying option with a special small fan, inside which fingers with “No Light gel” varnish are placed, and they are blown with air;
  • drying with clear varnish. Regular varnish is applied two minutes after applying colored gel polish. After 5 minutes, the coating will harden, this method increases the durability of the manicure.

Summing up

It is possible to dry gel polish quickly without a lamp, but is it possible to get perfect quality? Hardly. Good gel polish, shellac chemical composition requires exposure to a UV or LED lamp.

Every lover of beautiful nail design will have to choose: to purchase expensive equipment and forget about the problem of applying gel polish for three whole weeks, or choose another option - buy a gel polish that is insensitive to light and dry it in all available ways. At the same time, the quality is not guaranteed, the duration of the nail coating is reduced to about 5-7 days.

Modern women cannot boast of having free time, because they literally have every minute scheduled. There is a lot to be done, but we must not forget about our appearance. Well-groomed hands and an interesting manicure are the key to the beauty of the whole image.

Currently, devices have begun to appear that help save precious time. Drying for nails is a lifesaver for most busy ladies. Many have already discovered the charms of gel polish and its remarkable ability to dry quickly in a lamp. The question is how to behave regular varnish in a lamp?

First of all, you need to figure out what regular nail polish consists of and how it dries.

It includes components such as:

  • Pigments. They give it color.
  • Polymers. Brittle substances that form a shiny film. They are considered to be the basis of the varnish coating.
  • plasticizers. They are responsible for strength and elasticity.
  • Solvents. During the evaporation of these substances, the varnish dries.

In an ultraviolet lamp, as well as in LED, you can dry ordinary varnish, but no effect will occur. The drying speed of the varnish will not change, because in this process only the evaporation of the solvent plays a major role. The lamps will also not be able to fix and give it strength.

What happens if you dry a simple polish in a UV or LED gel polish dryer?

In order to dry the varnish, the ultraviolet lamp does not have enough infrared radiation, which is necessary to heat the surface. Ultraviolet destroys chemical bonds, which leads to clouding of the color.

Can a plain polish be topcoated and cured in UV or LED?

For the sake of saving time, the option of topcoating a regular varnish on top, followed by drying in a lamp, is the place to be. This option will last from 3 to 7 days.

Ways to quickly dry nails without a lamp

There are many tricks that you can resort to if you do not use gel polish and a lamp.

When you are in a hurry and need to dry freshly painted nails in a short time, several ways can help with this:

  • If you applied masks before a manicure, or used various cosmetics, then you definitely need to degrease the surface of the nail plates. moisten cotton pad in nail polish remover and rub it on each nail.
  • The minimum number of layers of varnish - the key to its rapid drying.
  • Sequins and rhinestones also make it difficult to dry quickly.
  • Light shades of varnish dry much faster than dark ones.
  • If one layer of varnish is not enough, then apply each layer at intervals of two to three minutes.
  • Leave the vial for twenty minutes in the refrigerator. Chilled varnish will dry faster.
  • Hairdryer or fan will give a good and quick effect in emergency nail drying.
  • Dip your painted nails into a bowl of ice water.
  • On a fresh manicure, drop a drop of vegetable or olive oil and then wash it off with water after a few minutes.
  • Hold your nails in the freezer for a few seconds. At this low temperature, the varnish will quickly harden.

REFERENCE! Do not forget that fresh varnish dries much faster than the old one. If you are late or in a hurry, then you should not use the old varnish.

You can also use special coatings that can speed up the drying of the varnish. The components that are part of such products will accelerate the evaporation of the solvent and after a couple of minutes you can observe the finished manicure.

In the event that you use only ordinary varnishes and do not plan to use gel polishes, then you can do without UV and LED lamps. Gel polish will not dry without the help of ultraviolet light, and ordinary polish will not dry faster and last longer, even if it stays in a lamp.

Modern tools allow you to make a beautiful and high-quality manicure even with your own hands, for this you just need to figure out how to use gel nail polish.

The company often determines the quality of the varnish.

And the quality of the gel polish used directly depends on:


Among the wide range of gel polishes, there are several brands that are recognized as the best professional nail service masters:


What tools are needed

Manicure with gel polish is performed using professional tools:

  • scissors for manicure;
  • cuticle tweezers;
  • nail files;
  • buff for processing the nail plate;
  • orange sticks;
  • UV or LED lamp.

Lamp for drying gel polish

Gel polish is completely polymerized under the influence of ultraviolet light, so a special device is required to dry it - an ultraviolet or LED lamp.


According to experts, for home use a compact UV lamp is quite enough: it copes well with its intended purpose, while taking up little space and has a minimal cost (about 500 rubles).

The only caveat is that it will take a lot of time to dry the nails - 2 minutes for each layer. For professional work, you need a lamp that allows you to quickly and efficiently dry the coating, in this case the best option is an LED lamp (price about 3000 rubles) or a 36 W UV lamp (price about 2000 rubles)

They quickly cope with their intended purpose, but they are much more expensive, and also require a separate place in the work area. The process of drying gel polish with a lamp is performed as follows: after covering the nails, the hand is completely immersed in the lamp (or one nail at a time), the timer is turned on (the time must be set according to the instructions in the materials used).

Additional materials

Performing a manicure with gel polishes requires the use of a special set of tools, which includes:

  • degreaser;
  • base and top coats;
  • directly gel polishes;
  • coating remover;
  • lint-free wipes;
  • decor (rhinestones, rubbing, stencils - optional).

How to prepare nails

Knowing how to use gel nail polish is not enough for a perfect manicure. The quality of preparation of nail plates for coating directly affects appearance and the "life" of the manicure.

It consists of several stages:

  1. Cleaning of nails (removal of the previous coating or varnish).
  2. Removal of the cuticle, adjustment of the length and shape of the nails with the help of a classic cuticle or European manicure.
  3. Treatment of nail plates with a buff (grinding file): it is necessary to remove the gloss for a more even distribution of the coating.
  4. Degreasing nails with a special substance or medical alcohol.

Technique for applying gel polish with drying in a lamp - step by step

When performing all subsequent steps, it is important to ensure that the nail plates do not come into contact with any other surfaces, because. getting on them even the smallest particles of fat, dust particles, etc. significantly spoil the appearance of the manicure and affect its durability.

  1. Base coat application: the entire nail plate, as well as its outer edge, is carefully covered with a thin layer of a transparent agent. The base is then dried under a UV lamp for 2 minutes.
  2. Applying gel polish of the desired shade. It may be necessary to apply one or more layers (depending on the thickness of the varnish and its color), each of which should be dried under the lamp for 2 minutes. It is very important to apply the product carefully, the excess varnish must be immediately removed with an orange stick (before the drying process).
  3. Top cover: the product gently covers the nails with a thick layer, “sealing” the sections. The top is also dried under a lamp for 2 minutes, the sticky layer is removed with a degreaser.

How to apply gel polish at home without a lamp

On sale you can find two types of gel polishes: photosensitive and not. The first of them harden exclusively under the influence of ultraviolet radiation.

Those insensitive to light harden after applying special catalysts; on the tube with this type of varnish there is a marking “No-light gel”.

Using a similar gel nail polish on your own is as simple as using a regular one. After pre-training nails are applied a uniform layer of varnish, and then covered with a catalyst. After that, the hands are dipped in cold water for 5 minutes, during which time the varnish should completely harden.

How to apply bright gel polish

Gel polishes of bright colors are recommended to be applied in two or more layers, this technique will provide the deepest and most saturated color. Professional masters usually apply 3 thin layers, each of which is thoroughly dried under a lamp.

How to do a French manicure with gel polish: instructions

For french manicure gel polish uses the following materials:

Nails are put in order by means of a regular hygienic manicure - they remove the previous coating or nail polish, get rid of the cuticle, adjust the length and shape of the nails.

Only after that you can proceed to the execution of the jacket:

  1. Soft buff removes shine from nails.
  2. Thoroughly wipe the nails with a degreaser.
  3. Cover the nails with a base, dry under the lamp.
  4. Apply natural color, hold hands for 120 seconds. under UV rays.
  5. Fix the stencils, paint the tips of the nails with white. Dry. If necessary, repeat the procedure again, then carefully remove the stencils.
  6. Cover the nails with a top. Dry 120 sec. under the lamp.
  7. A napkin with a degreaser gets rid of the sticky layer.

Mirror manicure with gel polish

Mirror manicure is one of the most stylish modern trends. To create such a design with your own hands, you can use two methods - apply gel polish of the appropriate metallic shade on your nails, or create a mirror surface using a special rub.

The second option looks the most impressive, it will require the following tools and materials:


They remove the old coating, perform a hygienic manicure - correct the length and shape of the nails, get rid of the cuticle:

  1. Then the nail plate is treated with a buff, it must be well aligned, otherwise the mirror coating will lie unevenly.
  2. Wipe the nail plates with a degreaser.
  3. Cover the nails with a base, dry under UV rays.
  4. Apply gel polish of the selected color, dry the layer.
  5. Apply an even layer of powder with a brush, then gently rub it with a sponge. Achieve even distribution. The excess is removed with an orange stick.
  6. Cover the nails with a top coat, dry under the lamp.

How to apply pearl powder

Pearl rub gives the nails an elegant, noble look thanks to a soft, warm, discreet shine and elegant shades.
The application of pearl powder on the nails is carried out according to the same principle as the mirror one: it is rubbed with a sponge on the dried gel polish, and then fixed with a top.

How to get the perfect coverage

It is recommended to follow professional recommendations when applying gel nail polish. How to use gel polish to make the coating perfect (looks aesthetically pleasing, hides flaws, lasts a long time), The following list of rules will help you understand:

  1. Quality training: careful removal of the cuticle and pterygium, adjustment of the length and shape with the obligatory removal of the exfoliated part, processing of the plates with a soft buff.
  2. Quality degreasing- the guarantor of resistant manicure.
  3. The base must be applied as accurately as possible it is important to avoid contact with the skin. In addition to the nail plate itself, it must also be applied to the end, this will ensure the durability of the manicure. Experts recommend drying the base coat in a lamp one nail at a time.
  4. The correct technique for applying gel polish will provide a beautiful even color and accuracy of manicure. You should draw a small amount of varnish with a brush, apply a wide stroke, stepping back from the base by 1 mm, in the direction from top to bottom, gently bring it to the bottom, then paint over the side parts. It is very important not to hook the skin around the nail, if this happens, you must immediately remove the excess with an orange stick.
  5. The top coat must be well dried.

How to make drawings on nails with gel polish

To perform drawings with gel polish, additional tools are required - brushes of various shapes and sizes, dots, stencils. The drawing is applied before the very last stage - applying the top coat, it also needs to be dried under the lamp. You can complement the manicure with original patterns or drawings at home, even with minimal drawing skills.

Several simple ideas:

  • bitmaps: performed with a special tool (dots), with dots you can draw “peas”, flowers, fantasy patterns and more. others;
  • geometric patterns from strips and various shapes is easy to perform using ordinary adhesive tape, it is enough to cut out blanks desired shape, stick on the nail, apply varnish on top, and then remove after drying;
  • special stencils allow you to decorate nails with the most complex, intricate patterns in a matter of minutes: the blank is glued to the nail, gel polish is applied and dried on top, the stencil is removed.

How to glue decorative elements on gel polish

Another easy way to make a manicure more spectacular and interesting is to complement it with decorative elements such as rhinestones, sparkles, stickers.

The sequence of manicure with gel polish using decor will be traditional. Decorations on the nails are attached after applying and drying the base color. If there is no adhesive base on the rhinestones, they are fixed in the desired position with tweezers and special glue. A top coat is applied and dried over the decorative elements.

How long will gel polish last

On average, such a coating stays on the nails for 10-14 days, depending on the quality of the materials and the performance of the manicure, from individual features nails, the nature of the work of their owner, this time can vary both in the direction of decrease and increase.

Application errors

The main mistakes when using gel polish for nails, spoiling both the appearance of a manicure, and affecting the duration of its wear:


Knowing such mistakes when using gel nail polish will allow you to quickly learn how to make a neat and long-lasting manicure at home, like a specialist.

Gel polish is an indispensable find for women who care about the beauty of their hands and nails. If until recently such a manicure was considered exclusively salon procedure Today, thanks to the availability of the necessary tools and tools, you can master it at home.

Video on the topic: how to apply gel polish on nails

Instruction. How to apply gel polish step by step:

3 fatal mistakes when applying gel polish:

We study the relationship of the lamp, gel polish and regular nail polish.

Gel polishes and lamps

Gel polish for nails is a hybrid of an insoluble gel for building and a varnish familiar to everyone. It is unique in its polymeric structure and the minimal amount of solvents responsible for the rapid drying of conventional varnish. On the one hand, this provides phenomenal durability, but on the other hand, it makes it impossible to dry gel polish without a special ultraviolet or LED lamp, the waves of which can cause changes in molecular compounds and increase their strength.

Without a special lamp, gel polish can be exposed to direct sunlight for several days, but never completely harden.

Therefore, if you decide to use gel polish at home, alas, you can’t do without a special lamp.

Gel polishes without lamp

Not so long ago, the so-called “gel polish without a lamp” began to appear on store windows, which caused bewilderment among many buyers. In fact, these are the same hybrids of gel and varnish, but in this case the gel component is minimal. In this combination, the varnish is able to dry in the air, but at the same time its durability and gloss increase. For the average consumer, “gel polishes without a lamp” are ordinary polishes that do not require any special equipment for application and drying.

Devices for drying conventional varnish

If the gel polish dries in a special lamp from 30 seconds to 2 minutes, then the drying of a regular polish takes many times longer. If you want ordinary varnish to dry faster, then there are special drying machines. They resemble a UV lamp, but instead of lamps, a fan is built in, blowing cool air around the nails. If you do not have such a device, you can use a hair dryer with a cold air setting. Most importantly, do not try to dry ordinary varnish in a UV lamp or with a hot hairdryer: heating will only soften the varnish and the drying process will stretch indefinitely.

And which option do you choose most often - regular or 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.


Nice 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 technology of drying 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.



Features of the procedure

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.


Theoretically possible to dry regular gel polish(unless it is a special non-light-sensitive product) and without a lamp, because the sun's rays also contain ultraviolet.

It will only take such a process a lot of time, and the quality of the manicure will leave much to be desired - uneven drying on fresh air will cause peeling, blistering of the coating and discoloration of its 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.


How much to keep

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.



In the LED model, you only need to hold your nails for 10-30 seconds - during this time the coating will have time to polymerize and become hard and durable.

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.


In many ways, the choice of a lamp depends on its purpose - for drying any shellac in the salon or a certain brand at home, as well as personal preferences.

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, 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.



Why is it folded

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.



The amount of gel should also be reduced with each coat for pigmented polishes to avoid a wrinkling film on the surface of the nail.

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 the 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.

To avoid this problem, it is necessary to apply gel polish in a thin layer, especially on damaged nails. In this case, the polymerization process will occur slowly and painlessly.

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).



How to dry at home

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.


Non-light sensitive shellacs are very similar to conventional varnishes.

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.