How to dry gel polish correctly and how long?

The times when only women with good income could afford a long-lasting long-lasting nail polish are long gone. Now you can create a gel coating of excellent quality with your own hands without leaving your home. Doing your own manicure will save you money and time.

A curing lamp is a central tool in manicure design, requiring close attention to selection and proper use. There are mainly three types of these devices used in manicure.

1. Ultraviolet (UV lamps) - the most common option. Versatile, they can be used to dry gel polish and other coatings for nails. The disadvantage is the relatively short service life of fluorescent lamps.
2. LED (LED lamps) - are just beginning to gain popularity in the manicure business. They have a long service life. LEDs are built into the surface of the device. However, only certain gel polishes are dried.
3. Hybrid. Combines the properties of UV and LED lamps. Outperforms other devices in terms of service life. They speed up the drying process several times. Absolutely safe for the skin and nail plate. But such devices are very expensive.

A CCFL fluorescent lamp is very rare. It has a cold cathode, which prevents the device from heating up, which undoubtedly increases the service life. Has a maximum power 1.5 times more than other lamps. Despite this, nails dry in it for the same time as in other drying devices.

Manufacturers of gel polishes always mark on the label in which lamp the coating should be dried.It is imperative to pay attention to the UV or LED icons.

Determining the type of lamp is not enough. Each type of lamp has its own characteristics, which require study even before purchasing equipment. When buying, you need to pay attention to these technical characteristics.

• Drying speed. This criterion depends entirely on the type of lamp. UV lamps are practical and versatile, but take a long time to dry for each coat. Drying in LED and hybrid versions is much faster. The main difference is in the types of coatings that you can work with when using them.
• Power - the next factor influencing the drying time and the quality of the coating. The more powerful the manicure technique, the faster the drying process takes place. The cost of the device is directly proportional to its power. As the capacity increases, so does the price. For UV lamps, the minimum recommended power is 24 watts, for LED - 12 watts.
• Price - characteristic depending on all technical properties. LED lamps are slightly more expensive than UV. Hybrid options are the most expensive. You should be aware that a high price is not always a guarantee of excellent quality. Many budget options are in no way inferior to expensive models. The main thing is to take into account the required power. A miniature LED lamp is ideal for home manicure.

• The size manicure technique also affects the convenience and drying time. On the modern market, you can find devices that allow you to dry your entire hand at once. But even miniature counterparts do an excellent job of this, albeit for a longer time. It's all about the number of lamps or LEDs that fit in the device. The larger the device is, the greater the number of light elements. Usually UV lamps are of standard sizes, only the number of lamps changes. There are super small options designed to dry just one finger. It is better to use them for chiseled repairs than for manicure of all fingers. Otherwise, the procedure time will increase tenfold.
• Life time. LED lamps will last at least two years, but UV devices are more durable in use. Manufacturers guarantee 100,000 hours of use. However, the lamps must be replaced every six months, regardless of the frequency of use.
• Design - a characteristic that does not in any way affect the quality characteristics of the devices.

Any nuance mentioned above will affect the drying time of the gel coat. But it is worth remembering that each layer has individual requirements for polymerization time.

The highest power of the UV lamp is 48 watts. The optimal and versatile option is 36 watts. This lamp is suitable for both home and salon manicure. It will dry the base coat in one minute. Color and finish - for two.

A 24 watt lamp will increase the cure time by one minute. A 9-watt one will take up to five minutes for one color coat.

A 35-watt LED lamp dries the first layer in ten seconds, and the rest of the coatings in twenty. A model with a lower power (from 18 to 24 watts) will cope in thirty seconds. In all its characteristics, this option is ideal for home manicure. Models with a power of 9 watts or less will require up to one minute for color and topcoat.

Biogel is dried in a UV lamp for three minutes, in LED this tool needs no more than a minute with maximum power.

The polymerization time in the hybrid apparatus depends on the characteristics of the coating. Such lamps are equipped with both second and minute timers. 36 Watt lamps are best suited for home manicure.

For emergencies, when an urgent need to fix a damaged coating, and the lamp is not at hand, there are alternative ways to dry gel varnishes. Such experiments can be tried out of interest. But you need to immediately tune in to the low quality of the manicure.

For drying gel products without a lamp, one might say, improvised means.

• Ice baths. Freeze and dry the gel coat. This option is considered the most suitable, as it is safe and allows you to get good results. However, not everyone is comfortable keeping their hands in ice water for about ten minutes.
• Cold remedy. A variation of the previous option. Place the coated bottle in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes before applying. The application of cold gel polish increases the drying time several times.
• Ordinary hair dryer. They need to dry the coating within thirty minutes. The air flow deforms the gel polish, it can be displaced and collected in waves, so this method is unlikely to get a perfectly even coating.

• Sun UV rays. The result will keep you waiting for more than an hour.

• Gel Coating Catalysts - innovation in the manicure industry. It dries quickly all gel manicure products. There are three varieties that come in the form of an ointment, spray, or gel. When using this new product, it is important to apply the product evenly. Otherwise, the coating will not dry evenly.
• Blue spectrum lamp medical purposes is an exceptional option. The polymerization rate depends on the power of the device. Does not guarantee good quality.

None of these methods guarantee the quality of the manicure that is obtained with the lamp.

The problem where the gel coat curls or shrinks is common among professional craftsmen and hobbyists alike. The reasons for these troubles can be very varied.

Most often, insufficient power or an incorrectly selected type of lamp is to blame. If you buy another, there may be a problem that the varnish for which it is intended is removed from sale. Before purchasing a new fixture, read the gel coat label to know exactly what type of lamp you need.

Another common cause is outdated light bulbs. Here the only way out is to replace them.

UV lamps are unable to dry out thick coatings. The opposite reason is a very thin layer, which is very easy to dry out. Both the first and second options spoil the quality of the manicure.

If the above options can be excluded, it is a matter of the quality of the products used. Perhaps its expiration date has expired or it is not original. It is better to throw away such funds. They can be hazardous to health.

The drying process for gel polish is quick and easy. By doing everything right, you can get the perfect manicure. Therefore, be sure to read the instructions that come with your gels and dryers.

In the next video, see an overview of gel polish lamps.