How to properly and how much time to dry the gel polish?

The times when only women with good income could afford lasting long-term coating on the nails are long behind. Now the gel coating of excellent quality can be created with your own hands without leaving home. A self-made manicure will save money and time.

The lamp for drying is a central tool when creating a manicure, requiring close attention when choosing and proper use. In manicure, three types of these devices are mainly used.

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 lifetime of fluorescent lamps.
2. LED (LED lamps) - just starting to gain popularity in manicure. Have a long service life. LEDs are built into the surface of the device. However, only certain gel polishes are dried.
3. Hybrid. Combine the properties of ultraviolet and LED lamps. Exceed other devices in service life. Accelerate the drying process several times. Absolutely safe for skin and nail plate. But such devices have a very high cost.

The fluorescent lamp CCFL is very rare. It has a cold cathode, which does not allow the device to heat up, which undoubtedly increases the service life. It has a maximum power of 1.5 times more than other lamps. Despite this, the nails are dried in it the same time as in other devices for drying.

Manufacturers of gel polishes always mark on the label in which lamp the coating should be dried. It is necessary to turn on UV or LED badges.

Deciding on the type of lamp is not enough. Each type of lamp has its own characteristics that need to be studied before the acquisition of technology. When buying, you need to pay attention to these specifications.

• Drying speed. This criterion depends entirely on the type of lamp. UV lamps are practical and versatile, but they take a long time to dry each coat. Drying in the LED-device and hybrid versions is much faster. The main difference is in the types of coatings with which you can work while using them.
• Power - The next factor affecting the drying time and quality of the coating. The more powerful the manicure technique, the faster the drying process. The cost of the device is directly proportional to its power. With an increase in power, so does the price. For UV lamps the minimum recommended power is 24 watts, for LEDs - 12 watts.
• Cost of - characteristic dependent on all technical properties. LED lamps are a bit more expensive than UV. Hybrid options are the most expensive. You should know that the high price is not always a guarantee of excellent quality. Many budget options are not inferior to expensive models. The main thing is to take into account the required power. For a home manicure, a miniature version of the LED-lamp is ideal.

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

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

The highest power UV lamp 48 watts. The optimal and versatile option - 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 will take up to five minutes per color layer.

The 35-watt LED-lamp dries the first layer in ten seconds, and the remaining coatings in twenty. A model with less power (from 18 to 24 watts) will cope in thirty seconds. This option in all its characteristics is ideal for home manicure. Models with a capacity 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 takes no more than a minute with maximum power.

Polymerization time in a hybrid machine depends on the characteristics of the coating. Such lamps are equipped with second and minute timers. 36 watt bulbs are best suited for home manicure.

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

For drying gel means without a lamp, one can say, improvised means are used.

• Baths with ice. Freeze and dry the gel coat. This option is considered the most appropriate, as it is safe and allows you to get a good result. However, it’s not comfortable for everyone to hold hands in icy water for about ten minutes.
• Cold remedy. A variation of the previous version. Before applying the bottle with the coating is placed in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes. The application of cold gel polish increases the drying time several times.
• Ordinary hair dryer. They need to dry the coating for thirty minutes. The air flow deforms the gel polish, it can shift and gather in waves, so this method is ideally smooth coating is unlikely to be obtained.

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

• Gel Catalysts - Innovation in the nail industry. The tool quickly dries all gel manicure products. There are three varieties that are available in the form of an ointment, spray or gel. When using this new product, it is important to apply the product smoothly. Otherwise, the coating will dry unevenly.
• Blue spectrum lamp Medical supplies - an exceptional option. Polymerization rate depends on the power of the device. Does not guarantee good quality.

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

The problem is when the gel coat collapses or shrinks, it is often found among professional craftsmen and amateurs. The causes of these troubles can be very diverse.

Most often blame insufficient power or incorrectly selected type of lamp. If you buy another, you may have the problem that the varnish for which it is intended, will be removed from sale. Before buying a new device, study the label of the gel coatings to know exactly what kind of lamp is needed.

Another common cause is obsolete light bulbs. Here the only way out is their replacement.

UV lamps are not able to dry a thick layer of coating. The opposite reason is a very thin layer, which is very easy to dry. Both the first and second options spoil the quality of manicure.

If the above options can be excluded, it is the quality of the products used. Perhaps it has expired or it is not original. Such funds are better to throw away. They may be hazardous to health.

The process of drying gel polish is simple and fast. Doing everything right, you can get the perfect manicure. Therefore, be sure to read the instructions attached to the gel means and devices for drying.

In the next video, see the review of the lamps for gel polish.