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While I can’t factually say that nail polish that is too thick and gets clumped isn’t the most annoying thing to happen to a person, I am pretty sure it’s up there somewhere. Luckily there are methods you can use to reduce your nail polish’s thickness. Here are three things you can do if your nail polish is too thick.
You can alternate between placing your nail polish in warm water and gently rolling the bottle between the palms of your hand to refresh the formula. You can apply a minimal amount of acetone and you can use nail polish thinners that are specified for the type of nail polish used.
I will detail ways on how to thin your nail polish as well as describe ways to avoid having to thin them if they become too thick. I have given recommendations for the types of nail polish thinners that can be used as well as outlined safer formulas of nail polish to avoid toxins from polishes and acetones. Lastly, I recommended nail polishes with thinner formulas.
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Things You Can Do If Your Nail Polish Is Too Thick
Imagine you had an occasion, your dress already chosen and well ironed, your hair perfectly done and your shoes nicely stacked waiting for the final hour to storm the party. However, your long beautiful and healthy nails need to be manicured. Alas, the nail polish you have always loved and cherished looks clumpy, sloppy, and has smudgy particles resulting in a texture that won’t smoothen on your nails.
Your next line of action and thought is to head straight to the trash bin. But wait! Before you do so, let’s take a peek as to why your nail polish is always clumpy and not free-flowing
Does Your Nail Polish Always Clump?
Almost all nail polish contains a polymer, the most common being nitrocellulose which is dissolved in a volatile solvent (can evaporate). This solvent could be ethyl acetate or butyl acetate. Each time you apply your nail polish to your nails the solvent evaporates.
In other words, anytime you open your nail polish bottle a significant portion of the solvent is lost leaving behind the polymer hence the thick and sloppy content you have in your bottle.
Gel-type nail polish is quite thicker than the regular nail polish allowing solvent like benzoyl peroxide to escape leaving behind in your bottle a clumpy residue.
Now, take a moment to read trusted ways in bringing your all-time favorite nail polishes back on board.
How To Make Nail Polish Soft Again
Use Warm Water
Submerge your nail polish in a bowl of hot water for a few minutes, rocking it intermittently until you have a consistent mixture. Take care not to vigorously shake the bottle as this can further clump the polish. To avoid burning yourself, use a towel to hold your nail polish bottle so you can give it some gentle shakes between warming periods.
At no point should you open the bottle as you run the risk of getting water or warm air inside. If that happens your nail polish will be ruined. That being said, ensure your nail polish is tightly sealed before starting this process.
Apply A Force Of Friction
Enclose the nail polish bottle between your palm and gently rub your palms, the heat generated from the friction will warm up the bottle allowing its content to become free-flowing. Note this might take a while (a few minutes) but eventually, your nail polish will be fully functional.
Simply Use Nail Polish Thinner
A few drops of a good brand of nail polish will revitalize your nail polish without hassles.
What Are Nail Polish Thinners
Nail polish thinners are chemical substances that you can add to your nail polish, making them more fluid, less clumpy, and free-flowing.
How To Make Your Nail Polish Free Flowing
Most nail polish thinners have the same composition as nail polish, hence when you use them, they basically replace constituents lost from your nail polish during usage. It would be best to use the nail polish thinner with an eyedropper as it will give you greater control over how much thinner gets into the nail polish. Squeeze two to three more drops in the nail polish and close tightly.
Next, you will take the bottle and place them between the palm of your hands where you will gently roll it. You will then have to test the consistency to ensure that it is applying a proper coat to your nail bed without clumping.
If you find that the nail polish is still thicker than your desired consistency, you can add another single drop. Repeat this process until the nail polish is at your desired consistency.
What You Must Consider Before Buying A Nail Polish Thinner
Know the constituent of your nail polish and compare it with the ingredient of your intended thinner, if the ingredients are similar then you did have a great mixture after use.
Difference Between Nail Polish Thinner And Nail Polish Dissolver Or Remover
A nail polish thinner like we established earlier will put your nail polish back to its original consistency whereas a nail polish dissolver or remover is meant to degrade the polish hence making it easy to come off surfaces like your nail bed. I made the horrid mistake of adding a nail polish dissolver to my nail polish. Adding it to the nail polish wasn’t the problem but I had added a little more than I intended.
My nail polish was never the same. I found I had to be applying more layers of the nail polish for it to set on my nails. But as you may know, adding too many layers of nail polish will cause the polish to start to clump on the nail plate.
Difference Between Regular And Gel Nail Polish Thinners
Between the two, nail polishes are more likely to thicken than gel nail polishes. This is because there is solvent present in nail polish that is at risk of being dried out which results in thickened nail polish. Gel however does not dry in this way.
In fact, gel nail polish doesn’t dry at all. Below I’ve explained how gel nail polish thinners work which is exactly how gel works. It hardens in response to UV rays, so there aren’t any solvents for it to dry.
You can in fact have gel nails on for hours. If you have not used UV light on them, they will not dry.
There are two types of polish thinners one for the regular polish and the other for gel type nail polish. Regular nail polish is made from nitrocellulose, a polymer, ethyl acetate, butyl acetate, sometimes acetone, and inorganic or organic pigment. This nail polish dries upon exposure to air.
Unlike regular nail polish, the gel nail polish thinners are made from methyl acrylate, a reactive moiety, and photoinitiators like benzoyl peroxide. The gel nail polish is thus photosensitive and requires UV light to harden up. I say all this to say, yes, your nail polish will get ruined if you try to use gel nail polish thinners in regular nail polish thinners and vice versa. As you can see their formulas are entirely different.
Best Nail Polish Thinners
Five of the best nail polish thinners that you will find are those that I have written below. I will give a bit of detail of each for you.
Le chat Gel Polish Thinner
Le chat Gel Polish Thinner is suitable for thinning out gel-type nail polish. It is specifically suitable for gel polishes that cure with light. I have used it on Shellac polish, and it works perfectly fine.
It is sold in an amber bottle to prevent interference of UV light from the sun and has a dropper. So, you want to keep it out of the sun upon purchase. It is quite expensive, so you want to be economical with it.
OPI Nail Lacquer Thinner
OPI Nail Lacquer Thinner (Ideal for vegan polishes) this thinner contains butyl acetate and ethyl acetate. It is your nail your perfect thinner for your vegan polish
Beauty Secrets Nail Thinner
Beauty secret nail thinner contains ethyl acetate, butyl acetate, and heptane. It is suitable for thinning a lot of regular nail polish ranging from Essie, Revlon, Deborah Lippmann, and Sally Hansen brands. It has a sprout that makes it easy to add the exact quantity you require.
Seche Restore
Seche Restore contains Toluene. It works best for thinning out regular nail polishes, it will also thin out gel polish however your gel polish might not be as glossy as it used to be, and the consistency won’t be perfect.
Super Nail Polish Thinner
Super Nail Polish Thinner contains acetone, which I mentioned earlier as a component of regular nail polish. It dissolves clumpy nail polishes; however, adding too much into your clogged bottle might leave your polish runny and watery. Of course, it is ineffective in thinning out Gel polishes.
Eight Simple Ways To Prevent Your Nail Polish From Becoming Thick
As the saying goes “prevention is better than cure”, below are eight ways to prevent your nail polish from becoming clumpy in the first place.
1. Don’t be tempted to store your nail polish in your bathroom or on your dresser table. Your dresser and bathroom actually experience a lot of temperature changes right throughout the day which is no good for the formula.
You might have thought it was a good idea when you placed it there and the air was a cool temperature but if left there it will experience temperature changes that will allow the formula to thicken. Rather keep them in a cool warm dark cupboard
2. Avoid shaking the nail polish vigorously, as this might introduce air bubbles which will lead to rapid decomposition of the various chemicals in the polish. Later in this list, I will describe how you can give your bottle a good shape without getting bubbles into it.
You also don’t want to have bubbles in your nail polish as it will make for a very uneven application on your nails. Its appearance will bring you back to the first time you ever tried polishing your nails yourself only to not finish with the smooth even layers you expected but clumped up paint that will not straighten no matter how many more layers you apply. Take it from me, it doesn’t work.
3. Always close the bottle between applications on each nail bed to prevent air from getting into the content. Also, ensure that the bottle is tightly closed as air can travel through the loosened grooves of the polish cover and enter into the nail polish. Nail polishes that are not closed tightly will experience the thread in the cover will loosen making it impossible for your nail polish to tighten again.
4. Envisage using up your nail polish between 28-24 months, as every product has a shelf life and by extension expiration date. This is why I tend to visit nail salons more than attempting to do my nails myself. Because seriously, how often are you going to paint your nails with that particular color that you’ll be able to finish it all in 28 months?
I personally don’t remember ever experiencing an empty nail polish bottle in my home. But maybe that’s just me. I know there are people out there who actually apply daily. Especially if, like me, you are prone to f