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Nail polish: that grand liquid that coats your nails to really bring out your beauty! It has been around for quite a while and for some, it is a work of art! However, after applying polish, many of us found that our nail polish still did not dry after a few hours and got smudges, easily damaging the nail’s look. Now you may wonder how that could happen, or if something like that already happened to you, then you may be fond of the solution. Yes, getting smudged nail polish after waiting for hours is common, and this can happen for many reasons.
In this article, I’ll try to explain why nail polish gets smudged after drying for hours, the reasons behind it, how to fix the smudged nail polish, and how to avoid getting smudged nail polish. You just have to follow the suggestions and enjoy your beautiful, polished nails.
The Main 7 Reasons Behind Getting Smudges Nail Polish Hours Later
Nail polish can get smudged an hour later for many reasons. Here are the main reasons behind you getting smudged nail polishes:
1. Choosing Wrong Nail Polish
Regular nail polish is way too thick to air-dry on your nails. But if choose any other different nail polish and air dry them, then it’s obvious that they won’t get dry and get smudges after hours later. So, whenever you are trying to apply nail polish use regular polish for air drying, and for other polishes do the ice cold bath or the UV light to dry the polish perfectly on your nails. In this way, they won’t get smudged after hours later.
2. Too Thick Layer
A thick layer contains a thick layer of polish on your nails and also takes a lot of time to dry if you air dry them, So, if you want to air dry them you have to apply a thin layer or put the polished nails under a UV light to make them dry quickly. In this way, you’ll be able to get a smudge-free nail polish.
3. Too Old Polish
If you have to polish your nails with your too old polish then there is also a chance of getting smudged nail polish hours later. Too old nail polish sometimes loses its adhesive to dry the polish on your nails and also becomes so thick that applying that on nails becomes so hard.
4. Expire Nail Polish
Sometimes we also have some of our expired nail polish on our nails and the result of that polishing came out so bad. If the nail polish has already expired that means that the adhesive the color quality and the thickness of the nail polish are not in good condition. So, if you manage to apply that on your nails then it’s common that you are going to get smudged polish an hour later. Because the adhesive is not going to cling to the polish on your nails. So, before applying nail polish must check if the polish is still useable or not.
5. Too Many Coats
Too many coats also make it hard for the polish to dry on your nails. Because sometimes we use too much coat on our nails to get the desired dark color on our nails. That makes the polish too thick on our nail and take a long time to dry on our nails. So, while polishing your nails make sure to not use too many coats on your nails.
6. Oily Nails
Using nail polish on oily nails also makes it hard for the polish to dry up. The oily surface on your nails makes the polish adhesive weak so that it can’t dry on your nails perfectly.
7. Excessive Heat and Steam
Excessive heat and steam can also make the polish smudged. The Polish contains ingredients that stay solid in the cool weather, but if you try to get a hot bath or steam session then your polish can easily melt for its formulation. So, if you don’t want to get smudged nail polish then avoiding warmness and steam is the best part for yourself.
These are the main reasons that can make your nail polish smudged hours later. So, if you don’t want any smudges on your nail polish then avoiding these activities is a must for you.
How to Fix Your Smudges Nail Polish?
If your nail polish gets smudged and you want to fix that smudge again then you can fix that in three ways. I’ll try to explain all the 3 ways to make it comfortable and easier for you.
Fix Your Still Wet Smudges Nail Polish
If your nail polish is still wet and you have to fix the smudges, then follow the full process described below very sincerely and enjoy your beautiful-looking polished nails.
- Apply a nail polish remover to your smudged nail polish.
- Remember, you just have to apply it to soften the nail polish, not remove the polish from your nails.
- Take the nail polish you have chosen to apply.
- Apply that nail polish to your nails again, and make sure to apply it properly.
- Dry the polish perfectly to avoid any smudges.
- If you are using regular polish, then put your polished nail under ice-cold water. It will harden your nail polish so quickly.
- For drying other nail polish with a thick coat, put your nail under the UV lights to make your nail dry quickly.
- Enjoy your fixed nail polish.
Fix Your Dry Smudges Nail Polish
If your smudged nail polish has dried, you have to fix it to restore your nail’s beauty. Then follow the below process and get back the beauty of your nail.
- If your nail polish is smudged and dry on your nails, then the first thing you have to do is soften the polish.
- Apply nail polish remover or acetone to your smudged dry polish nail to soften it.
- After the polish has become soft, apply the polish again.
- Make sure that the polish has dried on your nail and is not going to get smudged hours later.
- If you want to art on your polish, then art on your polished nails and enjoy your beautiful-looking polished nails.
Fix Your Smudges Nail Polish Again
If the smudge condition of your nails is very serious and not fixable, then you have to fix your nail polish again by removing the smudge polish. To fix your smudged nail polish again, you have to:
- Remove all the polish from your nails with the help of nail polish remover or acetone.
- Get back your cleaned nail plate.
- Apply the base coat, nail polish, and top coat.
- Make sure they dry, and enjoy your newly polished nails.
How to Apply Nail Polish Properly to Avoid Getting Smudged Nail Polish – Step-By-Step Guidelines
To make sure your nails are looking beautiful and apply nail polish without any smudges, you have to get your proper nail polish done. To get your nail polish properly, you have to:
- Step 1. Clean Your Nails: The first thing you have to do is clean your nails properly. To clean your nails, take a nail polish remover or nail cleanser and remove all the dirt and extra oil from your nails. This will help the polish attach to your nail perfectly.
- Step 2. Shape Your Nail: Secondly, you have to shape your nails. You can get your desired nail shape to get your desired look for nails. You have to use a good-quality buffer or filter to shape your nail. Remember not to buff or file too much. It can harm your natural nails.
- Step 3. Push Back Cuticles: In step 3, you have to push back your nail cuticle to make your nail plate visible. To make your nail palate visible, take a cuticle pusher and push the cuticles of your nails backward. You also have to cut the extra cuticles if you got that after pushing back your nail cuticles.
- Step 4: Apply Base Coat: Apply a strong base coat to your nails to protect them from any kind of damage, and also make sure that you have applied that properly to your nails. Wait until the base coat dries on your nails properly before skipping to the next part.
- Step 5: Color-polish your nail: Choose the color of your nail polish and apply that chosen color of nail polish to your nails. Apply them properly to get smooth nail polish. If you use regular polish, then put your nails under ice-cold water, and if you use gel polish or any other nail polish, then you must put your nails under a UV or LED light to dry the polish quickly. Make sure that your colored nail polish is dry before going to the next part.
- Step 6: Apply Top Coat: After applying the colored nail polish to your nails and making sure that they are dry, you have to apply a top coat to your colored polish nail to protect your color from any damage. Applying a top coat to your nails will give them a smooth surface with a shine and will also protect them from any kind of damage.
If you can follow all the steps and make sure that your polish is dry, then you can get beautiful-colored nails without getting smudges on them. But to keep them longer on your nails, remember to avoid activities that can give you smudges of nail polish hours later.
FAQs
To get smudge-free nail polish, you must apply it properly and let it dry. Proper drying makes the polish stay longer, and you have to avoid activities that can harm your nail polish and make it smudge. In this way, you will be able to get smudge-free nail polish hours later.
In general, if you want to air dry your nail polish, it will take around 20 minutes to dry. If you put them in ice bath water, then it can take 3-5 minutes. But if you want to dry your nail polish with the help of a UV or LED light lamp, then one polish of nail polish will take 2 minutes to dry on your nails. So, you have to choose in which way you want to dry your nails to avoid getting smudged nails.
To make sure that your nail polish is not going to smudge, you have to dry it properly, and after drying it, tap your finger on it very lightly. After tapping your nail on the nail polish, if you see that your fingerprint is on the polish, then dry the polish properly because soft and wet polish can get smudged easily. Also, you must avoid activities that can smudge your nail polish after drying to avoid getting smudged polished nails.
Final Thoughts
Your nail polish smudging hours later can be attributed to many different things, mostly it has to do with the application of the nail polish itself. Try to apply the polish sincerely and also dry them properly to avoid this kind of situation. But if unexpectedly it happens, you can also fix your smudged nail polish. By fixing your smudge nail polish, you can enjoy your beautiful-looking polished nails.
Key Points
- Applying nail polish properly and getting nails hours later is possible.
- Smudge nail polish can happen for many reasons, like too old nail polish, too thick a layer of polish, expired nail polish, or others.
- To avoid getting smudged nails, you must get the best quality nail polish and try to apply it properly to your nails.
- You also have to make sure that your polish is dry properly and that you are avoiding activities that can give you smudged nail polish.
