QuestionHello, Im curious about UV nail dryers. Im looking for one to just help dry nail polish, not to cure gel products. For best results do you always need to use a UV top coat with it? Or will it work just the same without one? Ive gone to a "corner shop" just a few times to have them painted. They use a normal OPI base and top coat (unless they are filling the bottles with something else). Then they put me under the UV lamp. Within 5 mins they are dry! Whats the trick? What works best? Know of any good dryers to purchase? Ive looked at Creative's UV Pro Finish Lamp. That seems to atleast give me the most information on the internet. Id love to stay under 200. And I believe the OPI dryer can only be purchased with the OPI Gel Kit.
AnswerPolish dries by evaporation of solvents. The main factor in the efficiency of a drying lamp for non-uv specific formulas is the heat that the lightbulbs put off.
So theoretically you should get satisfactory results from an ordinary 60 watt incandescent lightbulb as well.
I would give that a try first and see if you experience similar results as you do with the UV lamp at the salon. No sense spending the money on something you don't really need.
If you find that the UV lamp works better, than I think the Pro Finish lamp would work well for just drying polish.
There are several UV lamps available that should work fine, and you should be able to find one for less than $100.
In my experience in the salon, I have found that the number one thing about a UV dryer that makes them effective, is that it forces clients to keep still for 5 minutes! This almost always allows a quality, fast-dry topcoat enough time to dry enough to avoid utter disaster upon leaving the salon. Add the heat from the lamps to that time and you have a winning combination!
