When it comes to nail drying or curing, there are variety of nail polish dryer Machines, including LED & UV Lamps, Fans and Sprays. How do you go about choosing the best? What do user reviews say about the pros and cons of each of these drying machines? Read on to find out.
Why are Nail Polish Dryers Important?
Whether you paint your nails on your own (DIY) or get them done in a professional salon, nail polish dryers are very important as they save time and effort required to dry nails out. And you of course know that when nail polish doesn’t dry fast, you risk ruining it altogether and having to repeat the same process. Furthermore, nail dryers and lamps set the nail polish so it lasts longer on the nails, especially when combined with a base and a top coat.
Nevertheless, investing in a good nail polish dryer, lamp, or spray will save you both valuable time and will make your nail polish last longer as it sets and seals in the color.
Choosing the Best Nail Polish Dryer Machine-what to Consider
Many salons and even individuals at home resort in using nail polish dryer machines to speed up the drying process much faster than waiting for the nail polish to dry itself and they do work. However, not all nail polish dryers are created equal. When choosing a nail polish dryer consider the following so you don’t end up with a defective or inefficient unit that doesn’t cover your needs.
For simple nail polish drying, an ordinary fan-based nail polish dryer will do the work without costing much (typically dryers like this sell anywhere from $5-30). Some are battery operated while others are electricity operated and come with a plug. If you paint your nails frequently at home, a plug-in nail dryer would be the best option—if not, a battery operated unit would be more convenient and you can carry it anywhere you choose, at home, office, or when travelling.
For shellac nail polishes, gels, and acrylics, you will certainly need a LED or U.V lamp curing machine. These are little ovens that generate the right amount of light and heat to dry and cure the gel or acrylic polish in 1-2 minutes. These are found in all professional nail salons but you can buy yourself one for home use from online or offline sellers. These units are usually pricier than ordinary fan-based nail dryers and typically sell from $25-$100.
LED & UV Nail Dryer Lamps Reviews & Cancer Risks
What the UV lamps are and how they used?
LED & UV lamps are basically small lighting systems that generate either U.V or LED light and light heat to cure nail polish. They usually have built-in lamps on the sides and sometimes on top of the unit and when they are turned on, you place your nails inside (like you place the food in an open oven) to cure your gel/acrylic nail polish.
Once the gel is applied and the hands are inserted into machine for curing, the active U.V light rays interfere with some monomers and polymers found on the nail gel formula and they get set and cured. You can place either your fingers individually or one hand at a time as they don’t fit both hands.
LED vs UV Lamp Nail Dryers
LED and UV lamps are exactly the same though they work in a similar manner. Below are the differences.
- UV lamps can cure all types of gel polish while LED cures nail polishes that are specifically formulated for LED technology
- In terms of cost LED are more expensive. UV are pocket friendly
- UV takes more time to cure-about 2 minutes while LED takes only 30 seconds
- The bulb that come with LED need no replacement as they last the life of the lamp while UV lamps requires periodic bulb replacement
- In terms of efficiency, LED use less energy and are eco-friendly while UV use more energy
Pros and cons
Pros
- U.V lamps is that they are stronger and more efficient than fan-based drying machines and most professionals use these type of lamps to get better results faster.
- They are also electricity operated and if you are a professional or use gels/acrylics at home, you will have a constant power supply and you worry about replacing the batteries once they run out.
- There can be portable meaning that they occupy less space and you can use them anywhere.
- The LED are very fast…cure time can be up to 3 times faster.
- LED are environmental friendly.
- UV light can cure almost all nails.
Cons
- LED lamps have limited usage. You can only use them for LED compatible manicure
- LED lamps are costly.
- ..cancer risks etc. Although there are not many cons of using a U.V lamp there are some concerns that U.V light rays in general can cause cancer, although there are not any studies at present showing significant evidence for nail U.V lamps specifically. Since the power of U.V light and heat is relatively low, there are no big worries that they may cause cancer although some patients with pigmentation skin disorders or melisma history in their family, may avoid this.
Top UV Nail Dryer lamps Brands
Salon Sundry UV Nail Dryer
This a professional UV nail dryer created to cure UV and gel-based coatings. It will also work with any brand of UV nail polish.
It uses Dryer uses four, long-life, CFL (compact-fluorescent) UV bulbs that provide almost a year (8,000 hours) of service before any reduction in their power. The bulbs produce UVA light which is generally considered a safer alternative to UVB light
The unit arrives fully assembled and ready to use, just plug it in and turn it on. Features two timer presets for 120 sec and 180 sec sessions, sliding tray, large drying area
However, it does dry traditional nail polish and when used working on, the gel polish leaves a semi-tacky surface after application and should be cleaned off with alcohol to finish process
USpicy MACRON 36W Nail Dryer
It a portable manicure dryer best for DIY nail beauty. Can be used to cure a heavy coat on a fancy manicure or a final touch to a delicate pedicure. It works for Acrylic, Shellac and Gelish
Features
- Easy to use, just plug in and you are ready to go (portable)
- Powerful PL UVA bulbs cure your nails faster, safer and odorless
- Intelligent timer with 120-Sec, 180-Sec automatically times each session, so your manicure & pedicure process becomes easy and precise
- Packed with free UV protective gloves and nail file
- The all-in-one package is good for both home or salon use
- Built for multi-purposes to cure a variety of nail polishes and UV products
Other popular brands
- Vogue Professional ND362 UV Nail Lamp
- MelodySusie 36W UV Nail Lamp
- Salon Edge 36W Nail UV Lamp
- SHANY Gel UV Nail Lamp
- MelodySusie 54W UV Nail Lamp
- Benair 36W UV nail lamp
- Thermal Spa UV Nail Lamp
- CND’s Shellac 36W UV Lamp
- Royal Nails UV lamp
Top LED Nail Dryer lamps Brands
- MelodySusie 12w LED Nail Lamp
- Gelish 18G LED Nail Lamp
- OPI Studio LED Light
- Vogue Professional LED
2-in-1 : Both LED & UV
- MelodySusie Pro60w LED/UV Lamp
- Lumcrissy Professional Diamond Shaped CCFL & LED UV Nail Lamp
- Lumcrissy Professional Automatic Sensor Quikly Dry Diamond Shaped CCFL & LED UV Nail Lamp
- LKE 48W Nail Polish Gel Art Tools Professional CCFL LED UV Lamp
Nail Dryer Fans
How nail dryer fan works
A nail dryer fan works in a similar way to a hair dryer and uses mini fans to generate air so the nail polish dries up faster, without using any other heat or light sources, although there are some hybrid models that may combine both air and LED light power features.
Popular Brands of nail dryer fans
- Touch Beauty AS-0889 Air and light Nail Dryer. This is affordable hybrid air/fan and LED combo nail dryer that’s very easy to use both at salon and at home. It also sells for only $16 and it’s lightweight and battery-operated, making it ideal for carrying in on the go from one place to another.
- HDE Portable Manicure and Pedicure Dryer kit. If you want to have an all-around and convenient nail polish dryer that works on both hand and toe nails, this battery operated dryer is ideal and only costs less than 5.99.
- MelodySusie Portable Mini Cute Size Handy Nail Dryer/Mini Fan for Drying Nail Polish
- Perfect Life Ideas Nail Dryer with Fan
Professional, electric, portable, personal and cute. It is an air blower machine that dries gel, enamel, polish on natural, acrylic nails of kids, girls, women for salon spa nails
Pros and Cons
The main advantages of fan based nail dryers is that they are inexpensive, easy to use, and portable so you can carry them from one place to another. On the downside, they only work with regular nail polish and can’t cure or dry a gel or acrylic nail polish. Also if you use nail polish frequently and use them to dry your nails, you will eventually run out of batteries and will have to replace them.
Nail Polish Dryer Spray Reviews
How does nail drying spray work
Sprays are another alternative you could use to dry up your nails faster. They contain special chemical compounds that make the nail polish dry up faster. The only thing you’ll have to do is paint your nails with ordinary nail polish wait for a few seconds and then spray on top of the nail polish, usually 5-6 inches distance or as directed in the package, then wait for a few seconds or a minute until it has dried out completely.
Pros and Cons of dryer spray
The basic advantages of sprays is that they are very convenient and you don’t need any electricity or batteries to use them as their action is merely chemical. Plus, they are very cheap and easy to use. On the downside, many of these sprays are loaded with potentially toxic chemicals and they can start a fire if left in a strong heat source.
Brands
Some of the most sought and popular brands of spray dryers include;
Dement Nail Enamel Dryer.
This is a professional grade formula that can be used on both natural and artificial nails to make the dry faster. Some online reviewers also claimed that this prolonged the life of their nail polish to more than a week.
Opi Rapipdry Top Nail Coats.
A very popular nail drying spray that works similarly as a top coat with the added benefit of drying out nails faster.
Envi Nail Enamel Dryer Spray
It is quite an old product but basing on manicurists reviews it works and at least cheap. The results almost come close to those of DeMert. Good if you love retro and you paint nails once in a while.
Onyx nail drying spray
This a professional salon spray on nail dry. According to the creators, this spray comes with an Island coconut scent and a formula of its own that dries your nails quickly while preventing smearing of nail polish. The formula also helps to condition nails and cuticles
Other sprays include;
- Quick dry nail polish spray sally hansen
- Beauty secrets nail polish dryer
These dryers can be purchased from online stores like Walmart, Amazon, Target or from your local beauty stores
What is the Best Dryer?
Although nail dryers vary according to their function and result, the best dryer that cures all types of nail polish, gels and acrylics, is the Gellen Pro 36W LED Lamp Nail Dryer. It’s safer than U.V lamps and doesn’t generate any harmful substances or annoying noises.
Originally posted 2021-01-02 13:13:21.
