How to Fix Dried Nail Polish? – Best Methods to Restore Dried Nail Polish

Have you kept a nail polish out of reach for a few days and now you can’t use it as it’s dried out? Learn how to fix dried nail polish to make it reusable.

What can help to add more contrast to a gorgeous look than some dazzling nail polish?  If you love nail polish, you must’ve faced the frustration of ruining it as it tends to dry out after a while.

But did you know that there are ways to fix such a mess? Using a few products or methods can restore the dried out nail polish, and that way you can reuse it without any issue.

How to Fix Dried Nail Polish

Let’s check out some of the best methods on how to fix dried nail polish that might save your gorgeous nail polish from getting ruined.

how to fix dried nail polish
how to fix dried nail polish

(1) Using Acetone

Acetone is probably the #1 remedy that you can use to loosen up a dried off nail polish. For that, you’d need to get a good quality pure acetone from the market. Take a bowl or a container that’s made of glass pour a few drops of acetone there.

Now, you’d have to mix a few drops of orange oil with the acetone. It’s best to go for a 1:1 ratio for the best results. Once you are done, take the brush that’s inside the nail polish and soak it in the solution.

Swish it around until you see the clumps of nail polish getting off of the brush. Sometimes, you’d have to use a paper towel to remove the clumps, as it’s pretty tricky to get off completely when it’s loose.

As the brush is clean and well soaked with the acetone and orange oil solution, it’s time to put it back inside the nail polish bottle. Now all you have to do is to give it a good shake. That’ll spread the solution inside the nail polish to loosen it up.

This is undoubtedly one of the most effective methods to restore a dried out nail polish, and you’ve got to try it out.

(2) Roll the Bottle Using Your Palm

This is a classic method that doesn’t require any tools or ingredients, which is amazing. You just need to have your dried off nail polish bottle and your palms. 

To get the trick done, place the bottle upside down in your hand and start rolling it. That motion will cause the nail polish to redistribute properly and get flowing the way you want. It’s a very simple trick to roll the bottle back and forth in your palms, but it’s pretty effective in some cases.

It works best if the nail polish is slightly thickened, and that’s why you should not expect a guaranteed result out of this method. But it’s certainly a great one to try before you try anything else.

(3) Nail Polish Thinner

Another great method to restore your dried out nail polish is to use a nail polish thinner. You can find it in most of the beauty stores as it’s pretty common. However, once you’ve got it, you are ready to start the process.

Open the bottle of your nail polish and add a drop of nail polish thinner there. Then, close it off and roll it between your hands as we mentioned in the previous segment. That’ll help distribute the thinner thought the bottle and get your job done.

If a single drop is not enough, you can always add more and repeat the process of rolling it with your palms. However, you definitely don’t want to get too many drops inside there as it can make the nail polish too thin and unusable. Go for one drop at a time until you are satisfied with the results.

This is a great method that’ll make your nail polish as good as new in no time. So, make sure to get a good quality nail polish thinner and try this method out.

(4) Nail Polish Remover

You probably know that nail polish remover contains a certain amount of acetone, and it’s actually a great remedy to fix dried out nail polish.

For that, you’d need to get a nail polish remover and an eyedropper. With the eyedropper, start putting drops of nail polish remover on the bottle until you see it loosen up. A few drops will do the trick in most cases.

It’s a great alternative if you don’t have access to pure acetone, and it works perfectly as well. So, be sure to give it a try if you want to loosen up a dried off nail polish.

Keep the Nail Polish from Drying Out

“Prevention is better than cure.” that quote is especially suitable when you are dealing with your gorgeous nail polishes. Let’s check out how you can keep your nail polish from drying out in the first place.

  • Store your nail polishes properly; in a dry and cold place, out of direct sunlight reach. That’ll increase the durability of it by a lot.
  • You can think of the freezer as a good dry and cold place to keep your nail polish inside. But that will dry it out even quicker. So, never put nail polishes inside the refrigerator if you want it to last longer.
  • Throw your nail polishes away after using them for like 2 years or so. These are probably short on the expiry date, and you don’t want to waste your time trying to loosen it up with all the methods.

To Wrap Up

These were some easy and effective methods on how to fix dried nail polish that you can use. As some of the ingredients are strong chemicals, you always need to be very careful with these. 

Also, be sure to follow the instructions properly, and if you are below 18, you should ask your parents to help you out with that.

Finally, if one method doesn’t work, that might mean the combination is not working. In that case, just use another one, and hopefully, it’ll do the trick for you.

Writer: Shyran Khan Joy

Leave a Comment

4 × 1 =