Almost everyone does it: vigorously shaking the nail polish that hasn’t been used for a while before painting their nails. But that’s exactly what you shouldn’t do! In fact, there are some cases where it can actually do more harm than good! We’ll explain why you shouldn’t shake nail polish before use, but what to do instead.
Should you shake your nail polish when you haven’t used it in a while?
When you haven’t used the nail polish for a while, different layers of it settle in the bottle. When you then shake the nail polish, the oxygen from the top gets into the color and creates air bubbles in the polish. These then become visible in the form of unevenness and small bubbles when painting your nails, which will make your manicure look uneven and streaky. It also increases the chances of clumping or running when you apply it. So while shaking might seem like a logical thing to do when using any type of paint product (including nail polishes), it’s best avoided unless absolutely necessary.
By the way: the same thing happens when you repeatedly pump the brush into the bottle while painting your nails.
So what should we be doing instead?
The key here is gentle mixing: simply roll the bottle between your palms for 10–15 seconds until everything appears evenly mixed throughout without creating too much foam or bubbles at its surface level. This method ensures that no air gets trapped in between layers as well as prevents any potential messes from occurring during application time – bonus points for being less messy overall, right?!
Are you supposed to shake gel nail polish?
When applying gel nail polish, it’s crucial to remember that its formula and consistency are highly specific, so shaking before use is a must. Not shaking the polish before use can be a significant mistake in the application process, specifically for the color coat, not the base or top coats. If you skip shaking the color gel polish, it may settle unevenly in the bottle, making it challenging to apply it evenly on the nail surface.
Shaking the gel polish is essential as it helps it settle and thicken. Failure to do so may result in an uneven layer on your nails or separation of the product in the bottle, making it too thin to apply correctly. Therefore, it’s important to shake the polish well each time you give yourself a manicure to ensure it sits correctly on your nails. To shake properly, hold onto either side of the cap with one hand while using your other hand to rotate back-and-forth at least 10 times (more if needed). Generally speaking, it’s recommended that when shaking a bottle of gel nail polish, one should do so for at least one minute. This ensures that all pigments and ingredients are evenly dispersed within the formula.