Does anyone know how to thin out nail polish that’s gone gloopy and stringy?
I’ve got a couple of shades I really don’t want to toss, but they’ve turned into this syrupy mess that won’t glide on smoothly anymore.
I’ve heard some people add a drop of water to fix it, but I’m a little nervous to try that without checking first. Would polish thinner work better? Any tips would be appreciated.
Don’t add water. It won’t mix with the solvents in nail polish and can ruin the formula. Get an actual nail polish thinner. Skip acetone and remover too, they break down the polish and mess with the finish or how long it lasts.
What I do: 2-3 drops of thinner, cap on tight, then roll the bottle between my palms instead of shaking it (shaking makes bubbles). Let it sit a few minutes and test one coat. If it’s still stringy, add another drop or two. Adding more is easy, fixing polish that’s gone too thin is not.
I used to shake mine like a cocktail and then wonder why my first coat came out full of tiny craters.
One thing to add on the ‘let it sit’ step. The thinner formulas blend better if I roll the bottle, walk off and do something else, then come back and roll it again before testing. The really gloopy ones need that second pass or you end up with a stringy patch stuck to the bottom of the bottle. Not every polish needs it though, just the stubborn ones.