# Why oh why does my nail polish become glutinous?!?! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 11, 2002, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-oh-why-does-my-nail-polish-become-glutinous/113389 "2002-06-11T04:09:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2002, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-oh-why-does-my-nail-polish-become-glutinous/113389/1 "2002-06-11T04:09:47Z")
Every freekin’ bottle of the blasted stuff!! Even the expensive stuff that’s $14 a bottle!! I keep it in a cool place! I don’t put it in direct sunlight! I try to water it down with remover! I do everything I possibly can to appease the nail polish gods and yet **STILL - Gook in the bottle!** **BAH!!** That’s it - I’m cutting my nails! :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Hanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b3f665/32.png) [@Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanna)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2002, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-oh-why-does-my-nail-polish-become-glutinous/113389/2 "2002-06-11T04:14:41Z")
I keep mine in the fridge. It still goes icky, but it takes longer. ---
**Author:** ![LolaCocaCola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7cd45c/32.png) [@LolaCocaCola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LolaCocaCola)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2002, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-oh-why-does-my-nail-polish-become-glutinous/113389/3 "2002-06-11T04:19:56Z")
Just add a drop or two of nail polish remover in the nail polish bottle, screw the lid on, shake bottle and voile! Good as new! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![dreamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@dreamer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dreamer)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2002, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-oh-why-does-my-nail-polish-become-glutinous/113389/4 "2002-06-11T04:22:02Z")
I use this clear nail polish with a touch of glitter in it (I’m not a fan of colored nail polish) and it’s always smooth and never gooky. It’s a cheap kind too, made by Wet N’ Wild. Anyway, just thought I’d pass that on to ya’ :). ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2002, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-oh-why-does-my-nail-polish-become-glutinous/113389/5 "2002-06-11T04:40:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by LolaCocaCola \* > \*\*Just add a drop or two of nail polish remover in the nail polish bottle, screw the lid on, shake bottle and voile! > \*\* See, but I find when I do that the gloss isn’t quite as glossy. The shine isn’t quite as shiney. The glitter isn’t quite as glittery. :mad: I think I’m just destened to be dissapointed with my nail polish. And the thing that really picks my butt, is OPI. It’s the **WORST OFFENDER** and it’s supposed to be professional! Ha! If it’s professional, I’ll **EAT MY HAT!** ::_grumble, grumble, stupid nail polish, grumble, grumble_:: ---
**Author:** ![iconoplast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3d9bf3/32.png) [@iconoplast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iconoplast)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2002, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-oh-why-does-my-nail-polish-become-glutinous/113389/6 "2002-06-11T04:48:20Z")
Rubbing alcohol works to thin it back out as well, and doesn’t cut down very much on the shine. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2002, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-oh-why-does-my-nail-polish-become-glutinous/113389/7 "2002-06-11T04:58:08Z")
Interestingly, I’ve had the most success with Avon and Wet 'n Wild - probably the cheapest nail polishes you can buy. I think Wet 'n Wild is $0.99 per bottle. (Where the heck is my cents sign on this blasted key board?) ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2002, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-oh-why-does-my-nail-polish-become-glutinous/113389/8 "2002-06-11T13:21:42Z")
Do _not_ buy Urban Decay polishes then. They turn gooky after **one** use. How gooky? The polish was so thick, that when I used it the second time, I had to put a thick blob on my nail and sort of push it around to spread it on the nail. By the time it finally dried (14 hours!), each nail had about a hundred tiny bubbles in it. :mad: I wrote to the company, and they sent me two new ones (thinking it was a fluke). Nope, the others are just as bad. Actually, it _does_ seem that the more expensive the polish is, the glumpier it gets. I have Wet ‘n’ Wild polishes that are about 8 years old and they’re perfectly fine. Then I have an OPI that’s only 8 months old and it’s already getting glumpy. **alice** , do you live near a Sally’s Beauty Supply? They apparently sell nail polish _thinner_. It’s somehow different than remover (if you use remover, the polish will break down a bit more quickly). I haven’t bought it myself, but I know several people who have, and they give it rave reviews. And if you need to have shiney-shine, glittery-glitter et al, then use Sally Hansen’s Mega Shine. It costs about $6 for a bottle, but it’s manna for nails. It dries in two minutes to a perfectly smooth finish that gleams like water. I’m on my 4th bottle. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2002, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-oh-why-does-my-nail-polish-become-glutinous/113389/9 "2002-06-11T14:18:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by zweisamkeit \* > \*\*And if you need to have shiney-shine, glittery-glitter et al, then use Sally Hansen’s Mega Shine. It costs about $6 for a bottle, but it’s manna for nails. It dries in two minutes to a perfectly smooth finish that gleams like water. I’m on my 4th bottle. \*\* Humm - this I will try. I’m afraid I’m SOL on the Sally’s though - I don’t think they have them in Canada. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Skerri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Skerri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skerri)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2002, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-oh-why-does-my-nail-polish-become-glutinous/113389/10 "2002-06-11T14:32:11Z")
Ya see, I recall reading somewhere (no cite, though) that if you put nail polish remover in your nail polish, it will end up making it gunk up. I think I read this in Cosmo, which may not be the best source, but I think it was one of those “Cheap Girl’s Guides to Making Make-up Last because We’re too Snooty to Buy a 99 Cent Bottle of Nail Polish”. They’ve always got someone saying “I just spent $250 on a tube of lipstick, and it broke! What do I do?” If you can afford to spend $250 on a tube of lipstick, or moisturizer, or eye shadow, then you can afford to have someone take care of it for you. (Whew! I really didn’t mean to rant in your thread like that! Sorry!) You should be able to find nail polish thinner at any beauty supply store. If you can’t find a beauty store, call the local cosmetology school. If they can’t sell it to you, they should be able to tell you where to find it. ---
**Author:** ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2002, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-oh-why-does-my-nail-polish-become-glutinous/113389/11 "2002-06-11T15:34:45Z")
alice, sally hansen also makes this rocking top-coat stuff that dries polish uberfast and makes it ubershiny and stronger. If you can’t find any, I’ll mail you some. Gladly. I find that bottles of nail polish are too big. They get gloopy before I can use them up. I like those “petites” bottles. Cheap and small. ---
**Author:** ![EchoKitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@EchoKitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EchoKitty)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2002, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-oh-why-does-my-nail-polish-become-glutinous/113389/12 "2002-06-11T15:52:06Z")
My girlfriend holds a bic lighter under the bottle for a few seconds. I know it’s probably dangerous, but she says it works. Me? I just keep buying more friggin’ nail polish. I’m also on the Avon stuff right now. It isn’t cheap anymore, and it doesn’t hold up well. I’m truly bummed. OPI is no better. It’s a racket, I tell ya! ---
**Author:** ![Sue\_Duhnym](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@Sue\_Duhnym](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sue_Duhnym)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2002, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-oh-why-does-my-nail-polish-become-glutinous/113389/13 "2002-06-11T18:20:28Z")
Are you using any of those “jet dry” or “express finish” polishes? I find that those dry out in the time it takes me to paint five fingers. ---
**Author:** ![Angua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@Angua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angua)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2002, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-oh-why-does-my-nail-polish-become-glutinous/113389/14 "2002-06-11T19:18:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sue Duhnym \* > \*\*Are you using any of those “jet dry” or “express finish” polishes? I find that those dry out in the time it takes me to paint five fingers. \*\* Yeah, they really do - I bought one bottle of it when I was in the States 2 years ago, and its gunk now. Conversely, bottles of normal, cheaper nail varnish I bought about three years ago, are still fine. Perhaps its better to keep them in warm places rather than cold ones? ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2002, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-oh-why-does-my-nail-polish-become-glutinous/113389/15 "2002-06-11T22:15:24Z")
So - cheap is better. “Jet Dry” or “Express” are bad. And alcohol rather than remover is good for thining them out. I think I really **WILL** cut my nails! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![medstar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f07891/32.png) [@medstar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/medstar)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2002, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-oh-why-does-my-nail-polish-become-glutinous/113389/16 "2002-06-12T01:02:20Z")
Another tip is to make sure the threads of the bottle and the cap are clean of all nail polish. You might want to wipe on a small amount of vaseline to the threads of the bottle. The cap should screw on very tightly so that no oxygen can seep in and ruin the polish. Also, the cap and bottle should unscrew very easily after that. ---
**Author:** ![Forbin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5e9695/32.png) [@Forbin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Forbin)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2002, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-oh-why-does-my-nail-polish-become-glutinous/113389/17 "2002-06-12T05:46:08Z")
It’s hard to believe I’m doing this… For twenty two years I’ve been a cabinetmaker, and my job has included spraying nitrocellulose laquer. A preliminary search on google revealed that fingernail polish is made with nitrocellulose laquer. Sooooooo, here goes. **medstar** has good advice concerning sealing the bottles. Try that. She has it wrong about oxygen infiltrating _in_ though, because the problem is caused by solvents evaporating _out_. **EchoKitty** Tell your friend nitrocellulose is a powerfull explosive, also called “guncotton”. I can see why her idea works, and small bottles probably put her at minimal risk, but I know a guy (paint industry manufacturer) who told me a story of exploding nitrocellulose at of all places, a nailpolish company. **alice** The polish becomes dull because the remover is so volitile that the polish dries too quickly. Find out if a retarder is available for nail polish, and use the recommended amount. For furniture I use Isobutyl Isobutyrate, but this is likely impractical for you ladies. if you could get it though, the smallest part of a drop of this stuff could be used to dope the reliquified (by way of remover) nailpolish, and you would likely get the shine back. Short summary: **medstar’s** advice is the best. Thus I conclude the world’s weirdest post. Even I’m shaking my head. :rolleyes: @ myself Oh, and hi **Sue Duhnym**. ---
**Author:** ![Forbin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5e9695/32.png) [@Forbin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Forbin)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2002, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-oh-why-does-my-nail-polish-become-glutinous/113389/18 "2002-06-12T05:52:24Z")
BTW Lots of stuff on the web about how dangerous fingernail polish is. It contains some really volitile solvents. But as a guy, I confess; I like girls with lipstick/dresses/nail polish etc. So sue me. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![galen\_ubal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galen_ubal/32/4440_2.png) [@galen\_ubal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galen_ubal)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2002, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-oh-why-does-my-nail-polish-become-glutinous/113389/19 "2002-06-12T06:25:12Z")
Hmmm…they’re making gloss acrylics for plastic models now…nontoxic, thin with water…I wonder how well that’d work? ---
**Author:** ![Leonora](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7bcc69/32.png) [@Leonora](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leonora)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2002, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-oh-why-does-my-nail-polish-become-glutinous/113389/20 "2002-06-12T06:46:55Z")
ok. I’ve learned something new here today (tonight, same same). But I haven’t had any of these problems. I’m also notorious for buying nail polish. I’ve close to 40 bottles in varying shades of blues, burgundys and bronzes. No clotting or anything. I keep mine in an old wine box (used to hold 2 bottles of wine) at normal room temp (or whatever the heat/ac is set at). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-oh-why-does-my-nail-polish-become-glutinous/113389.md?page=2)