Do you ever notice that your nail polish is too gloopy and not as fluid as it used to be? If this is the case, you need to thin out nail polish!
There are a few ways to thin it out, some more efficient than others. Here is some advice on thinning out your nail polish.
1) Using Nail Polish Thinner
One of the most common ways to thin out nail polish is to use nail polish thinners. It’s very simple; you just pour a little bit of it into the bottle and shake well.
However, there are a few downsides to thinning out your nail polish with thinners. For instance, thinners often contain acetone which can affect the formula of your nail polish, making it more thin and less glossy. Also, thinners won’t do much with glitter polishes or texture polishes. However thinners are very simple to use, so it’s still a common way of thinning out nail polish.
2) Using Base Coat or Top Coat
You can thin out nail polish by adding a few drops of base coat or top coat. This way you thin nail polish without thinning it out too much, thinning it out just enough to make the consistency right.

3) Use Hot Water
Submerge your bottle of dry nail polish in a basin filled with hot water. Allow the bottle to soak for around 5 minutes in the water. Next, roll the bottle back and forth between your palms to shake out the polish.
The bottle is made of glass, it can become extremely hot. The polish might not reach the desired consistency if this occurs. The technique also aids in the removal of a hard-to-open nail polish bottle cap.
4) Use Acetone or Nail Polish Remover
This method is only useful for thin out nail polish as a last resort if you want to finish up the final drops before tossing the bottle. Thinning your polish with a few drops and mixing the container will help, but it won’t provide long-term effects. The acetone in a gel nail polish remover will degrade the formulation and destroy your nail polish. If you’ve gotten this far, it’s probably time to say goodbye to your old shade of nail polish.
How to Avoid Your Nail Polish Becoming Goopy
- Keep your bottles upright to keep them from drying out at the neck. If you store them upside down or on their side, the liquid will clump in the formula and dry at the bottle’s neck.
- Before replacing the cap, clean the neck of your nail polish bottle with a cotton ball soaked in acetone.
- When not in use, keep the lid off. One of the most common reasons for the thickening of your polish is that it’s left open for too long.
- Place your nail polish in a cool, dry location that maintains a constant temperature.
- Avoid keeping your polish within proximity to a heating source or in full sunshine.
- Keeping your nail polish in the bathroom is a bad idea since the temperature varies frequently there.
Passionate about the artistry of nails and dedicated to enhancing the beauty of hands, I am Elina Yael, a skilled Nail Tech and Manicurist based in the vibrant city of New Orleans. With a strong foundation of knowledge acquired from the prestigious AVEDA Art and Science Institute, I bring a unique blend of creativity, precision, and expertise to every client.