Best Nail Dryer of 2024

With all this continuous moving around, solving issues, working, meeting deadlines, one barely finds time for self-care. It is essential for an individual to have a moment for himself in order to keep the right pace and a positive mindset though. 

For women, pretty nails are a boost of self-confidence, beauty, and proof of proper hygiene. But maintaining well-polished claws can be a real ordeal sometimes, with all the smudges, unwittingly colored clothes, and denting caused by the slow drying process. 

That being said, here is a buying guide that will give you important insight into the main characteristics of a good nail dryer and on the utility of such products.

So, whether you are a professional nail technician or you just prefer to do your nails at home, by yourself, you are definitely going to need a quick nail dryer. 

There are many benefits to using a professional nail dryer. For instance, consider the time spent waiting for the polish to dry itself. Now that’s a good reason to give up painting your nails for good. Kidding.

A professional dryer will significantly reduce the time spent in drying your nails to less than ten minutes, which is a big win for you.

A professional nail dryer is not just a whim for a manicurist working in a professional salon, it is rather a must. One could never get to handle so many clients on a daily basis without the appropriate equipment. Also, how satisfied would clients be if they would have to wait for hours to get a manicure or/ and  pedicure done? We thought so.

Also, using a nail dryer prevents smearing or smudging, or any other accidents that could damage your manicure. In exchange, you will look fresh for days, even weeks.

Before we go into detail, let’s narrow down the types of nail dryers available on the market.

Types of Nail Dryers Available On The Market

Manual nail dryers are a perfect option for those who want a quick solution without making use of electricity or any gadget whatsoever. Whether it’s an OPI nail dryer spray or an oil-based treatment, with a few drops applied over the nail polish and only after two minutes of waiting for the solution to dry you are ready to go. Keep in mind though that topcoat may peel off after a while, they do not have the same long-term efficiency as lamps.

LED Lamps are the most notorious and the most expensive on the market. They are perfect for gel and semi-permanent manicure. Yet, LED lamps do not cure all types of gel polish brands though, so keep that in mind before making the purchase.

Basically, this LED nail dryer gives you the right amount of heat to dry your freshly painted nails. Given the low-intensity illumination, it is completely safe to use; plus, in about 30 seconds you are all set. 

With a five-month lifespan and cheaper than LED lamps, UV Lamps are considered top-performing. They can cure any type of semi-permanent and gel manicure. UV lamps are mostly used by professionals in beauty salons, but that doesn’t mean that you cannot invest in one yourself as a non-professional. 

A UV lamp uses electricity, just like LED lamps, and fixes your manicure in one minute max. Yes, you read that right. In such a short time, you are good to go. 

Given the brief exposure, UV lamps are safe to use. Not by kids, though.

As you can imagine – and if you cannot, then we’ll tell you – this is the bomb. The best combination. The ultimate LED + UV lamp is the best professional option for nail technicians. It is best equipped, as it is a combo of the best two products on the market. The fact that it adds the best features makes the product the most expensive, but for a salon, it pays off. Given its complexity and its efficiency, it is much more powerful, it can go up to 240 voltage, and a three-timer for your choice – 30, 60, or 90 seconds. 

It is lighter than a UV lamp, easy to clean, is packed with an automated sensor, and can dry from UV gel to UV topcoat, LED nail gel, UV builder gel. It is not used for regular polish though.

This professional solution does not require LED nor UV, it is completely air-based. It uses warm and cool air drying for hands and feet, but keep in mind that it is recommended for regular nail polish only. So, you are a gel or semi-permanent fan, you should stick to LED or UV. 

Air nail dryers are completely safe to use around children, are equipped with a ventilation hole to keep them from overheating, and require two to three minutes to dry your regular manicure.

So, we can agree that all types of nail dryers carry out pretty much the same role, but there are some technical differences that one should know before making a decision. Here are the main features to consider before buying your perfect nail dryer:

First of all, you should decide if you want a portable air dryer or not. Or both. Because they come in different shapes and sizes. For the most practical or on the run, topcoat can be easily packed in your luggage and you can take them with you anywhere – when you are ready to leave for holidays, when you’ve packed for a conference abroad, or when you simply don’t have enough room for another gadget inside your house. Remember, though, those only work for a regular manicure.

Most of the LED lamps, UV lamps, and mostly air nail dryers are much bigger and require much more room. Also, they are harder to carry, even though their features make them more professional and more effective long-term. Those are perfect for home or salon use. 

Still, if you want semi-perm or gel, there is a mid-way solution: some producers have created small LED lamps that can be transported with ease and that occupy less room than usual ones. Of course, you can opt for both on-the-go and static solutions just to be sure.

Some LED lamps come packed with temporizers, 30 LEDs, up to 48W of power; some UV lamps have mirrors on the inside ensuring a smooth dryness of the nails and can get to 36W of power. 

LED lamps take less time to dry nail polish than UV lamps, while topcoat and air nail dryers take even more. 

While regular nail dryers are much more affordable than lamps, they can only be used for regular nail polish. So, if you are not into gel or semi-perm, then any of the two will do.

Led lamps and UV lamps are compatible with gel and semi-permanent manicure. Each of them has some extras that add up to their price, but if you are willing to make an investment, we can assure you both are worth it.

Lamps can be set to start automatically as soon as you put your hand inside the gadget. Regular manicure fixed manually requires more time and more attention instead. Still, both options are time-reducing and have their advantages that make them a good fit for your needs. Which one is better though? You decide.

Gone are the days when one had to sit motionless for more than 30 minutes, hands stretched, with wool between the toes, to prevent manicure and pedicure chipping. And gone are the days when one had to stay away from the shower, calculate thin layers of polish to apply, wait for each layer to dry thoroughly, and so on.

The whole process would disable one for quite a while and in these times when we are constantly on the move, we cannot allow ourselves so much time spent in such a trivial process of drying our nails. It is not only time-consuming, but it is also frustrating. 

Hopefully, this guide has helped you get rid of any concerns and will assist you in deciding upon your best nail dryer. From now on, you can enjoy so many different manicure styles without worrying about the whole process.