Painting your nails can be fun and ignite your creativity. It is great for a bonding evening with your friends or family members, yet a small amount of nail polish can leave a strong odor hanging in the air. The lingering smell will cause a twitching nose and throbbing headache.
So how to get rid of the nail polish smell?
There are various methods to deal with this problem. But bear in mind that if you do not take these steps properly, they won’t work wonders. Follow us to find the best ways to eliminate the stench.
Why Does Nail Polish Smell So Bad?
The annoying smell is mainly due to the inclusion of a few unpleasantly-smelling solvents. This ingredient is prevalent in most household and beauty care products in different concentrations. A higher concentration of solvents results in worse smells.
However, nail varnish needs those volatile liquids to keep itself in the liquid form, ensuring a smooth and easy application. Those volatile ingredients also dry off or evaporate quickly to leave a hard-colored result on your nails.
Their smells are often described as pleasant and fruity in a small amount. In nail polish, they come in a high concentration so they show a stingy and overpowering smell.
Ethyl acetate and propyl acetate show a sweet pear feeling while butyl acetate smells like a banana or apple. Toluene has a benzene-like smell and isopropyl alcohol is alcoholic. Except for toluene, the other solvents are safe for use.
It is easy to recognize the smell of this substance as soon as you begin painting your nails. This buildup of odors gradually develops in indoor airspace and then floods the entire surroundings.
Is Nail Polish Smell Bad For You?
Despite the beauty applications, most nail varnish products can wreak havoc on human health, especially with excessive daily exposure. The very first impact of this beauty product line is ingestion and inhalation problems.
Specifically, the strong smell can be attributed to the growing odors of toluene and acetone. These chemicals will likely travel freely in the air and cause excessive exposure through ingestion and inhalation. That’s why you may feel irritated or, worse, dizzy.
Headache is not easily avoided when smelling the solvents. Besides, if you are sensitive to smells, you are prone to nose irritation and struggle to breathe properly.
How To Get Rid Of Nail Polish Smell?
Get Rid Of It From Your Hands
Many users assume that washing their hands carefully with water and soap can eliminate the smell. This method may work, but it also would likely ruin the art and great look of your nail.
Instead, you can apply cuticle oil or some kitchen substances to ensure a better hand smell and eliminate all chemical residue on your skin.
Apply Cuticle Oil
Applying cuticle oil is one of the most common options to neutralize the smell. You can choose products in the form of a stick or a pen. Some manufacturers also offer users an applicator like a fine brush for easy use.
Cuticle oil is safe, thanks to its antibacterial and antifungal properties. This combination will protect your fingers from potential irritations and diseases.
You can also invest more in cuticle oil products containing vitamins and vegetable oils to ensure healthy-looking nails.
Here are some basic applying steps:
- Step 1: Make the polish dry off completely first. It’s best to let them dry naturally to keep the design intact. Using mild heat or wind is time-saving, yet this method can damage the freshly applied polish layer.
- Step 2: Apply cuticle oil with a fine brush. The mild and relaxing smell of cuticle oil will immediately chase the annoying odor of polishes away. You can recognize the wonders as soon as you apply the substance to your nails.
We advise you to apply a moderate layer of cuticle oil, as applying too much will take a great deal of time to dry off. Besides, a thick layer of oil will make your nails look cumbersome and less eye-catching.
Use What You Have In Your Kitchen
If cuticle oil is not available in your local store, you may use these ingredients right in your kitchen. They are olive oil, shampoo, granulated salt, toothpaste, and baking soda. No specific brands are required; just use what you have.
Follow these detailed steps below to ensure the best result:
- Step 1: Wash your hands with water and shampoo. Don’t forget to scrub all surfaces with a nail brush to eliminate all residue on your nails. Then, rinse your hands well and let them dry off.
- Step 2: Make a mixture of one tablespoon of granulated salt or sugar and half of a teaspoon of olive oil. After that, rub your hands gently and work the granules over your hands’ backs in 30 to 60 seconds.
- Step 3: Take a teaspoon of toothpaste and distribute the pastes over your hands, especially around your nails. After rubbing thoroughly, wash your hands well with water and soap to remove the stickiness of the toothpaste.
- Step 4: Mix two cups of warm water and two tablespoons of baking soda, and stir until the mixture dissolves completely. Now insert your hands and soak for at least five minutes.
- Step 5: Rinse with lukewarm water and wait for your hands to dry off. Now, you will surely sense no annoying smell.
Get Rid Of It From The Room
If you are in a nail salon with no installed air purifier or paint your nails in an enclosed space, there is a high chance that your surrounding area will be quickly filled with a strong disgusting smell. Here are a few tricks that you can do to deal with the situation:
Open The Windows
One of the easiest methods is to ventilate the area. No matter how sharp and penetrated the smell is, the natural air circulation will always do the trick for you.
Once the traveling particles are distributed and spread out sufficiently, you are less likely to detect and let them affect your skin, nose, and eyes.
Sunlight and well-ventilated outdoor air can immediately solve your problems. Thus, all you need is to open the door and do nothing!
If it is cold outside and you don’t want to open the windows for hours, a short time of 10 to 15 minutes is enough to tackle the problem.
Use Air Fresheners
Maybe you accidentally spill the acetone on the carpets or any other surface that can hold the liquid. The smell can dissipate on such surfaces and linger in the air for a long period. It is hard to beat the smell when this happens.
In this situation, air fresheners and perfumes help you accomplish the task. You can use some odor-neutralizing perfumes and fresheners to neutralize or eliminate the smell in your room. A few spritzes will gradually remove the damp nail varnish odor and make the room smell pleasant.
It’s best to spray the substance with closed windows and doors. After five minutes, you can finally open them to get some natural air.
Orange or citrus peel oils are also highly recommended. Those ingredients bring a comfortable smell while immediately getting rid of the nail polish one.
Fan Out The Funk
Keeping the doors and windows open while turning your fan on can do wonders in most situations. An overhead fan is effective in circulating the air in the room. This way, the bad odor is more likely to dissipate and get out of your space quicker.
A floor fan or a table one will prevent the stink from staying trapped for a long period in a confined space. If there is no overhead fan, a table one can be a great substitute. Nevertheless, it is sometimes less effective.
Use Coffee Grounds
Don’t underestimate the use of coffee grounds. Coffee odors are pleasant and refreshing, so a bowl of fresh coffee grounds will save you from a bad nail varnish smell.
A glass bowl is recommended, as this material can distribute the coffee smell better.
You can let the bowl overnight to get rid of the odor gradually. Don’t forget to stir the coffee grounds frequently until the smell is completely gone if you want to speed up the process.
Baking soda or activated charcoal are great options to absorb the intense odor as well. You need an adequate amount of those ingredients before storing them in a container on a high shelf. After a couple of days, you will get a homey and pleasant smell.
There is no need to change the ingredients daily, so it is a labor-saving method.
Store The Polish Carefully
All the efforts will be down the drain if you don’t store the polish carefully and thus, let the smell out all the time. Failure to tighten or seal the polish jar can contaminate the surrounding space. That’s why you always need to seal the polish bottle as fast and tight as possible.
We advise you to put the polishes away right after painting your nails., but the smell can still linger in the room. You can also keep them in the refrigerator. Tightening the bottles and putting them in the fridge can minimize the stink.
This method might sound odd, but its effects will do the job of convincing you! Not only does it prevent the smell from spreading, but it also keeps your product fresher and lasting longer.
Is There Any Nail Polish That Doesn’t Smell?
Sadly, the answer is a no.
Most nail polish and nail polish removers, even those with free-from formulas, always have this typical smell.
Thanks to their natural and odorless compounds, some products show less intense and irritating odors. You can expect this result in some nail varnishes with a water-based formula.
Unlike other common products, those use water as their base instead of oil or other chemical solvents. While they are not 100% odorless, their smells are weaker and less likely to irritate your health.
This polish doesn’t include hazardous substances like phthalates and formaldehyde. It contains non-toxic colorants, making it no more harmful than most children’s paints.
On the flip side, the water-based formula makes those products more likely to chip off after application. They also take more time to dry off and cost more than other oil-based types.
Conclusion
Chemicals like volatile organic compounds and solvents in nail polish can be harmful to your health and the surrounding environment.
Keeping those smells at bay is not always a piece of cake and requires careful treatment. So how to get rid of the nail polish smell? The answer is surely in the above article.
We hope that our article will help you stay beautiful while ensuring a fresh and purified environment. So don’t hesitate to try those methods mentioned above.
