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Have you ever thinned out a nail polish?


Have you ever thinned out a nail polish? Share your technique! Any favorite thinners?

I don’t think I’ve done it in a REALLY long time. Truthfully, I don’t reuse a lot of shades because there is always something new to swatch, so if they thicken up, I don’t notice.

Thanks to Meme for today’s question!

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25 Comments

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Ana G. Avatar

Yes I have but only once or twice. I find that, after thinning, the nail polish changes a bit so I’d rather only put a layer of it than adding the thinner – I’ve only used one product – banana oil – that is imported from Brazil.

Kathy Avatar

I’ve done it, but it was years ago. I don’t think that polishes thicken, or even separate, like they used to. I’d love to say that it’s because I use nicer polish now, but I think the manufacturers are doing better.

Mariella Avatar

Yes, years ago. Revlon used to sell a nail solvent especially for thinning polishes that had gone too thick and it was a great product. Not the same as polish remover or acetone (which cause the polish to break down), it was actually a solvent/thinner. I’d love to be able to find a similar product these days.

Sarah Avatar

Yup! I use a nail polish thinner (forget the brand), bought it at a beauty supply store and it works like a charm. I’ve never used the nail polish remover trick, however, as I hear that actually breaks down the polish and can ruin it or cause it to perform poorly; the thinner actually replaces the chemical in nail polish that evaporates, leaving it thick and gloppy.

manders Avatar

I’ve always got some seche restore around (seche vite is a pain in the behind but I love it) so I just use that to thin out any polishes that’ve gone gloopy. Works great! Banana oil sounds interesting….

Dottie Avatar

I have a favourite OPI (Vampire State Building). It’s so old that I’ve had to thin it out a few times over the years. I’ve just used OPI’s thinner (2 drops max) and it worked fine.

Donna Avatar

I’m kind of in the same boat with tons of polishes to work my way through. But when I have found that the one I want to use has thickened, the Mavala thinner has worked great. I bought a tiny bottle a few years ago and it’s barely got a dent in it!

Z Avatar

YES! The only one I’ve ever thinned out is Basket Case by ORLY =) favorite & BEST “Barbie Pink” I’ve ever found out there….if you know of another amazing “Barbie Pink” pass it on!

Chynna Avatar

Frequently. I think top and base coats most often, because they’re exposed to air more often and get thicker much faster than my colors. I thin to make things more workable, so sometimes old polishes and sometimes new ones.

Courtney Avatar

Oh yes, I love Seche Restore cause I have a huge collection and goopy polish sucks! However, it is possible to get something too thin, then it just doesn’t apply right.

beachgal Avatar

Only thin out ones that I love and use the entire bottle of. Most I never use 1/4 of the bottle up before I have left it and moved on. If I stamped and did nail art, I would use up a lot more polish I am sure. I donate my used stuff when I purge the collection to the local women’s shelters. They love getting things like that.

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