this post was submitted on 31 Oct 2025
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No Stupid Questions

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So, uh, i painted my nails (for the first time since i was a kid) last night. They look rough i love it. That's beside the question, i waited patiently for my nails to dry. Right? Hooray me for not Oh! Squirrel!ing. For I don't know how many hours afterward, they stank like ammonia or something. I wanted to pet my cats but my nails were too stinky. They would not allow it. So how do I make my nails stop stinking faster so I can get back to petting my cats?

edit: follow up do they make nail polish that smells like catnip

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[–] Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world 71 points 3 days ago (2 children)

I thought the picture was more important than it really is, and I was so confused.

[–] toynbee@lemmy.world 20 points 3 days ago (2 children)

I misread "stinking" as "sinking" and, disregarding the fact that those are indeed not nails, was trying to figure out if OP wanted fasteners that didn't go down all the way.

I'm sure there are use cases for that, but in general it seems dangerous for a few reasons.

[–] Aeao@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

“Well this is the internet so let me assume stupidity and go from there”

That’s what makes absurdist and deadpan humor so fun on the internet. You’ll say something off the wall and people will be like “well they might be that stupid… I better check”

[–] toynbee@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

If you're questioning whether I'm stupid, just go ahead and assume the answer is yes. I actually just now had a very similar conversation with my brother.

[–] Aeao@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

I had my stupidity in insanity. No one’s noticed so far.

[–] Septimaeus 3 points 3 days ago

Lol yeah hmm, not countersunk, //shrug maybe strong arm, new to firs, happens

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 18 points 3 days ago (2 children)

no i just love really bad jokes

[–] Aeao@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

I didn’t see anything wrong with your picture. But I am a hammer so take that with a grain of nails.

[–] DioramaOfShit@lemmy.world 26 points 3 days ago (1 children)
[–] binarytobis@lemmy.world 19 points 3 days ago (1 children)

They did say bad, I suppose.

[–] Assassassin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 43 points 4 days ago (1 children)

The stink is the smell of the acetone evaporating. You can speed that process by hitting them with a warm blowdryer. The heat and airflow will encourage faster evaporation of the acetone.

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 11 points 4 days ago (2 children)

that won't compromise the polish somehow, will it? like, make bubbles appear or have it be shiny rather than matte or anything? i thought about popping them under a heat gun on low or something, but i forgot about blowdryers (am bald) so thanks for the reminder

[–] Assassassin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 12 points 4 days ago

I've only done it a few times with my nails and i've only had bubbles happen once. I think if you keep the temp warm rather than hot and don't have the polish super thick it shouldn't be an issue.

[–] xorollo@leminal.space 6 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Believe it or not-- ice bath will set them faster. Also, recommend thinner costs and let each dry before the next.

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Like, five seconds or a minute? Thanks so much

[–] xorollo@leminal.space 1 points 3 days ago

Give it a minute or two, wave around to shake the drops off and then lightly feel to make sure it's not tacky. Im pretty impatient, so sometimes I don't wait long enough.

I learned a lot from this set of instructions and the tips at the end. Especially capping/sealing and base coats. They're talking about nail wraps -- which I love -- but I have use the same techniques with just normal color as well and had a lot more success.

https://lilyandfox.com/pages/how-to-apply-lily-fox-nail-wraps

I see some people mentioned gel. I have never successfully used gel, I'm just aware there are extra steps and a light or something to cure, but if you find that the polish is taking longer than 5 minutes per coat to be dry enough to pet the kitties, then you might have a gel polish. Those really require the light to cure (if I'm understanding correctly).

[–] klemptor@startrek.website 17 points 3 days ago (1 children)

It's acetone, not ammonia. The acetone needs to evaporate in order for your nail polish to set.

Your best option will be gel polish. It cures under a UV light and is completely dry and odorless once it's cured. Depending on how quickly your nails grow, gel polish can last a decent couple/few weeks. Downside is that it's a pain in the ass to remove and can damage your nails if they're fragile.

You could also try press-ons. I haven't tried them since the mid-nineties so I can't personally speak to the quality or longevity, but they've had a resurgence in popularity lately which makes me think they've gotten much better.

If you stick to regular nail polish, you could try a few things:

  • Work in thin coats - thick polish takes too long to dry.
  • Quick-dry polish and/or quick-dry topcoat. A lot of people like the Seche Vite topcoat because it dries to the touch in like 5 minutes, and sets pretty well after about 2 hours. Be warned though that it often causes shrinkage, so be sure you wrap your tips and leave less of a gap around the cuticle to help reduce this.
  • Use a hairdryer on warm to make your polish dry more quickly.
  • Once your nails have dried to the touch, gently wash your hands (pat them dry rather than rub them with a towel).
  • Pet your cats from behind so they don't get a whiff of your nails.

Vaya con dios

[–] scarabic@lemmy.world 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I use UV curing wood finish for my woodworking projects now and it’s amazing. Nothing evaporates so there’s no smell and no respiratory health risk. Every bit of the liquid turns to solid, so you don’t have to use very much. And it’s done and set in 5 minutes instead of hours.

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I mean I fill my manky toenail with cheap ass cyanoacrylate when it aches. Like, are you talking just giving your nails a lacquer or something?

[–] scarabic@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

I’m just seconding the consideration of UV curing products because they are cool and have many benefits. I have zero experience with anything to do with nails.

[–] CmdrShepard49@sh.itjust.works 8 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Don't they have UV nail polish and could that contain different chemicals that dont stink as badly? I'm out of my element here.

yeah i asked my wife about less stinky nail polish and she just shrugged while she enjoyed the cats' attention.

[–] Tessellecta@feddit.nl 4 points 3 days ago (1 children)

The UV nail polishes generally have some kind of acrylate. Every time you come into contact with uncured acrylates, there is a chance of developing an allergy to it, which means that the use of medical acrylates becomes much more dangerous if not impossible.

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

i mean, don't you have a chance of developing an allergy to everything every new time you come into contact with it? i thought you couldn't get an allergy until your second exposure because you first had to have antibodies in your system

[–] ryannathans@aussie.zone 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Some compounds are allergenic irritants, they irritate the body until an allergy develops. If a substance is not an irritant and "allergenic" then there's generally no process for it to become an allergy

I want to take the med school class on this it is so interesting to me. Thanks so much

[–] bassomitron@lemmy.world 4 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Could always go the fake nail route. My SO has been doing that for a couple years. It's way easier than painting and you can get all sorts of cool designs and patterns, especially for holiday themed ones (hers right now have glow in the dark ghosts and pumpkins on them).

[–] despoticruin@lemmy.zip 4 points 3 days ago (1 children)

You can also paint the fakes before you apply them, which makes the entire process so much easier.

ooo i could get an air brush "for painting food" and "for my fake nails" and shit. this is an interesting development my wife is going to crack the fuck up

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 2 points 4 days ago (1 children)

since it's just black, i feel like pressons would be overdoing it

[–] DecentM@lemmy.blahaj.zone 7 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Even natural colours are not overdoing it, don't avoid something that makes you happier just because it seems awkward! Personally I only use glue-ons for holidays and special weekends which sometimes aren't even coloured, cause I need short nails for typing at work. Empower yourself by not judging yourself about what you wear!

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

see that's the problem, male consumer fashion is currently not fabulous enough for my tastes. the self-judgement is inherent unless i'm wearing like one of three outfits.

[–] DecentM@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Circling back to your original issue, do you use a top coat? They're usually next to the nail polish in the store, and you'll need a UV lamp to cure them (generally also nearby the nail polish shelf). That'll keep the smell in if you manage to get full coverage.

I have a little tube of black, no sealant or anything. It's wonderful and sloppy I love it

[–] Septimaeus 1 points 3 days ago

UV cure gel polish FTW!

If it’s been a while, check out the cool new magnetic (ferrous) polish.

Also, cheap fun hack: save money by just mixing mica powders into base polish colors. Endless varieties of iridescent colors, dimensional effects, etc.

[–] heyWhatsay@slrpnk.net 2 points 3 days ago

Finding a good quick dry helps, personally I like Essie expressie. I go outside while I paint, wait a few minutes, go inside and wash my hands.