How to Thin Nail Polish Easily? Restore Your Nail Polish
If you are a nail polish lover, you hate thick and goopy nail polish. No matter what you do, you surely had gooey or sticky nail polish once in a lifetime in your vanity. Don’t throw them away because I am going to tell you how to thin nail polish!
From dotting tool to thin tape brush to nail polish correcting pen to nail glitter, you use everything for making your nail look picture perfect.
But what do you do to take care of your nail polish? How do you thin your nail polish? Now, get into the easy methods of thinning nail polish! Let’s see what I can do for you today!
Also Read:
How To Remove Dip Powder Nails?
DIY Nail Polish Thinning Process
Ingredient List
- Nail Lacquer Thinner
- Dropper
- Hot Water
- Pure Acetone
- Rubbing Alcohol
- Nail Polish Remover
# Nail Lacquer Thinner
If you want to know how to thin out nail polish when you are in a hurry, this one can be the best bet.
Get a nail polish thinner. I know it sounds that these are high-priced, but trust me, these are under $8 in most cases! Let’s see the process!

Step 1: Take the bottle of the nail polish and open it.
Step 2: Now, with the help of the dropper, take 2 to 3 drops of nail polish thinner and pour it inside the bottle of nail polish.
Step 3: After you are done, you have to mix it well. Take it in between your palms and roll it continuously. Do it until it combines properly to get the right nail polish thickness!
Pro Tips
- Don’t shake the bottle
- Make sure there are no air bubbles
Time Required: 5 minutes
# Hot Water
In the list of “how to thin out nail polish” methods, one of the most common ways is to keep it inside the hot water.
Hot water can loosen the particles of the nail polish and set them free. As a result, it helps it to get thinner.

Step 1: Take hot water in a bowl and take your nail polish inside the container.
Step 2: Make the bowl full and let the goopy and old nail polish get inside the water for 3-4 minutes.
Step 3: Now, take out the nail polish and roll it continuously. Slowly and gradually, it will turn into the perfect nail polish thickness.
Pro Tips
- Always go for boiling water
- Don’t forget to tighten the cap properly
Time Required: 10 minutes
# Acetone Fix
If you don’t have any nail polish thinner or don’t want to waste too much time on hot water fix for your thick nail polish, you can try it.
Acetone includes carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms, and it evaporates fast. So, this will be the quickest way for you!

Step 1: Get bottle acetone from the medicine stores. Make sure you get the pure acetone for it.
Step 2: Take the acetone and pour it inside the bottle of nail polish.
Step 3: After doing it, you have to shake it or move it until it mixes appropriately slowly.
Pro Tips
- Use droppers while pouring the liquid inside the nail polish
- Too much acetone can break down your nail polish
Time Required: 5 minutes
# Rubbing Alcohol Fix
Rubbing alcohol can fix your goopy nail polish into the ideal polish thickness. A little information for you is you can use alcohol or Hexisol as a nail polish remover too!

Step 1: Buy rubbing alcohol from the market or medicine store.
Step 2: Remove the cap of your nail polish and with a dropper, add 2-3 drops of alcohol in it.
Step 3: Now, roll your nail polish and make sure that alcohol dissolves.
Pro Tips
- It is better to use 91% alcohol in this process
- The less, the better
Time Required: 5-7 minutes
# Nail Polish Remover
You already know how to use nail polish remover for removing nail polish from your nails. But if you want to know how to thinnish the nail polish, nail polish remover can be another way too!
People often mistake thinking nail polish remover and acetone are the same. Nail polish remover contains acetone, but it is not acetone.

Step 1: First of all, roll your old nail polish a little before you pour the nail polish remover in it.
Step 2: Take 2 to 3 drops of nail polish remover inside the bottle of nail polish.
Step 3: Keep rolling it to ensure that the remover has got appropriately mixed with the nail polish.
Pro Tips
- Use this method only when you don’t have any other options
- Nail polish removers can be highly drying for your hands, so before applying nail polish, use moisturizers.
Time Required: 5-7 minutes
Know when it’s Enough

You can easily lengthen the life of your nail polish with the nail polish thinning processes. However, there is always a time to say goodbye. When is it? Let’s know!
- You will see that the ingredients or molecules inside your nail polish bottle are not mixing correctly; this is the time you need to throw away the nail polish.
- In a situation, you will see that even if you put two coats of polish on your nails, it will not cover the nail. All you have to do is stop making it thin!
- When your nail polish is too sludgy, you have to stop making your nail polish thin and get rid of it!
How to Keep Nail Polish Thin
Prevention is better than cure, and so, it is better not to let nail polish get sticky in the first place! Let me share with you how I do that!
- When you are applying nail polish, make sure not to keep the lid off.
- Keeping the outer portion of the nail polish clean is important
- Nail polish will require consistent temperature so, don’t move it here and there much
- After every use, tighten the nail polish lid properly so that air doesn’t get in
- Never put your nail polish in a bathroom cabinet because the temperature is high there
Nail Polish Do’s and Don’ts
- Don’t keep nail polish close to the sunlight
- Store nail polish in a cool place
- Don’t keep nail polish in a horizontal manner
- Get nail polish stand or a linen cabinet for storing nail polish
- Don’t store nail polish in the fridge
Final Verdict
So, now you know how to transform your old and sticky nail polish back in form and paint your nails with your old nail polish favorites! These DIY methods are straightforward to work with. Most of these will take 5-10 minutes at best!
For people who want to know how to thin nail polish, these are the best ways. All you need to do is take out some time and work step by step, as I mentioned. These are light on your wallet!