Nail-O-pedia

Is It Time to Consider A More Natural Nail Polish?

More natural nail polish. What does that mean?

Well, at this time there is no such thing as 100% natural nail polish. No one has found natural ingredients that can perform as well as synthetic ingredients in nail polish but we certainly can find polish that offers safer alternatives.

The great concerns about chemicals in nail polish come from what is called by some as the big three, formaldehyde, toulene and phthalates. Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen and toulene is considered toxic. Phthalates are a major concern of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and the Environmental Working Group for it’s potential to cause birth defects and cancer, among other problems (see nontoxic skin care).

People working in nail salons, because of increased exposure, pregnant women, babies and kids are thought to be at the greatest risk. The debate continues as to the safety of these chemicals in our personal care products and at what levels if any can they be safely used.

Plastics In Nail Polish

It is particularly challenging to produce nail polish without the use of some kind of plastic, usually polyurethane or co-polymers. It acts as a fixative to bind the polish to the nail and provide durability and flexibility. And while companies continually work on doing just that, it’s not possible just yet.

The most natural nail polish created today can be found in water based formulas where the bulk of the ingredients are water, then plastic of some kind and natural colorings.

Water based formulas are a little different than solvent based nail polish. No solvents not only mean no solvent odor or drying of nails but also a little longer drying time to achieve a hard finish.

Honeybee Gardens which carries water based natural nail polish has some good info about their products and application tips to make your polish work the best. They have a 10 day guarantee if you’re not happy with their products.

Suncoat is a long lasting water based nail polish that has won several awards for excellence in a natural product. All of the solvents usually found in nail polish have been replaced by water. They are so convinced that you will be happy they offer a 30 day satisfaction guarantee.

Water based formulas sound promising especially for sensitive individuals, moms to be and kids.

Other Safe Brands To Try

 

  • Peacekeeper refers to itself as Cause Metics. It is important to them to not only create great products but to also contribute to causes that affect women. The company values of being animal friendly, fair trade and sweatshop free make it a winner but their nail products will keep your nails looking good while being safe. Check out Peacekeeper.
  • I have had good luck using No-Miss Nail Polish. It seems very similar to regular nail polish without the harmful chemicals. It looked the same, smelled the same (it does have some solvents) and applied the same as regular polish. The drying time was about the same as well.

Two coats were enough for me. It wears very well. Although I have to admit that I usually do not use polish on my fingernails so these results were only on my toenails. It lasted several weeks before removing and no difficult problems with removal. I use an acetone free remover which always require more effort anyway.

No worries, as always no animal testing.

No-Miss has 150 great colors including glitters. Plus some that are good for french manicures. It can be found at local health food stores and is available online. Check out No-Miss Nail Polish.

I prefer to buy the most natural and organic products but sometimes the best products contain some chemicals. At least I can be informed enough to know what to avoid and to find the safest alternatives available. For now that’s the best way to buy natural nail polish.

 

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Anna is an Indian business blogger. I believe that Content and Social Media Marketing are the strongest forms of marketing nowadays.

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