Practically growing up in a beauty salon led me to believe that the smells of the salon equaled getting beautiful. Nobody ever told me that those smells I was inhaling had the power to do some serious damage. You can read more about my story to going green, and why nail care is such a personal topic for this EcoDiva!
Today, we know better and have the options to paint our nails with something other then, well, the equivalent of automobile paint and formaldehyde.
Until I had a baby, there was rarely a day that you would find my nails naked. After years of polishing and buffing, my nails were oh so pretty on the outside, but yellow and brittle underneath. Once I (was forced to) stopped wearing nail-polish, and let my nails go au natural (ok, this was not so much fun for the EcoDiva used to being polished and pressed) my nails actually had a chance to breath and turn back to a color that I did not recognize...skin color.
Now that I have more time to focus on my nails (not as often as I used to), I don't have to bare to go bare any longer. Today, there are some fabulous nail companies creating colors that coat, last and don't contain that nasty tri-fecta of ingredients to avoid: Dibutyl Pthalate, Formaldehyde and Toulene - that can stay in your system and generate internal toxicity.
Here are some great polishes to try :
Zoya: Not entirely free of chemicals, at least using nail polish alternatives such as Zoya if you must have gorgeous, well-groomed nails, ensures that you're not absorbing the worst offending ingredients. Not only are they the longest wearing natural nail lacquers, but they come in over 60 luscious, fashion forward colors. (from FutureNatural.com)
Honeybee Gardens
Waterbased Nail Enamels - Singles
French Manicure Kit
Odorless Polish Remover
Suncoat Naturals
Waterbased/Solvent Polish Remover
Kaia House
Polish and Polish Remover
Andi Winterfield
said on August 24, 2010
Elena Lipson
said on August 24, 2010
Thanks so much for the comment. I spent many years managing beauty salons and know first-hand how toxic the smells can be. Do we really get used to it? My own mom has been in the industry for 25 years and has lost her sense of smell along with many other ailments.
The more women can learn about this, the more chance we have of creating wide-spread change. Did you know that OPI actually had a different formula for the polish in Europe versus the U.S.? This was because we simply didn't require it. Now, I believe they are creating one formula minus the main toxic offenders. UGH! Makes me crazy...but also fuels my passion for creating change.
Cheers,
Elena