http://www.care2.com/greenliving/10059.html
Safer Nail Polish
posted by Annie B. Bond Aug 31, 2007 12:00 am
Megan B., LA asks:
My daughter is hoping to be pregnant soon, and I am worried about her using nail polish since I heard it is unhealthy for fetuses. Are there any that are safe?
Annie:
My daughter and I have faced the challenge of finding healthy nail polish--what I will allow her to use, and why, and her response--and the good news is that this stress between us has finally lessened because of some great new products. Here is a mother/daughter blog we wrote about this:
Annie (the mom)
In the summer I look with envy at women with peach-colored toe nails and a tan, or ruby-red toe nail polish with black sandals. I know nail polish is bad for everyone (see "Getting It," below), but my sense of fashion makes me want to compromise my standards despite the environment, if only I could tolerate it. Maybe it is my own yearning that made me be gentle with Lily's desire to wear nail polish instead of just saying no: she has been in love with it since she was three. I allowed her to use it within parameters, which were far from ideal for her! Fortunately some much safer products have since come onto the market for her to use.
Lily (the daughter)
When I think of nail polish, words like "pretty" or "stylish" don’t pop into my head right off the bat. When I think of nail polish, I think “what a drag” and go check the temperature outside. One thing that has been severely lacking from my youth and teenage years is the excitement of painting my nails. Sure, I do it. But in order to paint my nails, I have to do it outside and then wait until they are completely dry before venturing back indoors. This isn’t so bad during the summer. But what am I supposed to do when the temperature drops below 60 degrees?
And then there’s the matter of insects. There I am, painting my nails, and the mosquitoes decide that I’m the perfect target. I can’t bat at them, I can’t swat them away: I learned that this was a bad idea when one got stuck in the wet polish on my finger. And then, of course, there was the idea of “non-toxic nail polish.” A good idea in theory, but in reality it still smells bad, it clumps weirdly, and comes off too quickly. No matter what direction I choose, the answer is simply not productive, and I have hence become subject to a mainly nail-polish-less existence.
GETTING IT: Until very recently, there were no safe nail polishes and even doing one's nails outdoors was an unhealthy compromise, and dangerous for the fetus if the person were pregnant. Unsafe means solvents that are neurotoxic (toluene), carcinogenic chemicals (formaldehyde), and plasticizers (phthalates) that are disrupter of hormones. This later is the most dangerous for male fetuses. Fortunately, Annie has FINALLY found some good products that are a big improvement over the ones Lily mentions, and Lily likes them, too.
GETTING IT GREEN: I, Annie, am most excited about a water-based nail polish now on the market, Suncoat Water-based nail polish, and it appears to be the safest out there. It is about 60-70 percent "natural." The colors are all made from natural pigments. They do not contain phthalates, formaldehdye, toluene, or acetate/acetone.
Here are two other safer brands of nail polish that I will let Lily use even if they still might not be safe for someone who is very chemically sensitive: Honeybee Gardens and Peacekeeper. They are both free of phthalates,
formaldehdye, and toluene. To check your nail polish brand for safety visit the Environmental Working Group.
Polish remover adds another type of problem, so we recommend you let it peel off naturally. As yof et we don't know of a phthalate-free nail polish remover.
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add your comment »There is another "healthier choice" to nail polish. Free of toluene, formaldehyde and dibutyl phthalate (DBP). The nail candy line of polish. Long-lasting color, Brilliant, chip-free finish, Easy, smooth application, High gloss finish, 18 trend-setting colors for every look. Cost: $5.75 each. Whole collection can be bought with free shipping. Here is the link http://www.marketamerica.com/phd/product-1182962/motives-nail-candy.htm
...I have seen women wear this all week,a teacher, and no chips!
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I've tried Honeybee Gardens and Acquarella (water/acrylic based), and they are great if you follow directions (put on clean nails at night, don't let the polish get wet for at least 6 hours to let it dry). Removable with rubbing alcohol, vodka (or rum), or their own brands of polish removers. From what I could tell, the formulas are identical with three differences--Honeybee doesn't use FD&C colours, is $6/bottle instead of $18, and if a local store (such as Whole Foods) carries anything from their line, you can call the store to order the polish in order to save on shipping costs (Acquarellas only sells directly).
I wrote too much about these on the pedicure page: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/tag/pedicure
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I have been using a tolune and formaldehyde free polish for years that I got at Sally Beauty-and then they stopped selling it. It seems everytime someone or some store comes out with something good, the bottom line tells them if it should stay around, not the health of people or for the good of the environment. I have seen some less chemical laden polishes online, but you have to be careful that they dont take out one poison and substitute another! They are also a lot more money per bottle.
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I used to paint my nails until I thought about all the millions of nail polish bottles that end up in landfills. Too heavy of a price to pay for me. I have been paintless for years now and I get more compliments on my naturalness than I did with painted nails.
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I have heard of using a mixture made of beet powder and water to stain the nails. I am anxious to try it!
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There is one called Priti polish that is made of soy, and they also make a remover as well from soy. These are supposed to be safe to use during pregnancy and on little girls, as well as the rest of us!
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I use a water-based polish called "acquarella". I buy it online. Doesn't stay on as long (stays maybe 3 days) but it's worth it. They have many colors available. Drawback: About $18 a bottle.
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Oh my goodness!! Thank you so much for telling me about the nail polish crisis!!! I'm going to tell all of my friends...we're all OBSESED with painting our nails. But, yeah, like, that's really scary!! Thanks again!! Bye, and have an awesome day!!
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When I print a receipe I find that at the bottom of the page there is printing on top of the articles in all of them. Is there some way to correct this;as it's hard to read them the way it is now.
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We are getting new front entrance doors. The color is called "wine tasting". It is color of deep wine.a red-purple.
What do you think of it..
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