Welcome to the first post in a new monthly series here at Simple Organic: Green & Gorgeous. The first Friday of each month will be focused on eco-friendly beauty. Sometimes, I might highlight a current green beauty trend, or perhaps provide new tips for old techniques. Living the healthy green life is important, but there’s no harm in looking good while we do it!
So, today I want to talk about nail polish.
Nail polish is really fun to apply and wear – there are so many colors, it’s easy to create new looks, and it’s relatively inexpensive. But traditional nail polish contains many toxic, harmful ingredients. The strong odor alone tells you that it’s not really something we want to be absorbing.
Nail polish ingredients typically include formaldehyde, toluene, acetone, phthalates, and FD&C colors. The risks associated with these chemicals include everything from birth defects to hormone disruption to increased cancer risks – not to mention the damage they do to the environment. But I love having my toe nails painted in the summer! So what’s a girl to do?
I recently discovered water-based nail colors.
And let me tell you, ladies, it’s exciting. Water-based nail polishes don’t contain any of those dangerous chemical solvents. They are non-toxic and long-wearing. Depending on the brand, they are either removed with rubbing alcohol or they are peel-off. Some brands also make their own non-toxic removers, as well as other nail conditioners and lotions.
There are also some lines of water-based nail color made specifically for young girls, with fun and crazy colors. If your daughter loves to have her nails painted, this is a great option because it is non-toxic, so if the nails get chewed on, you don’t need to worry so much about what your daughter might be ingesting.
If you are looking for a way to keep your nails colorful without overloading your body or the planet with toxins, water-based nail polish is the answer! Look it up online, and you will find quite a few brands out there. Personally, the brand I tried worked really well, and I was quite pleased.
Happy painting!
Do you love to have perfectly painted nails? Have you ever tried water-based polish?
