Choosing Safer Nail Polish

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Choosing safer nail polish can be difficult. Lucky for you, I can help make it less complicated!

There was a point where you would rarely find me with ugly nails. The nail salon and I had a great relationship until I decided to go nontoxic. Gel manicures and/or “dip powder” manicures kept my nails looking fabulous, but they were hurting my nails at the same time. Not only was my nail bed becoming very brittle, but the occasional break in the manicure hurt a lot!!! Soon after, I started to learn how the UV or LED nail lamps can increase the risk of skin cancer. I also learned about the toxic ingredients involved, and it was an easy no for me at that point.

Many nail polishes include toxic ingredients like toluene, dibutyl phthalate (DBP), formaldehyde (known as the “toxic trio” due to being carcinogens and/or endocrine hormone disrupters, amongst other things), and a number of other chemicals. They can irritate skin, eyes, lungs, affect your reproductive organs, be neurotoxic, cause issues with fetal development, etc. These chemicals are not only toxic to humans, but are also environmental toxins! So yes, our choices affect more than just us. 

Even worse, they’re being applied on kids’ nails, and some of these chemicals can be easily absorbed into the body. In 2015, a study conducted by Duke University and the Environmental Working Group, suggests that a chemical called triphenyl phosphate, or TPHP, (a hormone disrupter) gets absorbed into the body every time nail polish is used!

Yikes! So are there safer options?

Nowadays, you’ll see brands making an effort to minimize the use of these chemicals. You’ll see labels stating “3 free”, “5 free”, “7 free”, etc, but what does that really mean? Typically, nail polishes that are ‘3-free’ do not contain the toxic trio (DBP, Toluene, Formaldehyde). The ones that are “5-free” go a step further and avoid formaldehyde resin and camphor. “7-free” go even further, and so on. Even though that may be the case, some of these brands swap these chemicals out for a number of other potentially toxic ingredients, so it’s always best to check the ingredient list regardless. 

So what is a girl to do?

First, understand that the occasional use of nail polish is not going to severely impact your health, if at all. The concern is more for those who routinely do it, those who work in the salons or are nail technicians constantly exposed to the gasses being released (off-gassing), and their use on children.

Second, there are companies who do have safer alternatives, so all hope is not loss yet! Lastly, you can use Skin Deep, the Environmental Working Group’s searchable cosmetics database to look for safer polishes.

Below you’ll find  out what companies mean by “x free”;

“3 free”– no Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP), Toluene, Formaldehyde

“5 free”– no Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP), Toluene, Formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, camphor

Once you get above “5 free” the remaining ingredients may vary.

“7 free”– no Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP), Toluene, Formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, camphor, Xylene, either Ethyl Tosylamide or Triphenyl Phosphate (TPHP) depending on brand

“8 free”– no Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP), Toluene, Formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, camphor, Xylene, Ethyl Tosylamide, Triphenyl Phosphate (TPHP)

“10 free”– no Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP), Toluene, Formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, camphor, Ethyl tosylamide, Triphenyl Phosphate (TPHP), Xylene, parabens, either fragrance or animal by products or acetone. The 10th ingredient can be whatever chemical typically used that the brand chooses to avoid.

This is an example of what is typical but of course this may vary from company to company based on what they choose to avoid. If a company is only “3 free” then understand that there’s several other toxins they’re ok with using. Also, the fact that companies are avoiding up to 10 of these chemicals is enough for you to see that you could potentially be using a nail polish that is filled with toxins. YIKES!!!

Below you’ll see some links to some nail polishes that are “7 free” and up! Or the image above for a brand that’s all “10 free”!

Stay safe 😘,

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