Do You Paint Your Nails?
Last weekend I got married, and for the sake of transparency here, no, it was not an all-natural affair. Siobhan and I have long conceded that industrial strength antiperspirant, waterproof mascara (we all had a good cry), and long-lasting foundation have their place at special occasions. And while the smell of the super-hold hairspray gave me pause, I was very happy not to worry about my do’ collapsing mid-evening.
The other thing I did for the event, which I have not done in nearly two years now, is polish my nails. If you read the book you know that nail polish and remover are among the worst offenders when it comes to nasty chemicals. While many brands have taken out the big three—formaldehyde, toluene and DBP—it’s pretty impossible to make functional nail polish from clean ingredients.
At a certain point during our research for the book I began to buff instead, and I’ve just never turned back. As I’ve mentioned in the past, I have a weird obsession with long nails, and when I stopped polishing mine something incredible happened: They stopped breaking.
Recently though I’ve wondered if that phenomenon was a figment of my imagination. Maybe it wasn’t the nail polish, but a change in my diet that had strengthened my claws? Not so.
While I loved the ritual of having my nails done last Thursday with my mom and sister, and the manicurist used OPI (which is big-three free), almost every single nail on my hands has since chipped, peeled or broken.
So, of course, now we want to know: Do you polish your nails? Did you stop because of chemicals? Have your nails changed? Telltell.
Um…whoa!… Congratulations!
And I used to paint my toes religiously, but then I read a certain book and stopped. Last week, however, I bought some Zoya and I have it on my fingers right now. It’s super fun, but I don’t think I’ll keep it up for too long (mostly because it’s a lot of work and I don’t want to die). ;-)
Congrats again. Hope your day was fantastic. (I’m sure it was.)
I stopped painting my nails years and years ago. (Probably in my early teens.) I had super breakable nails, but now they’re nice and strong.
A few years ago I was visiting a friend and her daughter wanted to paint my nails. So I let her. I had to remove the polish (frantically) an hour or so later because my nails… hurt. They felt heavy and suffocate-y. This is the reason I go nail polish free. (That and I don’t like the look. But mostly because it hurts my nails.)
Congrats!
I still get pedicures, because I just love, love, love how my toes look all polished up. But I stopped wearing nail polish on my hands a few years ago and definitely do not miss it because I was always messing it up or picking the polish off neurotically.
In fact, for my own wedding, I got the manicure but just had them buff my nails — not so much for an eco thing, but because I didn’t trust myself to maintain the manicure all day without chipping my polish. As it turned out, my pedicure did chip (but fortunately not where you could see in my shoes), so I was really glad I saved myself that little bit of wedding day stress!
I totally second the nail polish causing breakage. I have rarely painted my nails, but periodically (for things like weddings I am in) I will go with friends to get them done. Manicurists will *always* ooh and aah over my nails (’so nice and healthy and long and beautiful. You must get them done all the time!’ um…no). Then for weeks after, they are in bad shape – breaking and peeling. I think not doing them makes them so much healthier.
Congrats and best wishes!
I have been painting my nails since 4th grade. I’m rarely without it. I’ve “cleaned up” a lot, but I’m not ready to part with nail polish or coloring my hair. Once in a while I’ll let my nails breathe for a few days. Since reading your book I switched to Zoya base coat, polish, and top coat, and I love it. I use a very natural pale pink (Laurie), and it looks presentable for 2 weeks. I’m on the computer all the time, cleaning, etc… and it lasts. I also notice when I remove the polish that my nails look healthier; no dryness. I just wish it was easier to find in stores. So far the only place that I’ve found that sells it is “Sweet Lily” salon in Tribeca (NYC). They offer a relatively clean mani/pedi. The place has a lovely, relaxing (no talking on cell phones), “shabby chic” vibe.
Thanks! I’m very grateful for all of your research on products. I’m pleasantly surprised that switching to clean products is usually an upgrade rather than a compromise.
My nails are in much worse shape since I stopped getting manicures a little over a year ago, but that’s because I’ve been working jobs where I use my hands a lot, and my nails just get beat up. Which is why I stopped getting manicures…
The one thing I do miss is the reason I started getting them in the first place, which is the fact that they helped me keep my cuticles in good shape. I am naturally very fidgety, and if something can be picked or peeled, I’m going to pick or peel it. My cuticles get the worst of it, which creates dead skin, which I then pick at, etc. Regular manicures kept my skin moisturized and the dead ends trimmed, and gave me a psychological reason to leave my poor fingers alone.
I’ve switched to Zoya, but realize that it is still pretty toxic. Strangely, it’s my only dirty cosmetic product, but I know nail polish is pretty nasty but I love painting my nails, especially fashion-y colors.
Has anyone tried water-based natural polishes? Are they significantly cleaner? Do they last at all? I’m especially interested in this new-ish line with pretty colors: http://www.scotchnaturals.com/index.php
Congrats! I hope your day was marvelous and overloaded with love.
I stopped using nail polish a few years ago because I hated the effort it took to apply and maintain a good, polished look…. naturally (pun intended), I was pleased to see via NMDL that I certainly wasn’t losing anything from dropping the habit. I also buff my nails occasionally, but I love my nails the way they are: clean, natural, and most definitely maintenance free!
Congratulations, Alexandra!
I used to polish my nails in high school because “that’s what all the other girls were doing” but then I stopped because it was hard to maintain. Today, I only do my nails if someone asks me to go with them. I always remember my parents saying, “Don’t polish your nails, let them breathe!” and that has stuck with me.
I mainly don’t have my nails done because the polish chips within a day or so. I’m getting married next Saturday and am contemplating having my nails done, but I think I’ll forego since it’s winter in NYC and no one’s looking at my toes.
Nail polish is wayyy to finicky for impatient little me. A single chip in my polish throws me into fits of frustration… Haha.
My nails are stronger because of polishing them. If I don’t keep them polishes they will break, I see the polish as protection for my nails. I always have polish on my nails and never go without and I believe that’s what has gotten my nails into the wonderful condition they are today. Color on my nails is part of who I am and I plan on polishing until they stop making nail polish.
That being said, I do think it has a lot to do with the individual. Just like makeup and skin care, everyone responds differently to things, what’s not right for one may be perfect for the other.
I’m also interested in this brand! I feel like they were going to send us samples to try maybe… Going to check on that. :)
I am curious if you ladies have looked into the new 2 week manicure that is popular right now?
And in answer to your question, yes I paint my nails. Toes always in the summer and fingers occasionally. I will say that my nails are a million times healthier than a lot of gals I know that have polish on consistently. I only wear it maybe once every other month for less than a week. I swear that not wearing it a lot keeps my nails non yellow and strong. I had the Axium 2 week manicure once and everyone at the shop was raving about how it lasted sooooo long and it kept your nails strong etc. Well yeah it lasted two weeks no chipping but then I had to have the polish stuff soaked off so my ENTIRE finget tip was immersed in chemicals for like fifteen minutes. The horror! Then, as if that wasn’t bad enough, my nails were soft and weak and peeling like they have never been before in my life.
I was waiting for something like this here…
Actually it came to me that nail polish would be the only non-clean product I couldn’t part ways with. I love doing my nails (I do my own manicure and pedicure), I think it creates a cleaner look for the hand and also it protects the nails. Somehow.
I too am an OPI fan and very curious about the water based nail polishes – if anyone has experienced with water based nail lacquer please come forth and testify! Thank you!
I cringe when I say this, but at the risk of sounding vain, I have been blessed with good, strong nails and have never found a need to polish, only buff. I actually prefer the look of a buffed nail to a polished one.
Unfortunately, whenever I think “polished nails” the image of the gaudy “Dynasty” era dragon-lady nails of the 80’s pops in my head. Enough said.
With that said, I know someone who does nails for a living and after many years of it, she has some severe skin disease that her physician says is directly related to one or more of the chemicals she uses on a daily basis. Tragic.
Best wishes to you and congratulations to your new spouse. I hope your big day was as wonderful and perfect as it sounds.
Congradulations on the wedding!!! I hope that you’re day was beautiful!!!
I stopped painting my fingernails because the job I have won’t allow it. And the natural look with just a shiny topcoat has kinda grown on me and I prefer that now. But I always paint my toes. Always. In the summer, I am rarely without polish on them. After reading all the books, I switched to Nicole by Opi and even though the claimed to have removed the “big three” I have a feeling it’s still pretty toxic. But in the winter, the polish stays off and I just buff them.
My finger nails do seem stronger, but than again, that might be because I started taking fish oil supplements (I noticed many improvements when I started taking it).
Honeybee Gardens has a line of water-based nailpolishes I recently bought the top coat and a pinky-red to try out. The top coat was decent- shines like a toxic polish, but after the second day it had started to chip off. Oh well. Can’t win them all. I also wanted to try Zoya but than again, I suspect they might be as toxic as any other type out there.
I seem to still be searching for the perfect as-clean-as-possible polish.
I too have given up my pedicures after reading the book. Never did my hands because my job destroys any manicure. I really miss the painted toes though. Especially in yoga class. Don’t laugh I just like seeing them when I look down. It is still sunny and sandal weather here in L.A. so I would love to here about any more natural alternatives even if it would be only for an occasional treat. Thanks and congrats on the wedding.
And congratulations on your marriage!
I am afraid that this week has been so crazy with work that I have become completely scattered and impolite.
I used to polish them with all kinds of crazy colors when I was in high school, and an occasional clear polish here and there later on. When I turned 24, I started to change a lot of aspects in my routine: food, water, meats, and things I’d put in my body. Nail Polish was the first to go, and yes! they never broke again…
I’d never go back, not even to a non-toxic one…
While the chemicals have made me think twice about nail polish – the main reason I don’t paint my nails is because I’m super active on the yoga mat. As a full time yogini – there’s a lot of damage done to your mani/pedi so eventually I just got be like – fcuk it. Constantly fixing it got old quickly, and nail polish kept discoloring my toenails which was so ugly I just quit using it.
I keep my feet moisturized and all my nails short. Otherwise, I leave things alone. I have a small collection of nail polish that I use on such rare special occasions that I’ve been considering throwing it all out.
i paint only my toenails-in the summer for flip flops- now a’days (cuz they are icky.. ever since I was a kid… long days outdoors sans sock and shoes, longs winters w/ my feet never seeing air from always wearing socks and shoes… I’m working on that.. any tips?) Unless i have a special date, or am just feeling random (green nails for ninja turtle halloween costume =] ) then I dont do my fingernails anymore…
and I never have, nor never will, go to a salon for a manicure. Fake nails hurt, they are dirty, and they ruin your nails… and sharing germs w/ all those ppl? no thanks. i have let a rly gifted friend do them @ home twice for weddings, and they were… okay. they looked nice for about 2 days, then they just sucked. whats the point? but nail polish is fun… very sparingly. not worth the trouble, pain, dirty-ness …
I am an off and on again polisher. I’m trying to prefer the unfussy look of unpolished nails, but alas, am not quite there yet. For a while I’ve used Zoya, but I’m afraid though it may be missing some chemicals it surely smells to a have a ton of others. So now I’m on to Aquarella, which I love, though it is very expensive at $18 a bottle… plus you have to use it’s own polish remover. I have found though using their system of buffing, nail conditioner and polish that my nails are smoother and stronger, than using conventional polishes or even no polish at all and just buffing. And there is really no bad chemical smell. At all. It’s amazing. Their polish seems to last as well as regular polish for me as well. The downsides being price, not a lot of color options, hard to find (I got mine on spiritbeautylounge), and having to do kind of “system”.
Congratulations Alexandra!
It’s so bizarre that you’ve brought this topic up one week after I had my first manicure (yes,
First ever). I spent hours trying to remove it from my nails and once it was all gone my normal lovely healthy nails were dried out and felt like chalk. It’s both comforting and frightening to read the experiences of other women!
Jacinta
Sydney, Australia.
Thanks for all the kind words ladies! I failed to mention that I do actually get “natural” pedicures sometimes–but really infrequently. I don’t have the same breakage issues with my toes. :)
I stopped… my killer purple-grey rimmel bottle still taunts me from my bathroom cabinet, but honestly, there’s a lot less work involved and I know it’s much better. Thinking about trying Sula and/or Zoya…
I am green conscious in most all areas of my life, but I have a nail polish addiction. My diet has been organic and local for the last fourteen years, and the products I use on my skin are edible. Never in my life have I used anti-perspirant. The only plastic I have in my home is from my pens. I don’t drink, and I exercise frequently among the redwoods. Nail polish is my last vice, and as a color-lover, I don’t see myself giving it up anytime soon. It has made my nails very strong, and it takes me only ten minutes or so to do a manicure. Poshe Top Coat is key! It dries my nails in 5 minutes and I can wash my hair in twenty. Sometimes I do have moments where I think that my fairly newfound polish habit is reversing my uber-healthy lifestyle choices though, so I am very anxious to try out Scotch Naturals.
I tried Scotch Natural it’s amazing. You don’t need top coat and there’s no smell. Best thing I looked it up on EWG website, http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/brand/Scotch_Naturals/ the raiting of toxicity is 2 (on scale of 10 being most toxic) so I strong recommend it for all.
Personaly, because I am a teen, I paint my nails a lot. I don’t do it because I want everyone to stare at my hands, but because I have short fingers and need to keep my nails short to play piano, I like having it because it doesn’t make my nails look bare. I knew that nail polish was bad for you, but I didn’t realize it was thta potent :P I’ve never polished or buffed my nails, but does anyone reccomend it? Does it do anything to make your nails stronger? After reading you article I would love to get some of the stuff people are talking about C:
I may be late to the party, but I wanted to comment on the two week gel polish mentioned above by kpriss…I had this type of manicure before the holidays, and it has become my personal Braziian Blowout….totally wrecked my typically good nails. I was bad and peeled the polish off a couple of nails which didn’t help. This polish does not come off with regular nail polish remover, it needs to either be filed off or soaked off with water or a water and nail polish mixture. My nails were flaking and actually peeling. Never again!
Love the blog and your book BTW. And Congratulations as well!
Check out Suncoat Products. They’re a Canadian company that makes water-based nail polishes. The woman that started the company was motivated to do so because her daughter wanted to wear nail polish but she was hestitant to allow her because well, she herself is a chemist and knows all too well what ingredients are in polishes. After reading this article I’ve decided to take a challenge to not wear any nail polish for a month and see if there are any improvements. It makes sense that there would be but I love the feeling of getting a pedi in the summer and the look of a mani in the winter. I really appreciate this article and its comments and have resolved to not try the Shellac or Axxium manicures. http://www.suncoatproducts.com/
Hello girls! I am Brazilian and I met the site of you through a reposting of magazine galileu. When li thought was exactly what I was looking for!. recently my body collapsed, knows when we are always sick, horrible and ugly skin tpm? I am a sculptor and had an allergy in the finger that was very difficult to find out the reason. thought it could be clay, plaster or any material which used, when I found out that it was my acetone! so I started researching about toxic components and observe my body’s reactions to cosmetics, and I began to see how much was intoxicating me with inadequate nutrition and eating habits also misguided, as little sleep and eat too much bread. But what motivated you to write this comment is just a habit that I acquired in recent years that believe that helped poison my body was the habit 2 nails install dep times per week. in Brazil there is a fever of esmalts and most glazes have formaldehyde, toluene and are consumed normally. But one of the components that noticed that gives me really is unpleasant reactions, which have up on Benzophenone enamels that love how Chanel and OPI in enamel remover, which used in Carmex lip balm in solar protetore … then found some options that I want to test that in addition to 3 g free are free of ZOYA and Silicium of Benzophenone are LA ROCHE POSAY Despite not selling in Brazil I test, delete once this Benzophenone everything that use, in addition to the 3 g. Girls, congratulations on engagement and sincerity, I am devouring the blog and sorry if my wording was confusing way, but I don,t speak English and I used the translator. Love, Pri