The Nail Polish Debate Continued—Maybe Concluded? [UPDATED]
Unless someone is getting married, you probably won’t see me with nail polish on. It’s not really because nail polish contains toxic chemicals, though it does, or that it’s near impossible to find natural brands that either 1) work the way we’ve become accustomed to, or 2) aren’t still filled with suspect chemicals despite clean claims.
It’s mostly because I rather get a massage than a mani, when it comes to pampering, and I’m just a bit of a wildling (Game of Thrones, anyone?) with regards to maintenance. Whether I’m using the so-called naturals, or mainstream three-frees (like OPI and others) my nails usually chip within a day of getting painted, and I wait way too long to take it off. That’s partially because remover makes me want to die, but also because I always seem to have something more pressing to do.
The other reason I rarely polish is that, in my experience, it destroys and weakens my nails and—because I’ve always been self-conscious that my hands are a little bit manish—I love keeping my nails just on the longer side of good taste. Paint pour moi equals breakage, so I go long rather than colorful, and this works for me because it saves time, money, and the (literal) headache that comes when I sit in a nail salon. The clean one I sometimes frequented sadly went out of business, because like many things green or pretending to be, prices were unreasonably marked up.
The last time we talked polish, many of you asked us to further comment on the big debate: Are any of them clean, or just greenwashed and overpriced? There’s a diligently researched piece on Fig+Sage about this that’s totally worth a read, but the way I see it, debate is a misnomer. There’s not a whole lot to argue because it comes down to choice, and most of us clean gals fall into one of three categories.
1. You know that no polish is totally clean, but continue to get your nails done because it makes you happy and you’ve found a three-free, or better, brand you love. It’s a risk you’re willing to take here and there for the feeling of joy/relaxation/self love/ritual/insert your own, that it gives you. We’ve stated in the past, and continue to believe that as long as a choice is informed, it’s yours (and ours) to make! Whether it’s a hamburger, a cocktail, highlights, or regular mani-pedis.
2. You used to love it, but you can’t abide putting mystery chemicals on your body so you’ve learned how to use the water-based naturals like Scotch (again, not totally “natural” but as Fig+Sage points out reluctantly, better). G-bless! You’re also one of those people who whips up DIY recipes, and we love you. We know some women like you, and we admire them (Rebecca Bailey, I’m looking at you.)
3. You don’t love nail polish enough for either the risk, effort, or cost, so you sport bare nails and do your best to keep them looking clean, maybe buffed, possibly long. This, clearly, is my camp.
Will we review cleaner polishes on occasion? Probably. Does that mean we think that they’re perfect? No. Do we think that some are overpriced and greenwashed? For sure. But we’ll always present the facts available to us.
Ultimately, if you’re from camp polish, we want you to choose from cleaner versions and continue to push the market that way. The fact that some of the biggest brands have gone three-free isn’t nothing. And this happens to be a category—like hair dye—that just does not have a perfect option right now, and maybe never will.
So, which are you: polish never, on special occasions, weekly? Is your choice informed by cost, chems, something else?
UPDATE: Blah! Sorry guys, I forgot to mention that an unfortunate study revealed that some supposed three-free brands are, in fact, not. Siobhan covered it back in April, and lists the guilty parties in this post. Just to further confused matters.
I own a couple of bottles of Sheswai polishes which I occasionally use on my toes. I never paint my fingernails, for the reasons above and because I am a nurse. I keep them short, buffed and natural. I concentrate on lots of handwashing and good hand lotions. I would cringe at the thought of having a salon do my toes; if I want them done, I do it myself. There are alot of things you can catch from a nail salon, and I don’t want to expose myself to anything more than I have to.
I know it looks more attractive to have your nails done, but I can’t do it because I hate the chemicals. Its hard to find a manicurist willing to buff & shine because of the labor involved, but I’m willing to pay more for that. If not, I have a buff & shine board I purchased at an outdoor flea market.
I came across this one day when researching this topic: http://www.alllacqueredup.com/2009/04/celebrate-earth-day-check-your.html
Nail polish is not natural. How could it be? The thing that is hugely dishonest, though, is the ones that tout that they are 3-Free when they still contain a tosylamide/formaldehyde resin. Does that still not count? Most of us do not have degrees in chemistry so that we can decipher the ingredients list.
I used to polish all the time, but now just occasionally. I liked OPI, then when Essie came along I switched, until I read your book. Now I want all my products to be as clean as possible. The only “clean” polish I found in my area is SpaRitual – they claim to be Vegan, so I guess that’s the best I can do if buying from a store. I do prefer to purchase the majority of my products at a store versus on-line.
I never wear polish and never really have on a consistent basis anyway, clean or dirty. I prefer the natural, buffed look. Fortunately, I have been blessed with really good nail that grow like weeds, are strong and well shaped. Not only does polish and remover weaken your nails, it yellows them too, when used on a consistent basis.
I have had a long standing love affair with nail polish and it has been my biggest struggle going clean :( For the past five years I have vacillated between just buying any polish and giving up on caring about chemicals all the way to no polish to getting regular shellac manicures and amassing collections of various 3-4-5 free polishes. Right now I’m in a phase of renewed faith in water based polishes largely due to their lack of fumes. I found this blog: http://prettypaintednails.com and it’s been really helpful in breaking it all down both in terms of use and how water based polish works chemically. And that, no, it’s really natural.
I used to occasionally paint my nails, but have stopped because of both the harmful chemicals and also because the more I learn about the artificial desires beauty industries create, the more I’ve grown to love natural looks — including (and perhaps especially) natural, clean nails. I’ve also grown to appreciate the “one less thing I have to do” feeling when it comes to removing nail polish. Interesting, as a teenager I would bite my painted nails and think, “What if nail polish causes cancer?” I didn’t know anything about environmental health at the time. I’m sure I’ve ingested quite a bit of chipping nail polish growing up, but despite my logical reasoning I trusted industry. The anger I feel toward the beauty industry for taking advantage of my teenage naivety is also a reason I’ve stopped wearing nail polish.
According to Ecoholic Body, No Miss is pretty good. Cheeky Monkey is also one of the cleanest as far as that goes. Suncoat and Scotch Naturals are also on the list. I’d love to see your review of them. Cheeky is my fave.
I’m not big on polish, because my nails are naturally quite white and look nice. My style is also very natural, so people would be surprised to see me with colour on my nails. I find colourful polish is like a bright red lip, not every one can pull it off.
I do like clear coats and conditioners to protect and prevent breakage. I switched to Acquarella’s nail conditioner. It doesn’t last much, but since it’s clear it doesn’t really matter to me. It’s quite clean as far as polish is concerned in my opinion, with no smell at all. The remover is not very efficient, so I skip it. It comes off naturally after about 3 days on finger nails (maybe 2 weeks on toe nails), because it’s water-based. I like the ritual of pushing back cuticles (I finally gave up cutting but it’s a constant inner battle cause they bug me), filing my nails, and applying a coat twice a week.
Special occasions or really strong urges only! My toenails are always painted in the summer though, usually with Zoya (I have their remover too, works well, not too fumey). I never go get manicures and pedicures but I do pretty solid at-home ones regularly. My fingernails are one of my favorite things about myself (it sounds weird, but I swear I get complimented on my nail beds often!) and I always used to keep them polished. When I first stopped painting them, my nails hurt! I think they were really, really dry? But now that they’re used to being naked and buffed they feel & look great!
What about Jin Soon’s new nail polishes? Supposedly 5 free, long wearing and high gloss. I guess you can’t really believe packaging though…
I ADORE the look of polished nails. My fingernails are painted the majority of the time and my toenails are painted all of the time. I know there is no such thing as natural nail polish or natural nail polish remover. I’m ok with that.
I use three-free nail polishes (Sinful Colors, LA Colors, Milani, Wet N Wild) and acetone-free nail polish remover. Also, I do my nails in a well-ventilated area (outside, windows open, fan blowing, etc).
As for other aspects of nail care, I take a biotin supplement (to strengthen and lengthen my nails), use a natural nail and cuticle oil as well as a nail buffer. I must admit that I like the look of longer, buffed natural nails. Hmmm…
I was a big polisher in my younger days, and gave it up for about a decade around pregnancy and baby time. My house is filled with clouds of testosterone since my son hit puberty, and it makes me feel a need to be girly, so I’ve been back on the polish. Zoya is my thing, but I’m cheating on them with Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics a bit to give them a try. These are among the cleaner of the brands out there, but of course no nail polish is clean. I feel like these companies don’t fake at being clean, they just say they are cleanER. And, by the way, the water based ones I’ve tried are total crap, in my extremely humble opinion. Plus I feel like those companies are being misleading about how clean they are.
Nail polish is the only way I break my rule of nothing on my body that I wouldn’t eat (and I’m very particular about what I eat). If I wasn’t a sensitive type I would likely go completely without. But because I am so sensitive, and the brands I use don’t bother me with smell or skin reactions, I feel like it’s okay. I may change my mind about that. But now, I do my toes regularly, and fingers occasionally. I’ve never been to a nail salon, and I like the ritual of “doing my nails” whether that’s with polish or not. I’ve been using Zoya polish and remover over a year, and my nails are at least as healthy as they were before. They actually look great immediately after removing polish, there’s no yellowing, no dryness. My fingernails are typically buffed and cut short when I’m not wearing polish, and I really like how they look. I honestly don’t think the polish has damaged them at all.
Ha! Thanks for the Game of Thrones reference, cracked me up to see it here. I like to look very genteel and pretty (definitely not a wildling) but every time I have ever painted my nails I have picked at them, (not very pretty) so I go unpainted but do obsess a little over the condition of my nails.
I never paint my fingernails but have a weakness for painted toe nails. It makes me feel put together and cheery! I tried Scotch Naturals and it was just too much work. It chipped within a day but then was impossible to get off??? I have also tried Priti but the coverage wasn’t great and it stinks just as much as regular nail polish. The greenwashing in this area is also really discouraging especially because the supposedly cleaner products are so pricey! So, I gave up and now I use readily available brands that are 3-free and call it good, knowing its not great. It is the one area where I “cheat” so I don’t feel badly about it. My toes just look too cute! :)
I love Scotch. I actually enjoy the ritual of it, and in my experience, when I put it on correctly (hydrate nails, wash clean, apply and let set overnight), the polish actually stays longer than conventional polishes. Plus their color selection has grown so much since their start.
I do NOT love the polish remover, though, so I use Priti’s remover for all polishes.
I do use 3-frees on my toenails, but that’s mainly because I only do pinks and reds on my toenails, and haven’t gotten around to purchasing one of the red/pink colors from Scotch yet.
I rarely wear polish, but used to enjoy the occasional pedi.
However, my mother (a nurse) recently caught something at a nail salon, and had to have the infection lasered off and then ran a course of unpleasant antibiotics. The podiatrist told her not to get a pedi at a salon again, because the fungus she caught lives in the nail polishes they use and reuse. My mother was a pedi addict, but the pain of removing the infection has outweighed her desire to get a pedi ever again. Based on her experience, I won’t get a salon pedi again either.
@Lisa be careful with No Miss, most of their polishes contain FD&C colors
List me on the column of the ones that use nail polish quite regularly . Although I do my own mani & pedi and have settled on Zoya polishes and remover(the best I’ve tried so far), I certainly understand that I’m compromising here. I have nothing against nicely buffed & clean nails but love the look of a nice coat of nail polish.
I put on nail polish mostly on special occasions or sometimes if I like to. But there are many reasons to keep my nails natural…first of all nail polish can be a burden if you are into sewing and playing the guitar, second there are too less clean polishes. Furthermore mine are also getting weakend from nail polish and I don’t like to care for my finger nails a lot which is impossible if you want them to stay nice. And I really like long and natural nails, maybe a bit polished with a special nail file.
I’ve reduced my nail polish collection (which was about only 15) to only 5 ones after I’ve realized that I can’t even use them up. Next step would be to look for cleaner ones like scotch naturals. I don’t care if it takes longer and doesn’t stay long cause I use them very seldom anyway. And that’s also the reason why I don’t care if they are expensive .
I was putting a second coat on my nails as I read this! Now they’re dry and I can respond. I am a sucker for bold, fun nail colors, although I don’t do it that often. My toenails are usually painted in the summer, fingernails I don’t keep polish on very long because I get bored after a few days. I’m a recent Butter convert – they’re 3-free, which I know is not perfect, but it is still good, and it’s just a very high quality polish. I tried Scotch Naturals and was bitterly disappointed – it was like I’d painted on my nails with a magic marker, and it lasted about as long too. It would be chipped and rubbing off within the next hour, so it was a total ripoff.
What I wonder is, is the only harm of nail polish the fumes? Or are we absorbing harmful chemicals through our nails? Someone with a stronger background in science help me out here!
Part of my philosophy is that nail polish is a relatively low-profile accessory. I could buy lots of new purses and jewelry and whatnot, or I could paint my nails now and then and be happy with the jewelry and the bag I already have. I’m equally satisfied with a new nail polish color for $14 as with a new cheap bag, and that bag is either going to be made from leather, which I hate buying for environmental reasons, or plastic with lead on it (which I learned about from this blog!). Nails seem like the more sustainable choice.
I’m outing myself as a total and complete nail polish addict. The bolder, the better, with a sprinkle of glitter. I do stick to the “free” polishes and echo most of the disappointed comments in this thread about the more “natural” polishes. I intellectually get this is the decidedly most dirty part of my beauty/self-care routine. It can/does make me fret just a bit. But I also know myself well enough to know that I just adore a well painted nail and have since I was a kid. It makes me happy. It a relatively low-cost way of being on trend and to have a bit of fun. My paws and claws are just fine. (Well, to the naked eye, anyway.) Perhaps even more than the girly/makeup angle, I adore the ritual of painting my own nails: picking out the polish, perching myself on the couch, and then not being able to do anything for a bit until my nails dry. No salon for me, total diy.
And while I stay in the pro-polish camp for now, I do appreciate the conversation and ongoing education. It’s good to revisit and continue to inform my choices, as things shift and change all the time. I appreciate everyone’s perspective & comments in this thread.
I also am grateful that I live a life where I have the luxury to think about things like how clean is my nail polish. It’s a good life, this one.
I use some “not so clean” “3-free”: Sinful color and american.apparel.
My favorites are no miss and zoya, but for almost 9 dollars the bottle, I get a headache… and aa aren’t that cheap either, 3 of $15… sinful color, $2.00…
I go for colors and “3-free” and I guess I’ve put a real blind eye because we won’t know for sure if they really-really are 3 free… but my nails have harden with time, and I also keep them short.
I do splurge on nail polish remover… I LOOOOOOVE Mineral Fusion’s! It smells sooooo good! (weird, I know! but it is true!)
Why no comments on the new colored “stickers” you put on your nails and they peel right off when you remove them?
I am in camp 2, I switched to only using water-based nail polishes. I used to love painting my nails every other day, but due to the chemicals I started shying away from nail polish. Then I discovered water-based polishes. They may not be natural, since they contain acrylic, but they are much safer than regular nail polish.
A little late to join the convo, but nonetheless….
I used to love long, colorful nails when I was a teenager but have since grown to hate them, and the polish removers too. There are so many toxic chemicals out there that the more we can avoid the better off we are. This goes for furniture, clothing and car interiors, things that many people don’t even think about! But back to nails…. I find short, buffed nails very pretty and that is what I’ve been doing for many years now. I also think that “pretty” is cultural and we would not be so inclined to use all the products we use or buy as many clothes if it wasn’t for the fashion and beauty industries and all their advertising. So, I am happy and proud to rebel and go without. I also go without perfum (nowadays I can’t even stand the smell anymore!) and hair color (going gray which is all the rage in Europe). One last thing, I am all for free choice but I truly think you should not be reviewing any nail polishes that are not truly clean. By that same token, you should be reviewing semi-natural skincare brands with phenoxyethanol, for example. But, that is just my 2 cents….
scotch is so the way to go! it takes a few uses to get your nails in good health for the products to bind properly but now it works SO good. you just need to moisturize and also use the bottom and top coat. stays on as long or longer than conventional nail polishes with the added perk of drying super fast. i am so happy i switched!! i should add that i almost always have my nails polished so i don’t find scotch any more work than the old, dirty polish. in fact, i think Scotch has become a bit easier to apply and definitely has a much quicker drying time.