all-natural nails don’t have to go bare

Now that summer’s going strong, my feet are getting a whole lot of airtime. Which made me want to pretty them up for all those fab sandals I’m wearing. And that path led right to doing some legwork on finding organic nail polishes. And I must admit, I might’ve put my foot in it this time because the truth is, there’s a lot of controversy over the term “organic”, especially when it comes to things like nail polish. But let’s take a look at how it all started.

Traditional nail polish, in many cases, uses ingredients that date back to the 1920s and 1930s, when cosmetics companies borrowed methods from car manufacturers that were developing new paint technology. (That’s right, gals. Car paint. Not what I wanna be wearing this summer.)

Hard to believe, but the chemicals used way back then to create lasting results are still in those shiny little bottles, which means you’re dabbing that nasty stuff onto your toesies. Oh no-sies!

Most polishes contain dibutyl phthalate (DBP), a plasticizer that disrupts endocrine function and is linked to birth defects. And some also have toluene and formaldehyde, which are suspected carcinogens. (Let’s all say yuck together now. Yuck!) The European Union banned the use of DBP and, in some instances, formaldehyde, in cosmetics in 2003, although the FDA says those chemicals pose no threat at such low levels.

But the HYPERLINK "http://www.safecosmetics.org/" Campaign for Safe Cosmetics disagrees. This coalition aims to get cosmetics companies worldwide to phase out potentially harmful ingredients by having them sign their Compact for Safe Cosmetics.

So far, 600 cosmetics companies have signed the compact. OPI, a major player in the nail-care industry, agreed last year to stop using DBP in its products (though it still uses formaldehyde in some). And Sally Hansen has reformulated all of their products to be free of DBP, toluene and added formaldehyde.

Creating a safer polish does have its trade-offs, though, like texture inconsistencies, sheer appearance and drying times, they say. So I decided to try a few and let you know how they stack up.

Polish it up

HYPERLINK "http://pritinyc.3dcartstores.com/" Priti Nails. Priti Nails sells a soy-based nail lacquer and soy polish remover, plus an entire spa collection to delight your eco-bod. That said, Priti Nails doesn’t bill its products as organic. As owner Kim D’Amato explains, “Organic is a marketing term that is used over and over inappropriately. Polish is not grown from the ground. It has to contain chemicals to make it adhere to the nail. We all end up with the same sort of formulas in the end as there’s really only one lab in the states that sells it in small quantities to small companies. But we get to choose our formulas.”

Priti Nails contains one of the cleanest soy formulas out there. Their polish in France, Japan and Australia, where it has to go through 9 months of testing to be accepted by those governments. Even though their polish contains chemicals, they’re not in quantities that are considered harmful. And of course, they’re Three Free, which means they don’t contain toluene, formaldehyde and DBP, some of the most toxic chemicals in nail polish, so they’re considered non-toxic.

Priti Nails non-toxic polishes contain:

Butyl Acetate – an organic compound commonly used as a solvent. Colorless, soluble found in many types of fruit. Such as red apples and used as flavoring in candy, and baked goods. It also has the sweet smell of banana.

Ethyl Acetate – an organic compound with a pungent smell like pear drops. It is colorless and used as a solvent.

Nitrocellulose – a long-lasting, film-forming agent derived from cellulose.

Acetyl Tributyl Citrate – colorless non-toxic liquid used as a food additive.

Phthalic Anhydride/Trimellitic Anhydride/Glycols Copolymer – intermediate for the synthesis of surface coating in dyes and adhesives.

Isopropyl Alcohol – the non-toxic alternative to formaldehyde

Stearalkonium Hectorite – a thickening agent.

Adipic Acid/Fumaric Acid/Phthalic Acid/Tricyclodecane Dimethanol Copolymer – an organic compound used as a food flavoring ingredient, found in mushrooms and lichen.

Citric Acid – obtained from citrus fruits.

FDA-approved colors

Choosing from 104 eco-nail lacquers shades makes it really easy for your green self. Not to mention that even your little one, niece, or best friend’s daughter can use Priti Polishes since they’re non-toxic and machine washable. So you can literally let them get all Priti-ed up without a care about anything except how much fun they’re having. Now that’s music to a girl’s toes.

HYPERLINK "http://store.karmaorganicspa.com/nail-polish.html" Karma Organic is actually a spa that's “dedicated to creating an eco-friendly environment with organic products as a healthy alternative for your beauty needs”. They have a line of nail care (among other products) that includes over 80 different nail polish colors, so I thought I would try a few out. I aimed for the craziest ones that my daughter, Green Bean, picked out. So that meant purple (Midnight Passion), blue (Safety Zone), red (Wicked ‘n Wild), orange (Tropical Dream), and pink.

The polishes are also Three Free. Their polish remover, which is biodegradable, 100% soy- and corn-based, non-toxic, non-carcinogenic, packaged in 100% recyclable glass bottles and comes in different formulas: lavender, tea tree or unscented. (And we like those options way better than solvent stinky, don’t we?)

While the colors go on sheer, in some cases, like for Safety Zone, requiring maybe three coats to get a nice, opaque tone, they work great. They glide on just like regular polish.

What’s more, they come off nicely with Karma’s nail polish remover. The one I chose, Lavender, smells like beautiful, lush lavender and feels more like enriching nail oil than a remover. After Kim D’Amato’s explanation, the label on their nail polish remover that says “Organic” in big, fat letters did, however, give me pause for thought. Seems they might be among those companies who use the term organic a bit too liberally.

It was the first time my nails felt smooth and nourished after removing polish, instead of dry and kind of brittle. Green Bean got a kick out of the colors and it made me feel great to make my little girl’s dream of multi-colored nails come true. (We gave her a full pediatric pedicure, with every toenail a different color. She was in toddler heaven.)

Next up, and for something really different, we tried HYPERLINK "http://www.honeybeegardens.com/natural-cosmetics/products/npwcne.html" Honeybee Gardens Non-Peel Off WaterColors Nail Polish. Their unique water-based polish is totally odor-free! No more nasty fumes. But perhaps best of all, there's also no need for toxic smelly nail polish remover. This polish removes with rubbing alcohol, vodka/grain alcohol or our new Odorless Polish Remover. And it’s free from FD&C colors, toluene, dibutyl phthalate, xylene, and formaldehyde. What it does contain is:

Water
Water-miscible acrylic
Polyurethane formers and thickeners
Non-ionic soaps
May contain: ultramarine blue, carmine, mica, iron oxides, and/or titanium dioxide (colorants)

Their formula is so different, they’ve patented it, so there's nothing else like it on the market.

Unlike Karma Organic, this stuff went on thick. One coat did the trick. It was impressive. And it dried pretty quickly, almost as fast as traditional nail polish. But they do warn you that their polish is different. WaterColors Nail Enamel must be given time to create a tough film. About 75% of the hardness is achieved very quickly, but it needs 4-6 hours to achieve maximum hardness.

Interestingly, they also say that unlike the solvent-based traditional nail polishes, which strip the nails of their natural oils, their polish leaves your nails’ oil on, but if you have dry skin or nails, you should consider applying a little nail oil in advance for extra lubrication.

Lastly, they mention that the film that this water-based polish forms actually hardens more and more over time, so they recommend you remove it within a week of application or it can be a bit tricky to take off. I took the polish off pretty fast and it came right off with their Odorless Nail Polish Remover. It’s acetone-free, fragrance-free and enriched with horsetail extract to strengthen nails. Plus it’s fortified with vitamin E and aloe to soothe and protect cuticles. But it should be noted that it’s made with a few different kinds of alcohols, which are toxins, so if you’re not into that, steer clear.

Ingredients:
Methanol (wood alcohol, which it should be noted, is toxic, hence, the bittering agent they add to discourage anyone from drinking this stuff, since it’s clear)
Methyldiglycol (is a fuel additive, as it’s an alcohol)
Trimethyl hydroxypentyl isobutyrate (another alcohol)
Equisetum arvense (horsetail) extract
Tocopheryl acetate (vitamin E)
Aloe barbadensis leaf juice
Denatonium benzoate (bittering agent)

This totally odorless blend of alcohols removes their WaterColors Nail Enamel as well as conventional polish. Good to know.

So there’s a whole host of organic and alternative nail polish options to keep your toes hopping this summer. You can go as colorful or as subtle as you want, without fear of what you’re putting on your feet or into the environment.