Polish Nails Without Dangerous Chemicals

I love to have my toe nails polished bright red during the summer when I can wear sandals and go bare foot. Since I'm showing off my tootsies, I want them to look pretty.

When I was pregnant I became concerned about the chemicals in nail polish and decided I should look for a non-toxic version. So I pulled out my trusty resource guide from Kat Jame's The Truth About Beauty (see yesterday's post) and found a couple of great alternatives. Her top pick is a professional-quality nail polish without the top three dangerous nail-polish chemicals: formaldehyde, toluene and dibutyl phthalate. These chemicals are known to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity. Firoze's polish contains organic cotton, silk, herbs and vitamins. A bottle costs $14 from http://www.firoze.com/.

My favorite is No Miss Nail Polish, which I can easily buy at the nearby Whole Foods Market for about $6.50. It is also free of the top three usual chemicals in addition to D&C dyes and camphor. It uses minerals and other earth material for coloring and for UVA protection. It holds up pretty well and has a great shine. I also like Almost Natural Polish Remover from the same company, which is free of acetone and ethyl acetate, and it's made with organic ingredients.

Other healthier alternative nail polishes on the market are by Sante Nails, Acquarella, and Honeybee Gardens. Fortunately, many manufacturers of conventional nail polish are beginning to remove some of the most toxic chemicals from their products. However, some are removing one or two, but not all three of the top offenders.

It's wonderful to pamper yourself, but who wants to purposely paint a known carcinogen onto their body in the name of beauty. Fortunately, the public is wising up and companies are beginning to slowly take notice.