There are a lot of different kinds of nail polish on the market today. There are the old fashioned more conventional types of nail polishes, those that are quick dry, strengthening, organic, or even natural. But just what exactly is “natural nail polish”?
Natural nail polish is a term that is given to nail enamel or varnish that is free of several of the typical chemical ingredients that you will find in normal or traditional nail polish formulations. Natural nail polish is made up of a water base rather than a solvent or oil base, and they are free from most harmful chemicals such as formaldehyde, xylene, phthalates, toluene, and artificial colors.
Don’t be fooled, however; no natural nail polish is completely 100% “natural”. Rather they are “more” natural than the more conventional types of nail polish as they lack many of the synthetic ingredients and harmful chemicals that can be found in many other nail polishes. Some of the unnatural ingredients in a natural nail polish include:
- Plastic (usually polyurethane or a co-polymer, which are used as a binding agent)
- Possible use of solvents in small amounts
- Natural nail polishes are non toxic, odorless, and they do not strip the natural oils from your fingernails.
Why would one choose a Natural Nail Polish?
There are a lot of questions being raised about the ingredients that are contained in the more traditional form of nail polish. For example, the phthalates that are used in most nail polishes have been linked to both birth defects and cancer. One in particular, DBP (dibutyl phthalate) has been linked to underdeveloped genitals and fertility problems in newborn boys.
Toluene and formaldehyde are both well known carcinogens. Though they are used only in very small amounts in nail polish, it is argued that any amount of a poisonous chemical is still far more damaging than not using or coming in contact with these products at all. Carcinogens have been linked to:
- Cancer
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Disease
- Illness
- Pre-mature aging and pre-mature death
Is Natural Nail Polish Just as Effective as Regular Nail Polish?
No. These natural nail polish colors tend to take longer to dry than the regular nail polish types on the market today. As a matter of fact, some natural nail polish shades may take up to 6 hours to fully dry. A benefit to using a natural nail polish, however, is that it can usually be easily removed with a rubbing alcohol and vodka-grain based alcohol base rather than the traditional type of nail polish remover that contains several harmful ingredients and also dries out our nails.
You can also find several different vegan and organic types of natural nail polishes on the market, which come in both peel off and non-peel off styles and in an array of different colors. If you are looking for a healthier alternative to the regular nail polish that you see in the market, try out your favorite shade of nail polish in a natural nail polish form and see if it works for you!