Today, I am writing about toxins in nail polish, an issue I care about deeply. Many of you may not be aware that when polishing your nails, you may be exposing yourself to chemicals that have the potential to cause cancer and birth defects. Specifically, a chemical combination called the "Toxic Trio": Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP) and Formaldehyde. Below, I will be talking about why each chemical is unhealthy.
Toluene
Toluene is most commonly found in petroleum crude oil. It is also found in some aerosol sprays, antifreeze, adhesives, printer ink, and cosmetics. Toluene exposure occurs when it is inhaled or absorbed through skin. It could also be ingested through contaminated food or water.
Effects on your body:
Most information we have about toluene exposure is from studies about inhalant abusers, or "huffers". Inhalants contain many other chemicals, and therefore the information is not specific to toluene. Inhalants can cause problems with the central nervous system. This may result in symptoms such as dizziness, headaches, and confusion. Over long periods of time, exposure to high levels of the chemicals found in inhalants can cause permanent brain damage, kidney failure, liver failure, and even death. Toluene by itself can be a skin irritant causing redness and itching. No studies have shown that exposure to toluene causes cancer.
Exposure during pregnancy:
There is no data available about only exposure to toluene during pregnancy. Much of the data about possible effects of toluene exposure during pregnancy is from studies about people who abused inhalants, or "huffers". Therefore, this data is not just about toluene, since aerosolized sprays obviously contain other chemicals. Those studies have shown that exposure to aerosolized chemicals may cause birth defects such as mental retardation, decreased birth weight, delayed growth, behavioral delays and hearing loss. Animal studies on the effects of toluene have shown decreased birth weight, delayed growth and hearing loss.
Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)
Dibutyl Phthalate is used to make plastics soft and flexable. It is found in many plastics such as shower curtains, food wraps, bowls, and of course nail polishes and cosmetics. It has no scent. Exposure can occur through inhalation or oral exposure.
Effects on your body:
The effects of DBP on humans are relatively unknown because there have been no studies on the direct effects of inhaled or oral DBP in humans. Some studies on animals have shown liver problems, reduced weight, and anemia. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers DBP unclassifiable as to carcinogenic effects. This means that because there are no studies on this chemical, they cannot say whether or not it is proven to cause cancer.
Exposure during pregnancy:
Again, no studies have been conducted on humans, therefore data available about possible effects is limited to data observed in animal studies. Animal studies have shown decreased birth weight, decreased numbers of viable births (meaning the animal died in the womb secondary), neural tube defects, decreased size of testicles, and decreased production of sperm.
Formaldehyde
Formaldehyde is a strong scented clear gas which can be mixed with alcohol to create a liquid. It is frequently used as a preservative, and I am sure many of you can remember the scent from anatomy classes. Formaldehyde is contained in many common building materials such as particle board and insulation. It is also found in some cosmetics, paper products, plastics, dyes, and cigarettes.
Effects on your body:
Formaldehyde inhalation can cause difficulty breathing, watery eyes, and irritation of the nose and throat. Ingesting formaldehyde can cause vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Skin contact can cause irritation and rashes. Formaldehyde exposure has been proven to cause nasal cancers in animal studies, and therefore is considered "probably carcinogenic" to humans. There have been no human studies on whether or not formaldehyde will cause cancer in humans because they are too dangerous to conduct knowing that it is known to cause cancer in animals.
Effects during pregnancy:
There is no evidence that Formaldehyde causes birth defects. There is some debate as to whether exposure during pregnancy causes increased risk of spontaneous abortion and reduced fertility. There is also debate as to whether exposure causes decreased sperm concentrations.
Now, before you freak out and decide you are never going to polish your nails again, there is good news! Many nail polish and cosmetic companies are aware of the unhealthy chemicals used in cosmetics, and are now manufacturing their products without toluene, DBP and formaldehyde. If polishes do not include these products, they are known as "3-free". There are also products which do not include formaldehyde resin, known as "4-free", and products that do not contain formaldehyde resin or camphor, known as "5-free" Also, there is a small group of companies that manufacture water based nail lacquer. I am working on a list of nail polishes that are in each of these categories. Check my next post for a list of safe polishes.
Are you scared to polish your nails now? Would you still polish your nails while pregnant after reading this? Do you think the government should make it illegal have these products in polishes and other cosmetics? Let me know in the comments!
Sources:
Environmental Protection Agency
Environmental Protection Agency, DBP
Environmental Protection Agency, Formaldehyde
Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety
Illinois Dept. of Public Health
Showing posts with label Nail polish. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nail polish. Show all posts
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Monday, July 9, 2012
How to get a perfect, long lasting manicure
Hello everyone!
Ever wonder why some people can wear the same nail polish for a week without chipping, yet yours seems to chip after one day? Well, some of that is genetics (stronger nails = less bending and less splitting, therefore less chipping) however some of it may have to do with the technique you use to paint your nails. Lets talk about how to get a beautiful manicure every time you paint your nails!
The first step to getting a beautiful manicure is prepping your nails! If you already have nail polish on, you obviously need to take it off. I like to use non-acetone polish remover whenever possible, because it is less drying. Cotton balls are the best way to take off nail polish because they do not break and flake off and make a big mess like tissue paper. If you have nail polish stuck around the edges, you should use a q-tip to remove that as well.
After my polish is removed, I always wash my hands quickly. Pretty much everyone who knows me has probably heard my rant about microwaving plastic tupperware and how I don't like to store my food in it. I am worried about getting cancer from the toxins that plastics leak into your food (I get this phobia from my mom, THANKS MOM) Same goes with nail polish remover. Wash those toxins off as quickly as possible! However, do not soak your hands in the water for a long period of time. Water makes your nails swell. When they are dry again, they will shrink. If you put the nail polish on while they are still even a tad bit wet, they will chip when dry. I usually wait about 5 min. after washing my hands to start applying new polish so that it gives my nails some time to dry.
If necessary, this is the time to use that great Sally Hansen cuticle remover that I talked about in my last post to soften up those cuticles and push them back. After I have waited for my nails to dry off, I then apply a base coat. This is where we get into the nitty gritty of nail polish application. Starting in the middle of your nail, do one smooth stroke then two on the sides. Come as close to the cuticle as possible without touching it. If you get nail polish under the cuticle it looks bad, and as your nail grows out, it may create some flaking near this line.
If you do this by accident, you can take a thin paintbrush or nail art brush, dip it in polish remover and then run it along the edge of the nail where you made the mistake. This will remove it. It is best to do this right away while the polish is still wet.
When you have painted your whole nail, don't forget to cap the ends. For those of you who do not know what this is, look at the picture below. Basically, you take your brush, and run it along nail edge. This will seal off the edge, helping to prevent chips and tip wear. Remember to always use very thin coats of polish. Too thick polish takes forever to dry making you more likely to ruin the manicure you worked so hard to create by touching things and smudging it.
Next, move on to your color coat. Same process here. Thin coats, cap the ends. Don't touch the polish brush directly to your cuticle. I usually only do 2 coats of color, unless the color is too translucent and I am trying to cover up streaking. If the polish gets too thick, it is going to peal right off. Do the same steps with the top coat. One thin coat, cap the ends. Top coat is essential to make your manicure shiny, cover up any unevenness in the color, and to make it last longer. If there are any mistakes you can again use that thin paintbrush to get excess polish off your skin. Make sure you wait for all polish to dry between coats, usually about 10-15 min so that your manicure doesn't get ruined when you touch things.
When you are done, remember to wash your your hands again. Then use some moisturizer, like cuticle oil, or that great J.R. Watkins hand and cuticle salve that I talked about in my last blog.
Does anyone else have any tips or tricks to make your manicures last longer?
Ever wonder why some people can wear the same nail polish for a week without chipping, yet yours seems to chip after one day? Well, some of that is genetics (stronger nails = less bending and less splitting, therefore less chipping) however some of it may have to do with the technique you use to paint your nails. Lets talk about how to get a beautiful manicure every time you paint your nails!
The first step to getting a beautiful manicure is prepping your nails! If you already have nail polish on, you obviously need to take it off. I like to use non-acetone polish remover whenever possible, because it is less drying. Cotton balls are the best way to take off nail polish because they do not break and flake off and make a big mess like tissue paper. If you have nail polish stuck around the edges, you should use a q-tip to remove that as well.
After my polish is removed, I always wash my hands quickly. Pretty much everyone who knows me has probably heard my rant about microwaving plastic tupperware and how I don't like to store my food in it. I am worried about getting cancer from the toxins that plastics leak into your food (I get this phobia from my mom, THANKS MOM) Same goes with nail polish remover. Wash those toxins off as quickly as possible! However, do not soak your hands in the water for a long period of time. Water makes your nails swell. When they are dry again, they will shrink. If you put the nail polish on while they are still even a tad bit wet, they will chip when dry. I usually wait about 5 min. after washing my hands to start applying new polish so that it gives my nails some time to dry.
If necessary, this is the time to use that great Sally Hansen cuticle remover that I talked about in my last post to soften up those cuticles and push them back. After I have waited for my nails to dry off, I then apply a base coat. This is where we get into the nitty gritty of nail polish application. Starting in the middle of your nail, do one smooth stroke then two on the sides. Come as close to the cuticle as possible without touching it. If you get nail polish under the cuticle it looks bad, and as your nail grows out, it may create some flaking near this line.
See that lighter line along the center of my nail in the cuticle? That is what you do not want. I came too close to the cuticle and the polish bled under it
If you do this by accident, you can take a thin paintbrush or nail art brush, dip it in polish remover and then run it along the edge of the nail where you made the mistake. This will remove it. It is best to do this right away while the polish is still wet.
Use the nail brush just like this
This is me capping my ends.
Next, move on to your color coat. Same process here. Thin coats, cap the ends. Don't touch the polish brush directly to your cuticle. I usually only do 2 coats of color, unless the color is too translucent and I am trying to cover up streaking. If the polish gets too thick, it is going to peal right off. Do the same steps with the top coat. One thin coat, cap the ends. Top coat is essential to make your manicure shiny, cover up any unevenness in the color, and to make it last longer. If there are any mistakes you can again use that thin paintbrush to get excess polish off your skin. Make sure you wait for all polish to dry between coats, usually about 10-15 min so that your manicure doesn't get ruined when you touch things.
When you are done, remember to wash your your hands again. Then use some moisturizer, like cuticle oil, or that great J.R. Watkins hand and cuticle salve that I talked about in my last blog.
Does anyone else have any tips or tricks to make your manicures last longer?
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