Toluene is a paint thinner, which gives nail polish that 'painty' smell. It causes neurotoxicity. Neurotoxicity is a (nice?) way of saying that it messes with your brain. I'm sure most of us have dabbled in mind-altering substances at some point in high school or college, but most of those killed off a few brain cells and then we grew up and learned better. Well, this lovely chemical will not only make you brain dead, but it will also over-activate certain parts of your brain that causes neuro-transmitters to over-stimulate and cause you to freak out. Hmm. Doesn't sound too fun.
Formaldehyde combines with other ingredients in nail polish and other cosmetics that stimulate its release into the air. At best formaldehyde can cause rashes and skin or eye irritations and at works, cancers such as blood cancer. When formaldehyde enters the body through inhalation or topically, it's unstable structure encourages it to bond to a stable protein, namely DNA. Once this process happens and more unstable molecules attach to other parts of DNA, our genetic code for repairing cells and carrying out tasks is compromised. Also, the nature of formaldehyde is such that it leaves a slimy residue around its wake (which is great for dissecting frogs, but not so great for leaving our blood healthy.) Once you have these bonds forming, and the cell's DNA has been compromised, cell replication can happen at the worst time possible, and these newly formed cells with formaldehyde in them can start replicating and form a mass of chaos. This is how a tumor forms.
Lastly, let's learn about DBP. DBP is short for dibutyl phthalate and is incredibly harmful to both female and male reproductive systems. It is put, not only into nail polish, but most big name brands of cosmetic lines, in order to maintain a consistent, lump-free product. Which is ironic because toxins and carcinogens are the very thing that cause lumps and tumors in us.
And guess what? Gel nail polish is even worse. When I experimented with them, a few years ago, I noticed that it was ripping up my nails. Turns out they have even more chemicals. So is it reaallllly worth it? Hopefully you are smart enough to see that it's probably not. Beauty comes from within, from eating good foods and from doing kind deeds-- not from toxic nail polish. But a couple of non-toxic brands and try them out. If you can't give yourself a manicure, then take your new polish to the salon and get it done professionally. Even if you happen to breathe in toxins there, at least you won't have them absorbed into your nails too!
Three Great Natural Nail Polish Brands, in order of preference, are:
1. Butter (High-end with the most beautiful color selection-- seriously, you will not feel deprived!)
2. Scotch (another goodie)
3. Gabriel (not as great of a selection, but all natural and their "Classic Red" is perfect.)
You can find the last one in many Whole Foods markets and the first two have store locators online. For those in West Hollywood, there is a lovely selection of Butter at Planet Beauty on Fairfax and 3rd.
Happy painting!
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