Your nails are often neglected when it comes to physical health. Indeed, they’re tough, so no wonder you torture them relentlessly with nail polish and nail polish remover on the reg without much tender love and care for due balance. It’s time for a DIY manicure nail soak.

The nail bath is a simple way to strengthen your nails and the surrounding skin and cuticles. Nails are made of a tough protein called keratin. But due to the daily wear and tear imposed upon them and our less-than-perfect diets, nails can often turn frail, weak, and dry. The skin surrounding your nails is also of great importance because if dry or torn, this skin can be prone to infection and pain.

Bathe your nails in this soak to prove that you are really only a few short ingredients away from a spa-like manicure treatment. The milk provides the skin with calcium and soothing effects. Meanwhile, the honey offers a host of antioxidants, enzymes, minerals, and nutrients. Honey is also a natural anti-inflammatory and antibacterial agent, which means it can allay sore corners of nail skin as well as fend against bacteria. The egg yolks fluently speak nail language – protein – and work to prevent nails from deteriorating. Together, these ingredients soften, strengthen and soothe your nails and the skin surrounding them. A few drops of essential oils  leave a lasting, aromatic touch. Enjoy!

Homemade Nail Soak

For one-time use

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 egg yolks, beaten
• 1/4 cup milk or yogurt
• 3-4 drops of your favorite essential oil (e.g. lavender, chamomile, etc.)

Directions

In a small bowl, whisk together the ingredients until they form a paste. Soak nails in the past for at least 10 minutes. Rinse and dry. Repeat 1-2 times per week.

Photo Credit: iamsuperkane

Related on EcoSalon

What Your Nails Might Be Telling You About Your Health
10 Unusual Ways to Use Nail Polish Remover
Crazy for Cuticles? Get a Mango Home Manicure from JR Watkins

The post DIY Manicure: Moisturizing and Strengthening Soak for Nails appeared first on EcoSalon.

To gel or not to gel? One woman’s journey.

It started on Facebook, as many first-world tragedies do. It was 2010. One moment I was staring in half-focus at the organic burrito a friend says is the best thing she’s ever eaten. An instant later, I snapped to attention. Former fearless EIC of EcoSalon, Sara Ost, had posted a picture of the Manicure to End All Manicures. Her colorful nails looked like they had each been individually sculpted by DaVinci—they were uniform, strong, and bold.

Who did your nails, NASA? I texted Sara. She replied, mysteriously: It’s a gel.

A gel manicure. This was the first time I had heard of such a thing, and I was completely hooked. A gel polish, also known as a shellac, is best described a nail polish on steroids. Gels dry quickly, don’t smudge, and last much longer than a regular manicure.

I have yet to indulge in a gel. Instead, I’ve spent much of my time with my nose pressed up against the windows of nail salons, staring lovingly at the perfect parade of nails like Gwyneth Paltrow stares at gluten-free scones. Though I covet the look of gel-perfect nails, I can’t bring myself to get them.

And here’s why.

Chemicals and Cancer
Could the perfection of the gel be toxin-free? I was dubious. Curious to learn about a safer gel manicure, I contacted several less-toxic nail polish companies that are “3-free,” meaning they are free of dibutyl phthalate (DBP), toluene and formaldehyde. While none of the lines carried a gel, not one would go on record to comment on them.

Does this mean there’s a great conspiracy theory about the toxicity of gels? No, but it did make me suspicious that they weren’t the cleanest tool in the makeup shed. Dr. Susan Taylor is a dermatologist who recently investigated gel manicures. She reports that gel polish may contain methyl acrylate, which can cause contact dermatitis. Further, cancer-causing butylated hydroxyanisol (BHA) is also found in some gels.

If You Gel: Ask your nail technician about the gel ingredients and proceed according to your comfort level.

Your Personalized Hand-Tanning Bed
Gel manicures often require that the user sit with her hands under a UV lamp for an extended period of time to set the nails. Do you want your hands to look like they belong on a New Jersey reality TV show doing Jell-O shots? Probably not.

Dermatologists at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and the University of Texas Medical School recently presented an article on nails lamps. According to the Washington Post, “It appears that exposure to UV nail lights is a risk factor for the development of skin cancer; however, this observation warrants further investigation.” Others say the research is flawed.

If You Gel: Use sunscreen for your trip to the nail lamp. Sure, studies are conflicted, but is it really so hard to slather on some safe sunscreen? Your nail technician will probably even rub it on your hands for you.

Acetone, Be Thy Slayed
To remove a gel polish, fingers or sometimes, entire hands are soaked in acetone for 10 to 15 minutes. As the Washington Post shares, some technicians use “acetone-soaked cotton pads inside Band-Aid like wraps for removal.” In other words, get comfortable with acetone.

When I was in high school, I had to collect bugs for a science project. A classic Tracy Flick-style student, I was out hunting big bugs in a cornfield like Teddy Roosevelt in the Rockies. How I was instructed to kill the doomed insects? I sealed them in a glass jar with a tissue soaked in nail polish remover, aka acetone.

But the bugs have gotten their karma revenge on me. Because now, whenever I strip my nails of polish, I might as well be looking at the ghosts of laughing dead bugs buzzing around my fingers. Skin Deep gives acetone a rating of a “3”, a “Fair,” which means that its risk is between low to moderate. For some, that’s likely safe enough. For me, it means the bugs have won forever.

If You Gel: Only soak your fingertips in acetone, and don’t let the technician soak your entire hand. Since acetone is very drying, make sure you moisturizer as much as possible to avoid brittle nails.

photo credit: trec_lit via photopin cc

The post How Safe Are Gel Manicures? appeared first on EcoSalon.

So far, 2011 is the Year of Mystery Terms. We’re not even at the end of our first month of 2011 and we already have “blood libel” to “Verizon liberation” to “La Nina Snowcalypse” bouncing around making sense to only those permanently locked into a 24-hour news thread. In keeping with this new trend, did you know we’re in a “nail polish economy?” Allow us to explain.

JWT Intelligence Think Tank recently decreed that said “nail polish economy” was a thing to watch in 2011. According to JWT, women typically treat themselves to a new lipstick in troubled times. (That being now, see “blood libel” and “snowcalypse.”) But now the new must-have accessory in the fashion world is nail polish. JWT points out that nails include crazy colors to “leather nails to purposefully chipped nails.” Even Volvo is offering three shades of nail polish to match the latest hues of their Soa.

What is it about nail polish that makes it so popular? Modern nail polish appeared in the 1920s, born from the enamel that was used to paint cars. (See, Volvo is onto something.) But nail tint actually dates back to ancient Egypt. Red nail polish was a sign of social order – apparently, Cleopatra once tinted her nails crimson. And this was a practice reserved for Cleopatra alone. Women who ranked below her were only allowed to tint their nails with pale colors.

Ancient Chinese also colored their nails. The Chou Dynasty of 600BC was comprised of royalty that used gold and silver to enhance their nails. Flash forward to the 20th century, and Max Factor invents Society Nail Tint, a rose-colored cream which gives the nails a reddish tint when applied. Almost a century-later, women and some men, are painting their nails every color under the rainbow and more.

And that is the appeal of nail polish. To many of us, it’s self-expression on our finger tips. You may walk out of the house forgetting to brush your hair, but as long as you’re rocking the lime green nails, you still feel dressed. It’s like we’re painting our moods on our hands that can change with a swipe of remover. Black connotes a rebellious state of mind. Crimson might mean you’re feeling classic or vampy. Turquoise is playful. Orange is bad ass.

And the best part? The color changes meaning for each wearer. Simply, painting your nails is good old fun for less than $20. And it seems to be permeating pop culture. The TV show Glee just announced a line of nail polishes, all sparking hues with names like “Hell to the No, a glittery lime green” and “Gleek Out, an opaque light blue.” And in a time when reading the news seems worth more emotion than you can spare, that’s fun we can get behind. So bring it, nail polish economy. We’re ready for you.

Want to check out some awesome nail polish lines free of toluene, formaldehyde and BDPs? Check them out here.

Image: melloveschallah

The post We Are Now a Nail Polish Economy (Say What?) appeared first on EcoSalon.

Getting truly natural nails is a chore. Between the ingredients in nail polish and remover, we’re putting some serious chemicals on our cuticles. (Sure, we could just leave them alone, but what’s the fun in that?) And don’t even get us started on the dangers of manicure drying lamps and more. Suddenly, bare, short nails don’t seem so terrible.

But the green beauty market seems to have us covered with safer products. First, check out this list of nail polishes– aka ones that won’t mess with your progeny. These are lines of polish that do not contain the evil triumvirate of chemicals – toluene, formaldehyde and BDPs. (And yes, they still do contain some chemicals – this is a matter of “less toxic” versus “toxic”.)

However, does that mean that our cuticles get left out of the green parade? Strictly speaking, cuticles are the strips of dead skin cells that at the base and sides of our fingernails. And they still need our natural love. Recently, I checked out the Hand & Cuticle Salve from J.R. Watkins ($8.49). It is free of parabens, phthalates, mineral oil, petrolatum, and sodium laurel sulfates.

Further, it is certified natural by the Natural Products Association. Formulated with natural beeswax, the base contains olive fruit oil, safflower oil, and in my sample, mango fruit. However, I did notice that it does contain fragrance and tocopheryl acetate, to which Skin Deep gives high hazard ratings.

And how does it work? It has a fantastic, fruity smell that puts the “oh man!” in mango. (Yes, that was bad. Sorry.) It did give my hands and nails a good moisturizing treatment. Does the salve absorb as easily as some of the hand oils I’ve used? No, it doesn’t. I found myself walking around as if I’d just painted my nails – afraid to really touch anything. But it’s much less messy and a nice alternative to throw into your handbag. And the next day my unpolished nails had a nice, shiny look to them.

Ultimately, strong nails are part hereditary, part healthy diet. Some urge that we eat dark, leafy greens and yogurt to strengthen our nails. And if you want a recipe for homemade cuticle care, check out this one courtesy of Narine Nikogosian’s “Return to Beauty.”

Bitter Butter Nail Soak:

Butter is the best hydrator, and apple cider vinegar builds nails!

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Melt butter in the microwave or stove top. Making sure it is not too hot (very important!), mix in the vinegar. Soak your fingers in this warm (not hot) mixture for ten minutes.

FTC Compliant

Image: scragz

The post Crazy for Cuticles? Get a Mango Home Manicure from JR Watkins appeared first on EcoSalon.

The world is ripe with green myth. (And here I thought that it was just ripe with oil spills.) There are so many rumors about what is toxic, what will kill you, and what just might give you a nasty rash that many people don’t know which green end is up. Here at EcoSalon, we’d like to take a moment from time to time, to address some of the health and environmental rumors out there. Think of us as the TMZ.com of green, but without Lindsay Lohan – that is, unless she has a pressing eco-oriented question.

So on our first foray into eco myth busting, we’re getting straight to the point – of our nails, that is! Have you heard? Getting your nails done will give you cancer. Between the chemicals in the polish and the nail remover and the cuticle softening, we might as well be dipping our paws in pails of toxic sludge, right?

Well, there might be some truth to this. As we have already reported, nail polishes contain chemicals likes toluene, formaldehyde and BDPs. Toluene can cause rapid breathing, blurred vision, dry skin and can affect the kidneys and nervous system. Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen and a volatile allergen and irritant, while Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP) is linked to reproductive problems and underdeveloped genitals in newborn boys. There is a market for less chemically filled nail polishes, and you can find the deets on them here.

Also setting off green alarm bells, a recent report out of the United Kingdom shares that women who get their nails professionally manicured could be increasing their risk of skin cancer. The report was conducted after two women developed tumors on their hands from exposure to ultra-violet lamps used to fix/dry artificial nails. Doctors feel that the high dose of UVA rays are damaging hand skin cells when women hold them under the sun lamps during a manicure.

Dr. Deborah MacFarlane works at the University of Texas Anderson Cancer Centre in Houston. As she recently told The Daily Mail, “The UV nail lamp is most commonly used to cure gel nails but is also used to cure acrylic nails and dry traditional nail polish – but exposure to UV light is a major risk factor for the development of skin cancer.” Further, the salons that use cheap but potentially hazardous chemicals are also putting customers at risk. People who get professional manicures are urged to keep an eye on their hands for suspicious growths.

So will your manicure kill you? Well, think of it this way. Some people can smoke, drink, and run in traffic their entire lives and nary a scratch they will have. Others can get one whiff of second hand smoke and be sicker than sick. Your hands, your risk. In the meantime, all we can do is sift through the evidence and make our own health decisions. And keep up the green mythbustin’, naturally.

Any other green myths/questions/worries you’d like us to check out? Let us know!

Image: truk

The post Your Manicure Will Kill You – True or False? appeared first on EcoSalon.