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

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The hottest trends for nails this season.

Put away your bold blues, greens, and purples of yesteryear (or, last year). This spring, the hottest nail colors are light, pretty neutrals and soft pastels at home in your flower garden. But not to worry – bold metallics and funky patterns are circling the edges of the country club, ready to sharpen out the edges of the season. Here are seven of the sassiest shades of the future, refashioned without many of the harmful chemicals of the past.

Blooming Buds

Natural neutrals are now gracing our fingertips, as pretty and delicate as the buds blooming outside our windows. And what better to crown the pretty princess of color than this sheer shade (Coronation $12.50) from Priti NYC. This non-toxic polish is made without the chemicals commonly found in nail polishes, including toluene, dibutyl phthalate (DHB) and formaldehyde. Ready to replace your old nail polish? Priti NYC also offers a recycling program for your used bottles.

Back To Your Roots

Want to take neutral to the next level? Spa Ritual offers up near-skin tones with their latest nail lacquer duo, Soil 2012 ($20.00). It contains Back to Your Roots, a shimmering, olive-toned shade, and Native Soil, a deep, rich, nutty brown. This line is a limited edition duo of vegan varnish which donates 20% of profits to the social/environmental non-profit Sustainable Organic Integrated Livelihoods (SOIL) located on Haiti. Buyers also get a package of wild flower seeds with each purchase. You can find the duo, available in April, at sites such as Beauty.com. Spa Ritual nail colors are also free of toluene, dibutyl phthalate (DHB) and formaldehyde.

Heavy Metals

Not feeling neutrals for your nails this spring? Coming to you this April, Priti NYC has you covered with some heavy metals that will leave you ready to rock it with your fingertips. Inspired by the 2012 London Olympics, Priti is offering four edgy, metallic shades in gold, silver, and bronze, each of which are respectively reminiscent of the Olympic medals. Here we see Chrysanthos ($12.50), offering up a rich, shimmery gold that shines with a single coating.

Sassy Shimmer

If you want to go for some pretty shimmer, check out Priti’s bronze color, Bills Bronze ($12.50), combining the best of both neutral and metallic trends. This pretty color offers up a shimmery, silvery pink for your nails. Sure, it might represent third place, but you’ll come out on top with this lovely, light tone for your tips.

Funky Bold Colors

Metals and neutrals aren’t the only colors for warmer weather. Spa Ritual gets into the spirit of things with Spirit Child Shimmer ($10.00), a funky, deep red with a subtle gloss of gold to it. It’s a classic color with a dash of vintage disco.

The Half-Moon Manicure

Funky takes a front place with the half-moon nail. Made popular by seductress Dita Von Teese, this classic retro look gets an update from Priti’s Red Riding Hood Tulip ($10.00). If you’re like most people, you’re probably not adept or double-jointed enough to get those perfect half moons. Here’s a great tutorial with some tips to a chic half-moon manicure.

Art-Inspired

Want to take the half-moons even farther? Consider tricking out your tips with some creative, art-inspired images. Patterns are all the rage this spring, with some artful nail enthusiastic taking it to the next level. Pictured here is Keith Haring-inspired nails, done up with OPI nail polish. OPI nail colors are also free of DBP, toluene and formaldehyde.

FTC Compliance

Image: Ladyblitz, MTV via Cake Creations, Spa Ritual, Priti Nails

The post 7 Inspired (And Less Toxic) Looks for Nails This Spring 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.

In the growing sea of walk-in nail salons, green alternatives are few and far between, but there is still something to celebrate in the mounting crusade for chemical-free cosmetics.

Among the newest bars on the block in the Bay Area: Nova Nail Spa in San Francisco and Isabella Nail Bar in Oakland – both billed as upscale, environmentally healthy environments using strictly non-toxic products.

Nova describes itself as the city’s first true eco nail salon as it was designed using responsible materials, finishes, ventilation, pedicure seats, lighting and flooring. And it only uses non-toxic shades of OPI and Zoya polishes to avoid that “paint shop smell” associated with traditional nail salons.

Among its services is the Organic Paradise mani-pedi featuring an indulgent bath of geranium essential oil and fresh rose petals, finished off with a relaxing ginger body lotion massage. It costs $72 and there, perhaps, lies the rub. Some salon customers would rather pay half that for a quick in-and-out combo at the nail bar down the street.

“Many come to check out what nail products we use and like it because we use the top organic lines like Spa Ritual and we pay higher for this than regular products,” explains Nova owner Kim Tham, who also offers a $48 early bird special to women working near the Mission Street shop near the Moscone Center.

Across the Bay at true-blue Isabella’s, you can spend $58 for a combo, and pamper yourself with a refreshing and aromatic spa treatments. Its web page explains that it was opened with the goal of defying the pungent smell of acrylic products and “tacky” motel-like set-ups of most shops operating today.

The pungent smell they speak of comes from the toxic trio of toluene, formaldehyde and dibutyl phthalate (DBP) which safe cosmetic advocates are pressing the $35 million cosmetic industry to phase out of its nail polishes and other products.

Banned in Europe, the chemical compounds that make up phthalates have been linked to cancer, birth defects, chronic asthma and skin disorders, especially form frequent exposure. Adding to the fumes and the dangers are acetone, solvents, glues and disinfectants which also have been linked to health problems. U.S. watchdogs are quick to regulate hygiene to prevent fungal bacterias, as witnessed in California legislation, but slow to regulate the use of the poisons in the products.

Most at risk are Vietnamese immigrants who comprise 80 percent of the more than 90,000 licensed manicurists in California, alone. There are some 250,000 in America, including Korean and Chinese immigrants joining the fast-growing, money-making sector. These hard working, industrious women have carved a successful niche owning and operating salons and don’t want to risk their livelihoods or retaliation from making a stink. Going green offers a way out.

“It really is about changing the mindset of the workers and the customers,” explains Uyen Nguyen, owner of Isabella, which caters to a middle to upper clientele in the Montclair neighborhood and depends largely on referrals. “The mindset is one of being into the earth and good health and recycling and not focusing on making fast money from acrylics.”

That quick buck is what keeps some manicurists from working for Nguyen, even those who have complained their throats and lungs hurt at the end of the day. She keeps nine employees at one time and pays them well, hoping they will grow along with her. Issues over pay and mistreatment in the industry have surfaced lately, including a lawsuit last August on the part of manicurists in Newark, N.J. who alleged their salon employers failed to pay minimum wage and overtime and barred adequate breaks during shifts.

Nguyen says as word gets around about her green concept, more clients are coming from Berkeley and surrounding areas, and that some of her colleagues are now opening healthier salons and duplicating  her formula for success. Meantime, many other manicurists resist change out of fear.

“I know it isn’t healthy but what can I do?” asks Pong, a pretty 38-year-old single mother of two who works at Tower Nails in San Francisco where she does all of the acrylic nail treatments and hot wax hair removal. She immigrated from Can Tho in 1998 and supports her parents who live with her and her school aged children.

She is right to wonder what she can do, since the burden should really lie with the manufacturers who sell wholesale to the salons which often pay high rent to stay in business. To make a profit, women like Pong work long, hard hours, often six or seven days a week, sharing tips, eating quick lunches in the poorly ventilated rooms between services.

Since Vietnamese manicurists continue to use the hazardous products and don’t advocate for themselves, agencies like  the California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative are working to advance an environmental health agenda for the nail salon sector in the state. Fiscally supported by Asian Health Services, an Oakland-based community health clinic, it reaches out to non-English speaking workers who are at a great disadvantage when it comes to accessing and understanding information on chemical dangers.

“One of the things we’re doing is compiling lists of the companies that have removed the toxic trio from their polishes, base and top coats,” explains Julia Liou, the director of program planning and development. “OPI, Zoya, Sally Hansen and the water-based Acquarella are a few that have committed to healthy change, but you have to research them since sometimes, they only take toxins out of seasonal shades.”

While advocates try to inform Asian women of the health risks,  consumers also need to brush up on chemical exposure, and to take a stand against the cosmetic industry with their pocketbooks. They can tell their neighborhood salons they prefer they buy the healthier brands, and start frequenting the emerging green nail bars, many of which are run by Asian women.

“Owners need to offer alternatives and the market needs to dictate the eco concept,” insists Nguyen. “This is how the healthy nail salon will become a trend.”

A Green Salon Near You

• Chi Organic Nail Spa, Beverly Hills, CA
• Evolution Green Room Salon, Brooklyn, N.Y.
• Honey Nail Salon, Atlanta, GA
• Julep Nail Parlor, Seattle, WA
• Priti Organic Spa, New York City
• Pure Nails, Austin, TX

Images: quinn.anya, Nova Nail Spa, Isabella Nail Bar, Luanne Bradley

The post Will Green Salons Nail the Problem of Dangerous Exposure? appeared first on EcoSalon.