How to go NonToxic at your Local Nail Salon

Good Morning Beauties! Today I’m talking about our manicures ladies! I don’t know about you but for me once upon a time weekly manicures were a must.  I felt girly and put together.  Then they took a back seat after having my son.  All you mamas feel me right?!?!?  I started my green beauty journey around 5 years ago and thought that my manicures would have to go out the window.  I mean do we even need to talk about what is in conventional nail polish??  Formaldehyde (a known human carcinogen),  toluene (linked to respiratory toxicity), DBP (DIBUTYL PHTHALATE – in the phthalate family that is a known endocrine disruptor), to name a few of the toxic ingredients in conventional nail polishes.

There wasn’t much out there as far as non toxic nail care and no way were there any non toxic nail salons where I live.  Also, I stink at doing my own nails and it’s so nice to be pampered every now and then.   In time a non toxic salon opened in CT but it is an hour away from my house.  Not doable for weekly at all!  What is a girl to do?

What’s Good??

Bring the Green to your local nail salon! One brand that I have tried is Karma Organics which is actually a spa and nail salon in New Jersey.  They have their own line of beautiful non toxic nail polishes that you can find at Whole Foods and Amazon.  I have grabbed a few over the last few years and I really like them.  I would love to take a road trip and visit their salon one of these days.  They also have a nail polish remover made with 3 ingredients that I love.  It’s the only one I have been using for a while now.

Aila is another brand that I have been using.  They have a base coat, top coat and lots of great colors.  Aila has been on the scene since 2013 and are constantly improving their product.  They are a 15+ free of the toxic chemicals that are commonly found in conventional nail polish.   I recently got the color House of Paine.  For some reason I thought it was a dark blue when I ordered but its black.  Aggressive but looks great on.  It stayed on too which is hard to do with nail polish!  They also have a color remover with argan oil which I haven’t tried but I have tried their 3-in-1 soy-based nail color remover individual cloths.  Perfect for on the go.

Nail Tools

So you have your polishes to bring! What about the nail tools??  You can totally bring your own.  Earth Therapeutics is a good brand that you can find at Amazon, CVS, Whole Foods, WalMart, etc.  They have a whole manicure and pedicure set.  If you have a salon that you love  you can have them keep your kit there in a box with your name on it.  A lot of places do that for people.  Another tip that I have learned is not to have your cuticles cut or let your hands be soaked in water.   Both practices will cut down on infection.  Also not soaking your nails helps keep the polish on longer.

Glass Nail File

Has anyone tried a glass nail file??  I recently discovered glass nail files.  OMG!  They are so good.  I read an article about how they are better for your nail itself.  I noticed my nails were not jagged and didn’t feel rough.  The emery boards are sandpaper attached to cardboard.  They do more harm than good,  leaving your nails weak.  The glass file leaves your nails smooth.  The glass actually seals your nail tip which prevents water and dirt from getting in.  Another major perk is that a glass nail file is non porous unlike an emery board.  This means that it is hygienic.  No bacteria can grow on the surface.  You can sanitize it by washing with soap and water.  Can’t do that with an emery board!  I found mine at T.J. Maxx for $4.99!! Other places you can find one is on Amazon and Sephora.  Trust me when I say you will not regret getting a glass nail file.  It comes with its own little care to keep safe from breaking.  Add it to your to-go kit for nail salon visits.  I brought mine to my latest manicure and the tech loved it! 

Non Toxic Nail Polish Brands

1. Priti NYC – 8 Free|Gluten Free|Vegan|Cruelty Free
2. TenOverTen – NYC Non Toxic Nail Salon with their own nail polish and nail care line.  I had a chance to go and get pampered.  If you are in NYC go and visit, it is a treat!
3. Piggy Paint –  Nail polish specifically for little ladies.  They have the cutest colors.  Best part is that you don’t have to go far to find.  I found these at Target and bought for a friend who has a little girl.  Again nail polish is not something I would do often on the little ones but if she insists try this brand.
4. Ella & Mila –  7-Free Nail polish which just launched their collection in Target making cleaner nail care available to everyone.  They have a cute mommy & me collection.
5. Lauren B. Beauty – 7-Free Nail polish I had been wanting to try so I was glad to see this in a green beauty box last month.  I noticed that it doesn’t stay on as well as other polishes.  But then again I’m hard on my nails.  So it may depend on your nails.
6. Dazzle Dry – Ok so this polish is a game changer to the die hard gel fans. 🙂  I was so impressed when I had a Dazzle Dry manicure at the most adorable salon in Washington, CT called Byrde + the B.  Debbie is the in-house manicurist.  I took my mom last summer.  Her manicure stayed on for 2+ weeks.  Mine stayed on about 2 weeks.  It is a 4-step process.  Best part…dries in 5 minutes.  Say what?!?!  They have a great selection of colors.  A few of my favs are At First Blush, Anticipation and a great summer one for my toes is Blueberry SnoCone.

At the end of the day nail polish isn’t organic or totally clean but there are brands who are trying to do better.  They are making it safer for us to still have our manicures.  As I’ve said before and I’ll say it again I am not a purist so painting my nails is something I will do.  You can make that choice for yourself.  If you do try one of these brands out and let me know what you think!  Thanks to all the brands out there that are cleaning up nail polish!

Check out other green beauty products that I love here.

*Affiliate link used.  Opinions and thoughts are always my own!