Acrylic Nails

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Permalink Reply by RachelA on January 2, 2008 at 2:22am

Hi Lady,

Love your name! You bring up a fantastic topic-thank you.
The toxins, chemicals and poison's in the products applied to your nails are absorbed through the nail and into into the nail bed, which is live and rich with arteries/veins, etc. Whatever is on your nails, especially for long periods of time, goes directly into your bloodstream. Also, your natural nails are not able to breathe and nails are just one of the many signs used to help gauge a person's health. A pink, clearish rosy nail generally means good circulation. If the nail is in it's unnatural state covered by layers of toxins, plastics and chemicals, one can't see how their nails actually look. From purely a health standpoint, you might want to consider taking the plunge and do away with them. Everyone could benefit in general actually!! *Cringing* Your health and body will thank you, so will your pocket book and time!!! You WILL get used to it. I did, and I started out my career as a nail tech (turned stylist) at age 16! Also, the healthier you eat and take great supplements, the more NATURALLY strong, beautiful and long your nails will be. Just gorgeous!! As far as specific ailments or conditions it can cause, I'm not sure. Maybe one of the other CC members might know? Best of luck to you!!! Hope this helped in some way. -Rach :-)

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Permalink Reply by lady on January 3, 2008 at 11:44pm

Thanks so much. This really helps a lot. I've "Googled" and "Yahooed" to get information on this but i was quite unsuccessful. What I did find were what I would call "powder-puff" statements (i.e. "Oh, the fumes are not harmful since your exposure to them is limited, etc.). I've watched the nail techs doing my nails in their protective masks, sheilding their noses, and I ,on the other end of the manicure table, totally exposed to whatever is flying around in the air. I started to think, "Hey, where's my mask? Don't I have a nose too?" Of course I never asked this out loud. I just thought about it while I was being a human air purifier and sucking in tainted air and acrylic debris like an Oreck vacuum. I've even tried holding my breath and taking shallow breaths in between...all in the name of vanity. The things that we do for beauty!

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Permalink Reply by RachelA on January 3, 2008 at 11:56pm

You are absolutely correct Lady. The minute particles of plastics, acrylics, and toxic chemical smells are very harmful....yes, where is YOUR mask! Right on point! Michelle is right- The nail-dust just itself is very bad for the lungs....to think of all of those years I spent in that environment, nails AND hair! Yikes. Most nail-tech's aren't even aware of the effects of the chemicals obviously, they just don't want the dust particles from filing/buffing, and the smell gets to them over the course of 10 sets a day. The masks are a joke-they are basic painter's masks you buy in a pack at Home Depot and don't filter the chemicals, only portions of the dust. It's definitely good of you to question this and how it affects your health. I'm still learning, and it's a constant process. So have you decided to let them grow out? You can clip them down short with a sturdy nail clipper (use a toe clipper if necessary (if they are thick), then file the tip, and you can file the top of artifical nail/acrylic down quite a bit, then buff the whole thing. Just be careful of your natural nail whilel filing the tip/acrylic down on the top of the nail so you don't file into your natural nail growing out. They will grow out "faster" and your natural nail will be less likely to CRACK on the sides as they grow out, the shorter they are. Otherwise, you can get a very bad tear in your nail very far down that will hurt, because you're nails are going to be very soft and it will take time to get them back to normal. When you do this, many times the acrylic will become thinner and acutally sometimes peel off in a whole sheet! It's so great!!! But I think you will really love it, and your natural nails! Sorry I'm tired-hope this made sense.

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Permalink Reply by lady on January 4, 2008 at 12:58am

Yes, you made perfect sense. I might start a blog journaling my experience entitled, "My Life After Acrylics, One Day at a Time." LOL

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Permalink Reply by lady on January 3, 2008 at 11:50pm

Thanks. They say that everything that looks good to you is not always good for you. I had no idea that the acetone caused thyroid problems. I'm definitely going to switch to manicures and a salon that does not do acrylic nails so I don't have to breathe the fumes.

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Permalink Reply by RachelA on January 4, 2008 at 12:01am

Michelle-Bingo! Back to the thyroid. I didn't know that and I practically lived in acetone for years. Oh my. Thanx 4 info!!

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Permalink Reply by Cayce H Cronk on January 2, 2008 at 11:09am

Im just happy with my short, well groomed nails! I even have stopped painting my toenails like I used to love to do. I just keep them natural now!

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Permalink Reply by Cayce H Cronk on January 2, 2008 at 11:21am

Michelle,

I like mine short because I feel long nails are GERMY!LOL! No telling what hangs out underneath those long nails.LOL! What nail polish do you use? I do like to polish my toenails in the summer time when I wear sandles but did not want to use chemical laden nail polishes! looking for a good one!

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Permalink Reply by lady on January 4, 2008 at 12:15am

Ha Ha!! There are no critters under my nails thanks to my trusty nail brush and organic hand soap. I did find a non-formaldehyde brand at Whole Foods called "No Miss" They even offer a polish remover called, "Almost Natural Polish Remover." Here's a link to a review on it http://reviews.healthdiaries.com/no-miss-almost-natural-nail-polish...
This is the review:
November 1, 2007
No Miss Almost Natural Nail Polish Remover


I was doubtful at first that an all-natural nail polish remover would work, but I decided to give No Miss Almost Natural Nail Polish Remover a shot after seeing it for sale in Whole Foods.

Unlike most commercial nail polish removers, it contains no acetone and no ethyl acetate.

In animal studies, long term exposure to acetone caused kidney, liver, and nerve damage as well as birth defects and reproductive problems. Pregnant women are advised to avoid all acetone products because they may lead to birth defects.

No Miss isn't tested on animals and is a vegan product. It has a natural vanilla scent. The ingredients are: fruit acid solvent (Methyl-Pentan-2-one, Multi-fruit acids), amber acid (derived from plant lichens), deionized water, vitamin A, and natural vanilla fragrance.

All of these great things wouldn't matter if the product didn't work so I was pleased to find that it works better than the traditional nail polish removers I've used. The polish came off quickly and I wasn't knocked over by any overpowering chemical smells in the process.

If you're looking for a more natural way to remove nail polish, No Miss just might be the way to go. For those who don't have a Whole Foods or natural store nearby, there are many online stores that carry No Miss products, including the No Miss website.

The website is www.nomiss.com

Hope this helps

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Permalink Reply by RachelA on January 4, 2008 at 12:37am

wonderful-thank you!

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Permalink Reply by lady on January 4, 2008 at 12:48am

Wow, 8 months! That's a long time but when I thing about it, the damage didn't happen overnight either. I think I'm going to try soaking them in organic olive oil once I remove them to help repair them. Thanks for the tip and sorry about your thyroid. I'm thinking I should get mine checked after all the years of wearing acrylics.

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Permalink Reply by Mel on January 2, 2008 at 1:10pm

Oh, I used to love getting my nails done. When I quit smoking it was my "treat" ... looks like I gave up one bad habit for another. I had acrylics also but only for about 18 months. I didn't have any problems with fungus and I did love the way they looked .... but when I started to get serious about becoming healthier and setting a better example for my children it was easy to get rid of them. I still put the money I used to spend into my children's education fund. Other than my brief foray into acrylic nails I have never really spent much time on them. I think as long as they are shaped and clean they look great!

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