Why You Should Never Wear Nail Polish
Whether you’re a beauty junkie or just someone who likes to keep her nails looking nice, you’ve probably worn nail polish at some point in your life.
Nail polish (or varnish, depending on where you are in the world) is a lacquer that can be applied to the nails to protect them and/or change their appearance. In most cases, they brighten up and give life to our bland nails.
Nail polish is generally considered harmless. But there are a few reasons why you might want to think twice before painting your nails. Let’s take a look at some of them below.
9 reasons why you shouldn’t wear nail polish
1. It can be bad for your nails
While nail polish can make your nails look nice, it can also be bad for them. The chemicals in nail polish can cause your nails to become weak and brittle. If you wear nail polish all the time, you may find that your nails start to yellow and break easily.
2. It’s bad for your health
Would you believe us if we told you that nail polish contains chemicals that have been linked to cancer? It’s true!
Some of the chemicals in nail polish, namely dibutyl phthalate, formaldehyde, and toluene, are known carcinogens. They can be absorbed through your skin and into your bloodstream, where they can do all sorts of damage.
You’ll also inhale these chemicals when you’re applying the polish, which is yet another reason why you might want to avoid it.
3. It’s bad for the environment
What’s bad for your health is bad for the environment, too. Nail polish is considered to be a type of plastic, which means that it doesn’t break down easily.
The nail polish you apply that fades will inevitably end up in the earth and oceans. And once it’s there, it will stay there for a very long time, leaking chemicals into the ground and water.
4. Not all polish is vegan-friendly
If you’re vegan, or you simply don’t like the idea of having animal products on your nails, you’ll want to be careful when choosing nail polish.
Some polishes contain ingredients like guanine, which is derived from fish scales, and carmine, which is derived from crushed cochineal insects. Ew!
5. It takes forever to dry
One of the most irritating things about nail polish is that it takes forever to dry. You can sit there for what feels like hours, waiting for your nails to stop feeling sticky. This means you’ll be unable to do anything until they’re dry.
6. When it chips or fades, it looks terrible
Nail polish always looks great when you first apply it. But after a few days, it starts to chip and fade, and it looks awful. It’s so frustrating when you take the time to paint your nails perfectly, only for them to start looking bad a few days later.
You’ll have to constantly apply new layers to keep your nails looking presentable, which is time-consuming.
7. It’s a pain to remove
Once you’re ready to take off your nail polish, you’re in for another long and frustrating process. You have to soak your nails in acetone (the main ingredient in nail polish remover) for a while, which can be harsh on your nails.
Or, you can use one of those nail polish remover pads, which are just as bad for your nails. Either way, it’s not a pleasant experience.
8. It makes a mess
Nail polish always seems to get everywhere. It gets on your clothes, on your furniture, and on your carpet, sometimes without you even realizing it!
And getting it out of fabric is a chore. If you accidentally brush your top or pants with your newly-painted nails, something that happens all too frequently, you’ll likely end up with a nasty stain that you’ll have trouble getting out.
9. You have to be extra careful
If you’re wearing nail polish, you have to be extra careful not to damage it. So if you want to keep them looking fresh, that means no doing the dishes, no opening cans, and no regular typing on your keyboard.
Conclusion
This relatively cheap and easy beauty treatment isn’t going away any time soon, and we don’t expect that we’ll be able to convince you not to wear it.
We get it – sometimes you just need a little bit of color on your nails! Perhaps the color matches your outfit, or you’re trying to make a statement with the colors you choose.
Whatever your reason for wearing it, we hope that we’ve at least convinced you to think about the potential risks before you reach for that bottle of polish. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll consider giving your nails a break every once in a while.