What do you see first whenever you buy medicines or packaged food items? You search for the expiry date and individual ingredients in the things you buy. Why do you do so? The primary reason is that consuming expired items can cause health problems. Similarly, you could be allergic to some medicinal formulas or food items. Therefore, checking out the ingredients proves helpful.
But have you ever checked out your nail polish? I can visualize your eyebrows frowning as to what is there to see on nail polish. So, you buy one and have the manicure. That’s all. But, is it? No. It is not because the nail polish ingredients go a long way in ensuring you have healthy nails. So, the next time you purchase gel polish, go for healthy gel nail polish. Let us see how to choose one.
5-free – What is it?
Have you ever noticed that the top gel polish brands advertise their products as 5-free, 6-free, 7-free, 10-free, etc.? What are these terms, and what do they signify? We shall see what the 5-free term indicates and how consumers benefit from it. But, first, you must understand the five primary toxic ingredients in cheap nail polish.
The Five Top Toxic Nail Polish Ingredients
We list the five top toxic nail polish ingredients that can harm your health. However, not every nail polish contains them. You have some of the best nail polish products like LDS Nails that do not have any of the five toxic chemicals.
Here are the top five. (not in any particular order)
DBP – Dibutyl Phthalate
Dibutyl Phthalate is one of the most typical ingredients in nail polish. It belongs to the family of phthalates that are usually used as a plasticizer to improve the nail polish’s lasting power. This ingredient prevents the chipping of the nail. Though it has great use as a strengthening agent, it has significant demerits because it is suspected of causing birth defects in young women. Besides, medical experts opine that continuous exposure to DBP causes cancer. Hence, the European Union has banned its use in personal care and cosmetic products. Despite many countries prohibiting DBP, various cheap nail polish products use it. Therefore, we suggest purchasing quality products like LDS nails. They do not use DBP or any other four toxic chemicals discussed here.
Formaldehyde
Formaldehyde is a strong-smelling chemical compound used in nail polish as a nail polish strengthener and hardener. It is primarily responsible for hardening the nail polish and enhancing its strength. However, formaldehyde has other uses like in laboratories and even mortuaries for preserving bodies. The fumes emitted by formaldehyde harm health and cause respiratory problems like asthma and nasal cancer. Besides, children and older adults with sensitive respiratory issues are more vulnerable. Hence, almost every nation has banned its use. So, we suggest you check the ingredients for formaldehyde before purchasing the gel polish product.
Formaldehyde Resin
Formaldehyde Resin is a by-product of formaldehyde. It is also known as Tosylamide formaldehyde resin. This product helps the nail polish ingredients to bind together. Formaldehyde resin gives your nails the shine. However, it is a poisonous chemical that adversely affects the nails. So, it is better to avoid this chemical.
Toluene
Toluene is a sweet-smelling chemical usually found in wall paints, adhesives, shellac, and other items. It is also found in nail polish. Toluene emits dangerous fumes that can irritate your eyes and lead to the neurotoxic syndrome.
Camphor
Camphor is another sweet-scented substance present in nail polish. It is a natural ingredient, but nail polish manufacturers use synthetic Camphor, which is dangerous for health. Synthetic Camphor is harmful because of its side effects on your skin, like irritation, allergies, migraines, dizziness, and nausea.
What Is 5-free Nail Polish?
Cheap nail polish contains all these toxic ingredients that can harm your skin. So, we suggest you go for healthy gel nail polish that does not include these five harmful chemicals. Any gel nail polish that does not have any of these poisonous chemicals is 5-free nail polish. LDS nail polish products qualify as 5-free.
How Is 5-free Nail Polish Beneficial?
Generally, our nails and the skin are porous. Therefore, they can absorb these harmful chemicals when applied to them. Though the five toxic chemicals discussed here do not make any significant difference to your manicure, it causes tremendous harm to your overall health. Therefore, even if your nail polish does not have these chemicals, there should be no problem.
So, if you wish to have healthy gel nail polish on your nails, we recommend that you opt for the best nail polish products that do not contain these harmful chemicals. Thus, you protect your nails from damage and your health from these toxic materials.