If you're looking for a healthier alternative for your next mani/pedi, but still want a stylish selection of long-lasting colors, get yourself some Zoya nail polish.
Those who know me know I am a total health nut, and are always asking me about my favorite healthy products. So, in honor of Earth Month, I am going to share a few non-toxic/healthy favorites over the next few weeks.
Using non-toxic nail polish is on my personal top 5 list for healthy living. I haven't been able to give up on having pretty nails. So for years I had been using nontoxic nail polish, now known as "triple-free" because they are free from formaldehyde (a known carcinogen), dibutyl phthalate ("DBP") and Toluene (both known reproductive toxins), and just accepted that the color selection and/or longevity of the healthier brands would be limited. That was my opinion about all of the brands I tried; the polishes at my local health food stores only came in a dozen or so colors, and the high-end brands with better color selections did not stay on my nails for very long. And then, when I was pregnant, I went to a "clean air" nail salon (they have a nine-layer air-purifier and do not offer acrylics - I'll cover the nail salon in another post later this month), and discovered
Zoya nail polish. Zoya quickly became my favorite brand of nail polish. Zoya even goes beyond the typical three-free, which is becoming the new standard as many mainstream nail polish brands, including OPI, are removing DBP, Formaldehyde and Toluene from their formulas (though in 2012 the
California EPA reported that several of the mainstream brands claiming to be three-free were not actually free of the chemicals when tested). Zoya is one of the healthy brands that I have come to trust. Zoya was one of the first brands to make nail polish without harmful chemicals, and goes above and beyond; Zoya is five-free, as it is also free of formaldehyde resin and camphor. (Note: The
FDA has said that the addition of the toxic chemicals found in traditional nail polish is "safe" in certain concentrations. To read more about toxin-free nail polishes check out the article from
Slate.com.)
Zoya comes in an amazing array of colors - over 300! Like purple? They have over 40 shades of
purple nail polish in their line. Pale pink more your thing? They have over a dozen. Zoya is a brand that has something for everyone. I am partial to
Bethany for everyday wear (similar to OPI's now-retired Coney Island Cotton Candy, for those who remember it). I love the option of fun colors for my toes, and when I want to change things up with my mani. My daughter's favorite is
Song, which is a deep sparkly blue (her favorite color!). We also use the
Pixie Dust, which is textured sparkle polish, when we're in the mood for some seriously fun nails (she more often than me). When I go to a salon that doesn't carry Zoya I always bring the polishes with me. (I try to also bring Zoya's nail polish remover with me, which I am a huge fan of. It works just as well as traditional polish removers and smells way better. Though I do have to say that the purported "spillproof" flipper pump container is not spillproof in my experience.) Zoya is my go-to, and a bargain (about $9 per bottle) compared to other high-end nontoxic brands ($12-18 per bottle). If you haven't tried Zoya and are interested in nontoxic nail polish give some of their stylish colors a try and let us know which ones you love.
Photo credit: Zoya (I
wish those were my nails!)
This post is not sponsored by Zoya or any other company - just a favorite product of mine.
