Are you frustrated with tedious polish removal?  Especially gel polish removal?

Are you tired of staining your nails yellow?

In this article, you’ll learn:

• Why scrubbing is the worst way to remove polish
• How warm acetone works faster
• How the Soak and Swipe™ method can reduce long-term yellow staining from polish

The Need For Speed

In today’s article, I’m going to share with you that there is a better way!

Trust me, this is one of those things that will change your life forever.

Yep. Nail polish removal just got way easier!

Besides, using a peel off base coat I’ve discovered that the fastest way to remove polish is using my Soak and Swipe™ method.

Some of us don’t want to use a peel off basecoat. If you’re busy like me, you want your manicure to last as long as possible without chipping.

This is obviously a desire for many of us since the new lines of polishes are touting up to 7-10 days of glossy wear.

See It In Action

For those of you ready to start before even finishing this article, here is my quick video tutorial and the written directions. I’ll explain how and why this technique is so amazing later in the article.

What You Need:

• Cotton balls or makeup remover pads
• Cheap kitchen oil
• Acetone
• Manicure Clips

How To Start:

• Cut cotton makeup pads into quarters or unroll a cotton ball into a long strip and cut into nail sized pieces.
• Apply cheap kitchen oil to your skin up to first knuckle. This helps minimize the drying effect acetone has on the skin.
• Thoroughly saturate one piece of cotton with acetone. You want it almost dripping.
• Apply cotton to nail
• Apply manicure clip, and press firmly closed. This helps increase the warmth of the acetone.
• Continue the process with remaining 4 fingers.

How To Finish

1. Check the first nail. Do you see the polish getting pulled into the cotton? Regular polish will dissolve quickly. Glitter and gel polishes will take longer to dissolve.
2. Remove the clip.
3. Saturate another piece of cotton and press it on the cotton on your nail. With firm pressure, slide the cotton off from cuticle line to tip of nail. The polish should swipe right off. It’s a total game changer! I can already hear you giggling at how fast that worked.
4. Continue with remaining fingers.
5. Repeat the process on the other hand.

Why I Love This Technique

Staining

Color in polish is created with different dyes and pigments. Some polish companies use cheaper pigments that can stain the nail plate. I can also attest to using the salon brands and ending up with nails stained bright blue, purple, or pink.

When you experience yellow staining over multiple manicures, that’s because of the compounding effect of removing polish.

When this happens to me, I can see nice transparent nail growth past my cuticle line and the yellow staining deepens as the nail becomes the free edge.

In the photo to the right, you can see what I mean. See how the nail is nice and transparent near the cuticle line, but it gets more stained as it goes toward my tips?

That’s just staining from polish.

Scrubbing

When the lacquer has hardened on your nail plate, the pigments are trapped in the resins. What happens when you are scrubbing to dissolve the lacquer? Those pigments are released from the resin.

Ok, so that’s not such a big deal. We can live with that. Right?

But what are you doing when you scrub? You’re driving the pigments into the top surface layers of the nail plate.

Besides the fact that scrubbing takes a long time and sucks the oil out of your nail plate, you can see it’s just not a great option.

Warming Acetone

In Doug Schoon’s book Nail Structure and Chemistry, he says that “nail enhancements will swell and break apart more quickly if the solvent is slightly warmer than body temperature. Slightly warming product removers/solvents can significantly reduce product removal time…Warming solvents should be done with great care and caution!

Many solvents are highly flammable, including acetone and alcohol. To safely warn the solvents, place a partially filled plastic bottle containing the solvent under hot running water. Never warm solvents on a stove, in a microwave, or with an open flame.

Most salon solvents are far too flammable and may catch fire. Also loosen the cap so that pressure doesn’t build up in the bottle, causing it to crack or burst open. Finally, cover the dish and hand with a damp cloth while soaking to reduce vapors in the air.”

The takeaway from this is; don’t blow up your house! You’re risking your safety and perhaps even life when warming highly flammable solvents like acetone. It’s a hazardous task and I don’t recommend it.

So, how perfect is this Soak and Swipe ™ technique?

The clips warm the acetone and covers it to reduce vapors in the air. Yay!

Why Acetone?

Doug also says, “why do some nail technicians avoid acetone? Probably because they’ve heard untrue things about this beneficial substance. What is the truth about acetone? Acetone is one of the most important solvents in the world….Just because a chemical is absorbed through the skin doesn’t mean it must be unsafe.

In the case of acetone, it is almost impossible for dangerous amounts of acetone to penetrate the skin. Unless you soak your fingers every day in a bowl of acetone for long periods, it is very unlikely to cause serious harm or damage.” ~Nail Structure and Product Chemistry

Icy Fingers

I originally learned soaking instead of scrubbing by Deborah Lippmann. The thing I hated was how cold my fingers became.

Since acetone evaporates quicker than water, it makes your skin very cold. The process became a love/hate relationship.

When I figured out that manicure clips make polish removal incredibly fast and comfortable, I knew I needed to bring them to my Bliss Kiss™ customers.

The Solution for Gel Nail Polish Removal Too!

Manicure clips are also very helpful for those of you who love gel nails! They are easier and way quicker to apply than the traditional foil wrap method. 

1. Just make sure that you file off the shiny surface of the gel so the acetone can penetrate the gel.
2. Also, soak long enough that the gel completely slides off with the pressure of your fingers.

Do those two things and you’ll see how easily the Soak & Swipe manicure clips remove gel nail polish.

Although manufacturers’ instructions say to use an orangewood stick to push the flaked gel off, they are wrong.

Even Doug Schoon agrees with me. His electron microscope damage can be seen in his article about safe polish removal.  

In Conclusion

Nail polish removal is a necessary although annoying part of polishing our nails with gorgeously colored lacquers.

Isn’t it wonderful when knowledge and products come together to make our lives easier? Little things like this just make me happy.

I hope this helps you too.

Now, get busy and remove that polish!

The post Nail Polish Remover Tips first appeared on Nail Care Headquarters.

Purchase Acetone – What’s Your Recommendation?

ASK DOUG

“I tell my students that acetone you buy at the pharmacy is not the same as the acetone you buy in the hardware store. People do buy them in the hardware stores because acetone is cheaper there. What are the facts?” ~anonymous nail instuctor

ANSWER

Good question. This is something I discuss in my book, Nail Structure and Product Chemistry.

The facts are, “Acetone is acetone”, but some acetone contains small amounts of other impurities.

For removing nail polish or coatings, the impurities usually don’t matter since their concentrations are so low.

Not All Is Created Equal

However, when acetone is used to clean the nail plate for better adhesion of nail enhancements like gel or acrylic, the impurities left behind when the acetone evaporates are often “oily”, which can make a BIG difference. Even regular nail polish adhesion can be affected.

Leaving small amounts of oily contaminants on the nail plate is the opposite of what acetone is supposed to do when the nail plate is being prepped for a nail coating.

Acetone is supposed to remove oily contaminants on the surface of the nail plate for better adhesion.

It is true that hardware store acetone is usually more contaminated than the acetone that is purchased in a pharmacy or beauty supply.

Nail professionals should use at least 99% acetone, but some companies sell poor grade acetone that is mislabeled as 100% acetone, when it is not.

How To Test Your Acetone

Therefore, I recommend that you test the grade you purchase to ensure it does not contain oily contaminants. This can be done safely, if you take appropriate care.

For example, fill a shot glass almost full with acetone, loosely cover the shot glass with a piece of photocopy paper and then set it somewhere to allow the acetone to “safely” evaporate.

In other words, keep this shot glass and any other acetone that you use away from all sources of excessive heat and avoid all sparks or flames to prevent a fire. If this is done, within a week the acetone should completely evaporate.

Then rub your finger inside the shot glass. If you feel any oily residue that suggests the acetone is likely not suitable for cleaning the nail plate since the oil can disrupt adhesion of products to the nail plate.

This is why I recommend using a professional nail cleanser, to ensure the plate is properly cleaned.

100% Acetone?

Doug Schoon, Author of Nail Structure and Product Chemistry

Sometimes people will tell me they only use 100% acetone, but interestingly, there is no such thing. The highest purity acetone that can be purchased is 99.9999%.

That’s pretty close to 100%, but this would be high purity scientific grade acetone and would cost 50-100 times that which is purchased in a store, so clearly 100% acetone is not sold to salons.

99% purity is fine for salon applications, as long as it doesn’t contain oily residues.

Isn’t Acetone Too Drying?

If you clean the nail plate or soaked the nail every day, it would likely be too dehydrating, but not the way it is used in salons.

That would likely be true for any remover. For salon or personal use, acetone is very effective and safe as long as it is used properly, e.g. avoiding excessive heat, flames or sparks.

The nails will pH balance themselves, so that’s not a concern at all with acetone.

The oily contaminants, not the acetone, are adhesion busters. In my view, acetone is a great solvent for use in salons and for home use. Ana wrote a helpful article why acetone is a better choice over non-acetone products here.

If you liked this article . . . please share!

The post ASK DOUG: Where Should I Purchase Acetone? first appeared on Nail Care Headquarters.

Pure Acetone – Can I Be Allergic?

ASK DOUG

“Hi Doug, I recently attended one of your Scientist and the Geek presentations the UK where you stated that no one could be allergic to acetone.

Why is this? I would love to share this with my college class and would like more information so I could better inform them.”  ~anonymous

ANSWER

This is a great question since many incorrectly believe they are allergic to acetone.

Also, I loved that you want to share the info with others. Oh yeah, that’s what it’s all about!

So in that light, I wanted to share with you my response to her, so you may benefit as well. I hope you enjoy.

Your Body Makes Acetone!

The chemical structure of acetone doesn’t trigger the immune response largely because acetone is found naturally in our body as a by-product of food metabolism.

It would NOT be good to for our bodies to become allergic to something that is naturally found in our bodies.

Doug Schoon, Author of Nail Structure and Product Chemistry

Only certain kinds of substances can trigger allergic reactions.

Acetone and all of its closely related chemical cousins don’t cause allergic reactions, because they don’t have the proper chemical composition and shape.

Acetone can cause skin dryness, which some misinterpret as allergy. Skin dryness and flaking is likely only skin “irritation”, which is different from an “allergy”.

Allergy vs. Irritation

Skin allergies are permanent and irreversible.

Skin irritations are temporary and reversible.

So What Am I Allergic To?

Some incorrectly believe they are allergic, because they’ve had a skin reaction while removing nail coatings with acetone.

The acetone won’t cause the allergy, but they may be allergic to ingredients from the product that is dissolved in the acetone.

This is why skin contact with nail coating ingredients with acetone solvents should be minimized as much as possible.

If you liked this article . . . please share!

The post ASK DOUG: Can I Be Allergic to Pure Acetone? first appeared on Nail Care Headquarters.

Are you constantly afraid of removing polish only to discover your nails are now a permanent unnatural color?

In this article, you’ll learn:

• How to reduce the potential of color staining
• How soaking, rather than scrubbing, is a better way to remove polish
• How manicure clips can help the process even more

China Glaze Blue Bells Ring

Polish Stain Removal Tips

You’ve just removed a gorgeous, dark blue and look down in horror—your nails are now a lovely shade of blue!

This recently happened to me with China Glaze Blue Bells Ring #1119.

Of course instead of panicking, I get all geeky! “Oooo, this will make a great article!”

Since I’ve read just about every nail blog post about polish stain removal, I thought I would share my insights gained by de-bluing my nails.

I’m also including the stain removing methods I don’t recommend and why they’re a bad idea.

My Steps For Preventing Polish Stains

1. In spite of using two coats of basecoat to protect my nails, expensive polishes can stain too.

2. It’s extremely critical to use my Soak and Swipe™ method of polish removal, using pure acetone, with plenty of soaking time—especially if you’re dissolving 5 to 10 layers.

3. Remove polish in ONE firm, clean stroke.

4. Remove any remaining polish with a CLEAN piece of cotton and A LOT more acetone.

5. If the nail plate looks stained a lighter shade of the color, use a clean cotton piece saturated with A LOT of acetone and keep wiping/scrubbing. Focus on wiping nail tip to proximal fold (“cuticle” line), since nail cells grow layered like house roof shingles, you want to go against the grain.

6. Use Q-tips saturated in acetone to get staining at the proximal fold curve.

7. Wash hands with warm water and soap.

8. Scrub nails top and bottom with a nail brush. Rinse. Dry.

9. Apply your favorite penetrating nail oil generously and rub it in. (Blue stains are all gone. 🙂 )

Soak & Swipe™ Polish Removal

Acetone saturation is very important key to remove polish quickly—and it’s extremely COLD! It feels like you’re soaking in ice because acetone evaporates so quickly.

This is why I recommend adding a moisturizing additive acetone or to coat your skin with a cheap kitchen oil before removing your manicure.

It blocks some of that numbing cold and prevents acetone from dissolving your precious body oil and drying out your skin.

I also love using manicure clips to hold the cotton on the nail plate. The clips trap in your body heat to warm the acetone which makes it dissolve lacquer faster.

I unroll a cotton ball and cut it into small pieces. Saturate the cotton with acetone, apply to the nail and soak for one to three minutes.

Then saturate a second piece of cotton with acetone to wipe off the first piece of cotton. This is an important step as well you help you get a firm grip to remove the polish in one, clean swipe.

Don’t use your soaking cotton to remove any remaining polish. You’ll start scrubbing. Just get a new piece of cotton.

In Desperation – Removing Immediate Stains

If your nails are still tinted after trying all of my tips, you may need to bring out the big guns….. or big goop.

Anutka at Wacky Laki has put together a great tutorial using whitening toothpaste for immediate polish stain removal.

Fortunately, I haven’t had to use this technique, but it’s nice to know it’s an option as a last resort.

No Buffing Please!

It’s surprising to me how many established nail bloggers recommend buffing the stain out—even though this is a horrible idea!

It’s quite understandable why they recommend it though.

Immediate polish stains usually are because polish pigment has settled into the top few layers of nail keratin.

This happens really easily with the traditional polish removal method—saturate a cotton ball and scrub the heck out of it until the polish is dissolved.

Nail Keratin Cells Under Electron Microscope

Even though our nails appear smooth, under an electron microscope, it’s possible to see that our nails are made up of hundreds of thousands flattened keratin cells.

As in the photo to the right, you can see the microscopic gaps between the cells.

Polish pigments are small enough to settle into those gaps with enough force.

The acetone is dissolving the colored lacquer, but your scrubbing action is driving the dissolved pigments into the top layers of keratin.

The traditional thinking is, “I’ll just buff the stain out, since it’s only in the top few layers.”

But like I addressed in my previous article about why buffing out ridges is actually making our nails weaker, the same holds true when buffing out stains.

You only have about 50 layers of keratin in your nails.

It’s a misconception that buffing a few layers won’t hurt. In truth, it only makes your nails thinner, weaker, and more prone to breaking.

Who’s Guilty?

The photo to the right by GirlyThingsBye demonstrates perfectly how scrubbing can even cause the pigment to be pushed into the top layers of our skin too!

This photo was taken after several rounds with acetone and she says it took several days for her skin to return to normal flesh color.

This is leads me to think . . . who’s the real guilty party with most polish staining?

You know that saying… “When you’re pointing at someone else, you have four fingers pointing back at you.”

Should polish brands be condemned for causing staining? Hummmmm.

Be Careful with the DIY Whitening Soaks

There a couple of other methods recommended by bloggers which I don’t recommend.

They are soaking your nails in hydrogen peroxide, lemon juice or denture remover tabs.

These techniques may work, but at what cost to the health of your nails?

One of the very worst things you can do to your nails is to soak them for 5-15 minutes in a water-based solution with some additives.

Even though our nails can soak up three times their weight in water, it’s very damaging to the keratin layers.

Where does that water go?

In between every single nail layer, slowly pushing the layers apart.

Our nails are resilient, but not for long. I explain this process in more detail here: https://www.nailcareheadquarters.com/How Water Damages Nails

In Conclusion

Hopefully, this clears up some confusion about polish stain removal.

The best method is prevention.

It starts with using two coats of a high-quality base coat and to completely dissolve the polish before using only one stroke to remove it.

The post Polish Stain Removal Tips – How to Remove Immediate Polish Stains first appeared on Nail Care Headquarters.

Marie Claire’s Pure Nail Oil™ Challenge Results

Marie Claire’s story is a fun one. She was one of the fortunate people to win a Bliss Kiss™ Simply Pure™ hydrating oil pen during one of the random contests we host on our Facebook Page.

In January and July, I used to host a huge 3-Day Get Naked Challenge with prizes and offer a big sale to help everyone get involved. Marie Claire decided to jump in and take the Challenge.

Side Note: The 3-Day has now evolved into a “30-Day Challenge” every January and June, where we teach you skills and techniques to help you learn to acheive longer, stronger nails. This also includes an Intensive Hydration Treatment using hydrating oil, balm lotion and nitrile or latex gloves for 2 to 12 hours.

The results of Marie Claire’s peeling nails after 14 days look too good to be true. But as they say—a picture is worth a thousand words.

Marie Claire’s Thoughts

“One day, I decided to remove my manicure and I observed that my pointed finger was a tad bit bent, discolored and chipped.

Ugh, I couldn’t stand the sight of the thing! It was irritating my eyes and my heart was weak 🙁

But thank God, that Simply Pure™ hydrating oil pen arrived quickly and worked instantly.

I was AMAZED and SHOCKED to see how quickly the oil got absorbed into the nail plate and the Crisp™ scent was just heavenly. I couldn’t stop sniffing it . . . I even had the urge to lick my nails. (My Puppy was definitely enjoying it though.)

The Get Naked Challenge had a time span of just three days, and by the end of the last day, my nails looks so awesome! I’m not even kidding.

I love this Simply Pure™ oil pen! It’s amazing!!

I love Ana and I love her product!” ~Marie Claire

You can read all of Marie Clair’s Simply Pure™ nail oil Challenge results on her website: PolishedIAm.blogspot.com

Oil is the glue that holds
nail keratin layers together. ~Ana

Ana’s Thoughts

I get warm fuzzies all over when I read testimonials like Marie Claire’s! 😀

Notice Marie Claire’s massive, frayed peeling, especially on her index finger. Within 3 days it was completely gone and within 14 days, you would never know she had an issue with peeling!

Simply Pure™ has essentially helped glue those layers back together to be smooth.

I wanted to get a little more insight into Marie Claire’s experience, so I asked her a few questions by email.

“I’m really happy I won this nail oil pen from you, because little did I know it would come in soooo handy!  This thing is a life saver, I’m not even kidding.  I was sooo happy to see the results!!

OMG, I wanted to cry when I saw how ugly my nails got, it was frustrating and ugly.  After I removed my mani, my index finger went so bad and it was a bit soft. Ick.

I couldn’t stand it, so I pulled out the pen and I couldn’t stop applying the oil and I couldn’t stop observing how it worked. I have to admit, I learned a lesson.  And I’m spreading the word.”

Tell me a little more of your story. Do you do a lot of swatching? What made you interested in the oil?

“Without the Simply Pure™ oil, I still have no idea where my nails would be.  Ahaha.

I actually started getting involved in doing nail care stuff a while a back. I am newbie to blogging. I don’t do a lot of swatches, but what I do mainly is just paint my nails for fun and showcase them on my personal Facebook page.

Unfortunately, however I had to stop for a while, because of the results of terrible dry nails.

But since your nail oil rejuvenated my nails, I’m back in the ball game! I stumbled across your Facebook page, and I was more intrigued in the nail art you shared up until one day I decided to enter in your giveaway, and then I won the pen!

At first, I had no idea what it was for, until I got it and started to review other people’s post about it.  I really didn’t know that it would come in handy until THAT DAY arrived! I took off my manicure and saw how beat up my nails were.”

What was your experience while you were doing the 3-Day? Surprised, shocked, happy?

“When I ordered and first started the “3-Day Let’s Get Naked Challenge,” I had already researched some Simply Pure™ hydrating oil before and after articles, so I was really intrigued when I first applied the oil. I kept looking at it, to see how it was progressing.

I had to do chores around the house, but left it for later because I didn’t want to get my nails wet!  LOL (and I don’t like wearing gloves when doing the dishes)

All in all, it was an awesome experience and challenge to try.  I made sure I read the instructions on the pamphlet, ensuring every time I oil, to rub above the cuticle to increase blood flow. I still rub behind my “cuticle” line (eponychium) even if it’s not oiled or anything. I think it has become a habit.

It was really fun doing the “Let’s Get Naked Challenge”, because I wanted to get rid of my ugly nails.  I just couldn’t stand it.”

The Cause of Peeling Nails

Peeling nails are usually caused by too much exposure to water and acetone. The nail has the ability to absorb 3 times their weight in water.

Those water molecules are pushing apart the nails’ keratin layers. The nail is quite resilient and has the ability to rebound. The water evaporates over about 60 minutes.

Photo courtesy of the Jojoba Co.

Photo courtesy of the Jojoba Co.

A lot of water, strong soaps, and acetone strip our nails of the natural body oil that is delivered from the pink nail bed. Our body just can’t keep up.

Jojoba wax ester (photo #3) has an almost identical molecular structure to human body oil (sebum – photo #1).

Pure Nail Oil™ contains the highest percentage of Jojoba of any nail or cuticle oil on the market. It has a synergistic relationship with the other ingredients.

Pure Nail Oil™ has the unique ability to absorb into the nail plate and help bring it back to the required perfect blend of 18% water and 5% oil.

Polish Is Your Friend

The best thing to do after an Intensive Hydration Treatment is to get those pretty nails protected with polish. Polish also helps seal the keratin layers of your peeling nails and protect them.

I have step by step directions for my Ulitimate Nail Care Routine here. Polish on the top and bottom of the nail tips will restrict the nails from absorbing water.

It will also trap the moisture and body oil (sebum) that is constantly being pumped up through the nail plate by the nourishing pink nail bed.

These TWO actions— Intensive Hydration Treatments and polish manicures—keep your nails stronger and more flexible to deal with life’s boo-boos.

Acetone Is a Necessary Foe

We need acetone. It’s a necessary solvent.

Did you know that acetone is actually LESS drying than  “non-acetone” removers?

Rather than fighting the drying effect, you can use an acetone additive or apply a cheap kitchen oil to your skin before removing polish.

After removing your manicure, do another an Intensive Hydration Treatment for 2 to 12 hours. This reverses the surface drying effect of acetone. ~Ana

If you liked this article . . . please share!

The post PEELING NAILS – Marie Claire’s Pure Nail Oil™ Results first appeared on Nail Care Headquarters.

Nail Polish Bubbles – We all hate them!

Sometimes we can’t figure out why they happen.

In this article, we will cover all the different reasons that nail polish bubbles occur and how to prevent them.

 ASK ANA

“I read that one should use acetone on the nails before applying polish to remove the excess oils.

Most of the time I’ve applied oil and nail balm (from Trind), let them dry, and then applied nail polish.

But what I’ve been experiencing lately is that my nail polish gets bubbles. I thought I might have been my new Essie Grow Stronger™ base coat, but maybe it’s the treatment I do before?” ~Cecilie

ANSWER

Yes, it is the oil and possibly the nail balm you are applying before hand that are the guilty culprits. Lacquer needs a clean, oil free surface to create a strong bond.

Nail oil definitely needs to be removed prior to your manicure. Let’s look at the Trind Nail Balsam.

Trind Nail Balsam’s Description

Contains the active ingredient BIOTINE which is a very special product. The Natural Moisturizing Factors between the layers of the nail were copied in this product. These Moisturizing Factors keep the nails supple. The main reason why many people have hard and brittle nails is because their nails lack these Moisturizing Factors.

Application once a week is all that is needed to sufficiently build strong beautiful nails.

TRIND Nail Balsam is guaranteed to be oil free. This is very important because after applying TRIND Nail Balsam, you may use nail polish or TRIND Natural Nail Repair strengthener immediately afterwards!

Trind Nail Balsam Ingredients

Water
Alcohol – solvent
Denatured Alcohol – solvent
C12-15 Alkyl Octanoate – skin conditioner
Propylene Glycol – humectant, solvent, preservative
Panthenol – humectant, emollient, moisturizer
Phytantriol – an alcohol used for it’s water binding properties www.truthinaging.com/ingredients/phytantriol
Triethanolamine -A pH balancer  www.truthinaging.com/ingredients/triethanolamine
Tocopheryl Acetate – Vitamin E
Methylparaben – An anti-fungal and preservative (possible link to breast cancer)   www.truthinaging.com/ingredients/methylparaben
Caffeine – vasoconstrictor, a diuretic, and an antioxidant when used in skincare products  www.truthinaging.com/ingredients/caffeine
Benzophenon-4 – Sunscreen, it helps prevent the integrity of other cosmetic ingredients from deteriorating under the sun.
Diazolidinyl Urea – Preservative which may be toxic and carcinogenic www.truthinaging.com/ingredients/diazolidinyl-urea
Carbomer – Thickening agent that helps distribute and suspend insoluble solids into liquid, and prevent the oil and liquid parts of a solution from separating.
Propylparaben – Anti-fungal preservative (possible link to breast cancer)  www.truthinaging.com/ingredients/propylparaben
Phospholipids – Emulsifier, it dissolves oil in water
Biotine – Known as Biotin in the US. A water soluble Vitamin B7, believed to encourage hair and nail growth but can’t be absorbed by the skin
Laureth-4 – Emulsifier and surfactant
Allantoin – Skin softener and keratolytic (helps shed the outer layer of the epidermis and promotes healthy tissue formation) www.truthinaging.com/ingredients/allantoin
Disodium EDTA -preservative, chelator and stabilizer
Blue 1 – a pretty color

My Thoughts

Here’s the really cool thing—I’m not a scientist. A lot of times I look at these ingredient lists and am as confused as you. So with trusty Google by my side, I look up each ingredient. And as a University educated woman, I draw some thoughts that don’t always match the company’s marketing.

I have never used Trind’s products so I don’t have personal experience—either positive or negative. All of the reviews of the product are extremely positive and it costs $21 USD for 1/3 of an ounce. (Average polish bottles are 1/2 oz).

The product description doesn’t convince me, since I know the only elements that can get between the keratin layers are water and sebum (body oil). Jojoba oil is the only oil molecule that is similar to sebum.

The first 3 ingredients which probably make up the bulk of the product are water, alcohol and denatured alcohol. You have water—which the nail can absorb—combined with two ingredients that are going to dissolve oil and evaporate water. Hummm….

Then I see Vitamin E—an oily substance— and several ingredients (Carbomer, Phospholipids, Laureth-4) that help dissolve oil in water. Another hummmmm….

A few ingredients seem comical to me.

Caffeine—really? It works well in skincare products because it temporarily tightens the skin. But in a nail product that is being applied to dead nail keratin?

Allantoin—something that helps shed the top layer of your skin? Why do we need that for our nails?

I’ll let you be the judge….

Bubble Causes

While I’m at it, we might as well look at ALL the reasons why nail polish bubbles while drying.

Dirty Nails

Oil and dirt are bad news with lacquer. Think of if you were to repaint your car with a fresh coat of auto lacquer but you didn’t clean it first. It’s the same with your nails.

Some polish removers contain moisturizers like Vitamin E, essential oils or glycerin. These will leave a film on your nails that interferes with the bond.

Moisture

Well, what if you wash your hands before starting your new manicure?

The first problem is that you’re adding water to your nail plate, which will cause your nail to flatten.

If you apply lacquer to wet nails, the bond will be weak because the water needs to evaporate.

Since you’ve covered the nail with a hard surface, the water will evaporate through and underneath the tips of your nails.

As your nails dry, they will curve back to their normal shape.

This causes the polish to stretch and crack.

The second problem is that you will have most likely dried your hands with a kitchen or bath towel.

Little bits of lint will stick to your nails.

Now they are no longer clean… and they’re still wet!

Spreading It On Thick

We’re all busy. And with the plethora of quick dry polishes and top coats, we’ve come to believe that we shouldn’t have to wait for polish to dry.

Why should we paint 3 thin coats when 1 thick one will work just fine. Right?

Wrong!

Polish starts as a liquid because it has a certain blend of “solvents.”

Polish dries when those “solvents” evaporate in the air. They evaporate from the top to the bottom.

If you apply thick coats, the surface of the polish layer will dry while the rest remains wet underneath.

The solvents are trapped under the dry surface and form tiny bubbles.

Too Dang Hot

Elevated body temperature or really humid and hot weather can cause nail polish bubbles. Warmer weather helps the surface of the polish dry faster than underneath.

It’s probably best to head for the shower after going to the gym and wait to polish your nails later.

Old Polish

Polish that has been used for several manicures or has been in your collection for several years may have gotten thicker.

The solvents have evaporated while you were polishing your nails or they’ve evaporated over time.

Basecoat/Polish/Topcoat Incompatibility

Some brands just don’t play nice together. Zoya is notorious among A LOT of people for not agreeing with other brand base coats or topcoats.

At the request of a fan, I double checked to make sure that my Zoya polishes work with high quality base coats and top coats.

The result was a flawless manicure—bubble free and no shrinkage.

Shaking Polish Bottle

There are many sources that say the mixing beads in your polish can incorporate air into the polish if you shake the bottle before your manicure.

I personally have yet to experience this. If your nail polish bottle is half empty though, shaking the bottle could cause bubbles to form in the polish.

I suspect that the causes for nail polish bubbles that people are experiencing is really due to one of the other reasons in this article.

Solutions

Rubbing Alcohol

I chose to look toward the professional nail industry to decide what to clean my nails with.

I found several nail-professional forums and the resounding answer on this topic was “rubbing alcohol.”

Even if someone had a favorite commercial product it was quickly pointed out that the main ingredient of all the cleansers is rubbing alcohol.

Scrub your nails clean with pure rubbing alcohol and lint free wipes. (available at Sally Beauty Supply)

It is also possible to use acetone to clean your nails. Just be sure it is pure acetone without moisturizers.

Bone Dry Nails

Surface moisture will interfere with the adhesive bond between your base coat and your natural nail.

Make sure that it’s been over an hour since your hands have been in water. Even if it was for just a few seconds. You want your nails completely dry.

If you find that you’re still having bubbling issues after scrubbing alcohol on dry nails, you may need to dry the surface of your nails just a bit more. Temporary nail dehydrators (often labeled as primers) will eliminate surface moisture for up to 30 minutes.

Base Coat

Base coats are formulated to bond to the nail plate.

Just like it’s best to use primer paint before you paint your house, it’s best to use a primer on your nails. This is the job of base coat.

“Base coats and top coats are formulated with many of the same ingredients as polish. Most base coats contain a high percentage of TAF resin to improve nail plate adhesion…and block staining. Top coats generally have high amounts of nitrocellulose with extra plasticizer and no pigments. Top coats improve wear by coating the polish with a protective shield while increasing gloss.” Doug Schoon, Nail Structure and Product Chemistry.

Steer away from products that claim to be a base coat and top coat. They simply can’t do both jobs well.

Roll Your Bottles

Instead of shaking the bottles, turn them upside down and roll the bottle between your hands.

Try not to curse too loud at the companies who thought it would be a good idea to get creative with bottle shapes. (Nicole by OPI, Ciate, Anna Sui and the one that takes the cake, Bootie Babe!)

If the polish won’t mix, you’ll need to shake it and let it sit for 10 minutes.

Better Mixing

You may want to add a couple more mixing balls if your polish is consistently difficult to mix—can we say glitters!?

I have actually discovered that several companies have stopped including mixing balls, especially Sally Hansen. I think it has happened to cut costs and keep prices lower. All of my salon quality polishes—OPI, Orly, China Glaze, Essie, etc—still contain two mixing balls. They haven’t cut back on costs by removing the mixing balls.

Thin Your Polish

Not all solvents are created equal.

Acetone is a solvent for typically used for cleaning surfaces in a laboratory. Acetone is also a good solvent for many plastics and some synthetic fibers. Acetone is primarily used on substances that have already gotten hard.

Nail polish needs solvents to keep the formula in a liquid state. Acetone is NOT one of them. The solvents I consistently see in polish ingredient lists are Butyl Acetate and Ethyl Acetate.

If you use acetone to try to thin the polish, it simply starts dissolving/breaking down the formula inside the bottle. This is why polishes thinned with acetone lose their shiny luster and chip easier.

Thinner made specifically for nail polish contains … you guessed it … Butyl Acetate and Ethyl Acetate. These are the solvents that evaporate from the bottle while you are polishing your nails. Solvent evaporation is why polish gets thick.

Although Doug Schoon doesn’t recommend polish thinners since a thinned polish will never be exactly the same as when it was brand new.

My feeling is his recommendation is focused toward nail professionals in his book (and my nail bible), Nail Structure and Product Chemistry.

Nail professionals need continuous product consistency and they need their manicures to last between salon visits. They should not be thinning polishes in the salon.

Those of us at home can be a little less strict.

To me, nail polish thinner is worth the $5 USD investment for 4 ounces. Since you’ll only use 10 to 15 drops per bottle, you will easily have enough to salvage 150 bottles of polish!

On a side note—while doing research for this article, I discovered that acetone is produced and disposed of in the human body through normal metabolic processes. It is normally present in our blood and urine. 

I find it fascinating that there is all this fear around the horrible health dangers of using acetone to remove polish! I wouldn’t recommend drinking the stuff, but like I’ve said before, big corporations have excellent public relations departments. And they spend a lot of money to convince us to believe their agenda.

And Butyl Acetate?…that solvent that is in nail polish? It is naturally found in many types of fruit, where along with other chemicals it imparts characteristic flavors and has a sweet smell of banana or apple. It is used as a synthetic fruit flavoring in foods such as candy, ice cream, cheeses, and baked goods. When I smell my bottle of polish thinner, it actually has an banana and apple fragrance! Hummmmm. ~Ana

Control The Temperature

Polish your nails in a room with still air that is not in direct sunlight. Keep the windows closed and stay away from AC vents.

If the weather is hot, work in an air conditioned room. If AC is not available and you require a fan, point it away from you while you’re painting your nails.

Do not blow on nails or wave them in the air in an attempt to get them to dry faster.

This just dries the surface of the nail polish faster and creates the perfect environment for nail polish bubbles. The solvents in the polish are trapped in the dried surface of nail polish.

Pamper Yourself

Painting thin coats using long, even strokes will allow them to dry uniformly without trapping the solvents between coats.

Thin coats should be completely dry by the time you’ve completed 10 fingers and are ready to move to the next coat.

Top Coat

Chose a high quality Top Coat to seal in your manicure. Personally, I like the quick dry top coats, but I also take my time with my polish layers so my nails are mostly dry anyway.

There are many favorites among nail bloggers—Seche Vite, Poshe, and Glisten & Glow’s HK Girl.

My favorite quick dry top coat is Sally Hansen Insta-Dry. It comes in a red bottle but is clear.

In Conclusion

Follow the above suggestions to help minimize bubbles, and like all things nail and manicure related . . . take your time.

The post Is Oil Causing Nail Polish Bubbles? first appeared on Nail Care Headquarters.

By the end of this article you will understand…

1. What the things are that cause nails to turn clear
2. And it might not be an indication that something bad is happening

ASK ANA

“Hi Ana! I have a question for you…What does it mean when you put Pure™ Nail and Cuticle Oil on and the free edge is practically transparent..I.E-the white is gone and you can see the tip of your finger behind the nail through it?” ~Kim

ANSWER

There are many factors that can cause the free edge of your fingernails to be clear. Figuring out how clear fingernails happens can get complicated, so I will do my best to keep it simple.

The most important thing to know is … that your nail plate is made of translucent keratin protein.

The Healthy Nail Plate

Translucent keratin protein—yep, the healthy nail plate is supposed to be semi-transparent. 

The pink area you see on your nails is actually the life nourishing, nail bed BELOW the nail plate. The nail bed provides a constant flow of moisture and oil through the nail plate.

Your fingernail is produced in the matrix right behind your eponychium, (cuticle line). The lunula (small moon) is the only visible part of your matrix. Not all fingers have a visible lunula.

The reason the lunula is a different color is because those are the keratin nail cells that are plump and still alive. Most people can see the lunula on their thumbnails.

As soon as those keratin cells pass the lunula area, they die. They dry out, loose their opacity—becoming translucent, and flatten becoming the 50’ish layers of keratin cells that make up our “fingernails.”

The color of the free edge that extends past your fingertips depends on how much of the inner cell material stays in the nail plate cells as they continue to grow forward on the nail plate.

Usually, they are fairly clear just as they move past the fingertip, then turn white because they aren’t being ‘hydrated’ by a continuous upward flow of body oil and moisture from the nail bed.

Are White Tips Healthy?

So—if your nail tips (free edge) are turning white, it’s because your nails are drying out and the whiter they are, the more dried out they are.

This makes me wonder if we’ve got it all backwards. Is the reason white tips are so highly coveted because our society has never known how to properly rehydrate their nails? Is it better to have clear fingernails? Read on…

Are You Average?

Genetics, your health, and natural nail thickness are important parts in determining what color your nail turns as it leaves the fingertip.

The average number of keratin layers people have is about 50 layers in their fingernails (100 for toe nails). A person with 40 layers may have tips that stay more transparent. A person with 60 layers is going to have more layers to keep hydrated, and if they don’t, the tips become whiter.

Once you’ve properly rehydrated your nails with a jojoba wax ester nail oil, that’s the color your nails are supposed to be. They could be completely translucent, or be partially white with spots or bands of translucency, or fully white.

All are normal.

It’s not necessarily bad to have clear fingernails, as long as it’s not from too much water.

Biggest Cause of Clear Fingernails

Photo of clear fingernails used with permission from LoodieLoodieLoodie

Water

The photo to the left from LoodieLoodieLoodie after she enjoyed a crab feast, shows that continuous contact with water can make your nails transparent. Also washing your hands dries out your skin and strips oil from your nails.

There are many microscopic channels that make it easy for the nail plate to absorb large quantities of water. A normal nail plate can hold 1/3rd it’s own weight in water!

Water is able to pass BETWEEN the keratin cells but also THROUGH the flattened cells. Nails that have been soaking in water become overly soft, overly flexible and tear easily. You can easily see that your nails have absorbed too much water because you have clear fingernails.

Healthy nails have about 18% water. But too much moisture can weaken the nail plate by separating the keratin layers leading to serious peeling and splitting problems.

Solutions

1.  Oil

Since we all need to wash our hands and bathe, to fight the water’s effect on your nails, rehydrate them with a high quality, jojoba wax ester based nail and cuticle oil.

Check out our Mini/Overnight Hydration Process to give your nails a quick boost of hydration.

Here are what my nails look like after an overnight hydration. Note that the oil has fully penetrated the layers of my nails, making them look semi-transparent. That is a GOOD thing!

2. Gloves

Learn to love gloves. I know many of you hate them, but realize that for various reasons you have “decided” to hate them. If you want healthy, beautiful nails, then you need to “decide” to love gloves.

Wear cotton gloves while doing dry housekeeping.

Wear dish gloves for as much wet housekeeping as possible; dishes, laundry, heavy cleaning. Cut back on your contact with soaps and detergents. A pair of nitrile or latex gloves combined with a good quality jojoba-based oil is the perfect way to both protect your nails and skin from water and other chemicals while giving your nails and skin a wonderful mini-hydration treat!

3. Polish

Nail polish is a strong protective barrier between your nail plate and water. Nail polish doesn’t eliminate water absorption but it slows it down significantly. Just make sure you are completely wrapping your base coat and top coat around your free edge.

Nail Polish Removers Cause White Tips

I know I’m stating the obvious, but polish removers are very drying to your nails. If you love polish then you have to love removers. But most of you don’t. You fear acetone.

Why? Because someone in the nail industry who wanted to create another removal product had an excellent public relations department who brainwashed us into thinking that non-acetone is less drying.

We bought into the lie.

The truth is that acetone and non-acetone ingredients (ethyl acetate & methyl ethyl ketone) are solvents. They dissolve stuff that water can’t dissolve. Nail polish needs a solvent.

According to scientific information, acetone is slightly safer than ethyl acetate & methyl ethyl ketone.

And acetone dissolves polish faster! You want to use the product that dissolves lacquer faster because it’s LESS drying.

Solutions – Work With the Acetone

If acetone is going to dissolve nail polish, then it’s going to dissolve the oil in your nails. Acetone also evaporates extremely fast, taking your nail’s moisture with it. This seriously whitens nail tips and makes them very brittle. The solution is to remove polish quickly and then take some time rehydrating your nails with a little water and a lot of oil before your next manicure.

Apply oil before removing polish

1. BEFORE removing polish, cover the skin around your nails with an inexpensive oil from your kitchen. Let the acetone work on that oil instead of your skin’s oils.

2. Use my Soak and Swipe™ of removing polish with one cotton ball. (Video above)

• Open the cotton ball into one long piece and cut it into sections that will fit on your nails.
• Dip one piece of cotton in acetone.
• Lay that piece on your nail, pressing it into the lacquer.
• Apply manicure clip to nail
• Repeat the process with the remaining 4 fingers.
• Then return to the first finger, remove the clip, firmly grip the cotton and pull the polish off. It should completely wipe off.
• Repeat with remaining 4 fingers.
• Repeat all above steps on your other hand.

4. Rehydrate your nails with a jojoba based nail oil. Keep reapplying oil when your nails feel dry for 2 to 8 hours.

5. When you’re ready to polish your nails again, follow the directions on my Fab 5 Polish Wrap article.

In Conclusion

Now you’ve learned the external causes of clear fingernails, you can make a choice.

You now have more information to discover what your healthy nails look like and to keep them that way.

Perhaps having clear fingernails isn’t such a bad thing.

The post Clear Fingernails – Is It a Bad Thing? first appeared on Nail Care Headquarters.

Chipped Nail Polish From The Shower

Are you tired of getting chipped nail polish when you take a shower? I certainly am!

By the end of this article, you’ll understand how I figured out why I kept getting chipped nail polish—and you’ll discover the solution.
Two years ago, after writing and publishing my book, What You Don’t Fix …Your Kids Inherit, I was tired. It had been a two year labor of love and I needed a break.

I was drained and only had one question on my mind – “How do I stop getting chipped polish when I shower?”

What I didn’t realize was my simple little question to eliminate chipped nail polish would lead me into a 14 day, 6 hour a day obsession. I had discovered the vast online world of nail polish and nail art bloggers.

The Journey

I started asking the Almighty Internet 8-Ball (Google) all sorts of nail related questions. Google eagerly dished up the answers. One page would lead me to another. One video would lead to another, etc.

Sadly, I found a lot of crap—completely wrong advice, old wives tales, bloggers who can’t spell worth beans, and horrendous videos that were blurry, boring and too long. You can totally relate, right?

Where’s The Answer?

While weeding through everything, I also found tons of great information—little pearls of wisdom and other gems hidden in the thousands of pages I waded through. But still, no one had answered my question, “How do I stop getting chipped nail polish when I take a shower?”

Then, I discovered the first college textbook that I would willing buy and read without being enrolled in college! Nail Structure and Product Chemistry by Doug Schoon.

As I learned about nail structure and how the nails absorb water, my lightbulb turned on!

The Reason

Nails absorb water from both sides—through the pink nail bed and from the nail plate surface. All exposed areas of the nail plate absorb water.

As I wrote in my article about preventing peeling nails, healthy nails are a perfect blend of 18% water and 5% oil.

Bare nails can hold almost one-third of their own weight in water. Water molecules are so small that they easily pass through and around the 50ish layers of keratin cells.

Nail polish is a coating over the top of the nail. Although it looks solid, it is not. Water and oil can penetrate through polish, but at a significantly slower rate than when nails are bare. Many people wonder if oil can penetrate the polish to help their nails be stronger. The absorption is too slow to have any effect.

Nail polish also protects the nail plate from losing water and oil through evaporation and extensive hand washing, especially when using soap.

But… !!!

Like most of you, I use base coat and topcoat. I cap my free edges with polish and topcoat. Now the top of my nails are protected. But… the underside of my nails were bare—unsealed.

What Happens In Water

We all have a natural curve to our nails. Once nail polish has dried, it has dried to the same curve. But in water, bare nails soak up water like a sponge causing the nail’s curve to flatten out. Although polish has plasticizers to keep it flexible, the polish is forced into a flatter shape. That alone might be ok, but there is another problem.

Water Travels Through the Nail

In a 10 or 15 minute shower, excess water travels through the bottom to the top of the nail plate. The water breaks the bond with the polish—especially around the edges—which have received wear and tear from daily life.

Broken Bonds

Image use with permission from Loodie Loodie Loodie

With the combination of hardened polish bending and excess water traveling through the nail plate, the bond is broken between the polish and the nail plate surface. The result? Chipped nail polish!

Anna at LoodieLoodieLoodie has a great example of this in her crab feast blog post. Her nails were saturated from 2 hours of cracking open crabs.

She thought her manicure would survive but look what happened to the right! Her entire coat of polish just slid off in one sheet. Water absorption had completely broken the polish to nail bond.

The Solution

In order to help prevent chipped nail polish in the shower, prepare your nail plate properly before polishing for ideal adhesion, then completely wrap your nails in base coat and topcoat to slow down water absorption.

How to Prevent Chipped Nail Polish

Use the following tips to help you prevent chipped nail polish:

TIP: The ingredients that make a good top coat bond to nail polish and have an incredible shine make it a horrible base coat! Steer away from any product labeled as base coat AND topcoat. It will do neither one well.

Removal

After 7 days, remove your polish with acetone. Acetone is actually less drying to your nails than non-acetone because it dissolves the polish quicker.

Soak and Swipe™

I like to unroll a cotton ball and cut it into small pieces about the size of my nails. Thoroughly soak the cotton piece with acetone and apply to pinky nail. Repeat with the other nails.

By the time you have finished to your thumb, soak another piece of cotton. With firm pressure, swipe the polish off—no need for scrubbing! Trust me, this will change your life!

In Conclusion

A full wrap of base coat and topcoat completely encases your nails in polish. Water absorption is minimized when you shower and wash your hands. This is the best way I’ve found to prevent chipped nail polish.

The post Chipped Nail Polish From The Shower? first appeared on Nail Care Headquarters.

ASK ANA

“Hey Ana, I need your help to settle something. I had a little argument with a friend of mine a few days ago. My friend says she usually takes a month off from painting after a manicure chips off to air it out, but I said it takes a few days, maybe a week at most. Who’s right?” ~Annika

ANSWER

Neither of you.

This is another huge old-wives tale and I have no idea where it started.

Fifty (50) layers of flattened, dead keratin cells don’t breathe. Dead is Dead.

My best guess for this silly belief is that when using your acetone, it strips oil and water from your nails, making them feel dry and tight. If you do this process repeatedly without proper hydration, your nails are going to feel and be really dry.

The misnomer would be that people thought it was the polish causing the dryness, when it’s really the acetone or non-acetone remover causing the dryness.

So then, when they left the polish off to “so called breathe,” their nails soaked up water while doing chores and washing hands. This causes your nails to feel better temporarily.

Where nails are concerned, rehydration means oil…not water. Our nails don’t have any trouble soaking up water because the molecule is smaller than oil. And the only oil molecule small enough to penetrate the nail plate is jojoba oil.

Rehydrating your nails with oil doesn’t happen in 10 minutes. It takes 3 days.

“Oil is absorbed into the nail plate to plasticize it (flexibility), but much more slowly than water. Just as oils are absorbed more slowly into the nail plate, it is also more difficult for the oils to escape. Therefore, oils stay in in the plate for a very long time and can exert a dramatic long-term influence on the durability of the natural nail plate.” ~Doug Schoon, Nail Structure and Product Chemistry.

The Opposite Truth

A better practice after removing a manicure is to give your nails 2 to 8 hours to rehydrate with a jojoba based nail oil. Then, when you’re ready to do your manicure, remove the surface layer of oil with rubbing alcohol and move on to your basecoat.

The great news is that nail polish actually helps prevent your nails from drying out! It helps trap the oil in your nails and helps prevent excessive water absorption, especially if you completely wrap your nail tips with top coat.

The post Do Nails Breathe? Should I Take Polish Breaks? first appeared on Nail Care Headquarters.

IS ACETONE SAFE?

Have you been told non-acetone is less harmful than acetone? It’s not true.

In this article, you’ll learn:

• The true safety information about acetone
• The safest and fastest way to remove polish
• How to work with acetone to reduce its drying effects

MYTH: Non-Acetone Products Are Safer

The debate about polish removers is almost as heated as the debate about coffee’s health benefits. And I’m about to settle it for you.

Why Is Acetone the Better Choice?

Acetone evaporates quickly, thus the vapors do not exceed safe levels in salons or the home.

Scientists say that acetone has good ‘warning properties’ that limit overexposure. If there is ever too much in the air you will be aware of it and do something about it. Your body has it’s own alarm system and lets you know when any substance is dangerous.

Acetone is NOT suspected to cause cancer by any credible government or scientific agency.

Acetone cannot pass into the dermis or basal level of the skin and none will pass through the nail plate. So clearly, it is NOT absorbed into the bloodstream.

According to scientific information, Acetone is slightly safer than the primary ingredients in non-acetone remover, ethyl acetate & methyl ethyl ketone. Surprised?

Acetone and the ingredients in non-acetone remover are all safe solvents when used sparingly. 

And lastly, acetone dissolves polish faster than non-acetone removers.

What Is A Solvent?

Water is the safest solvent in the nail industry.

In fact, water is called the universal solvent because it dissolves more things than any other known substance. But if water dissolved nail polish, the nail industry would be dead.

The second safest solvent used in salons is acetone. That’s why it is sold for this purpose.

It is true that there are many faster-acting solvents, but they are not safe enough for use in the salon or the home.

But It Dries My Skin

Yes! That’s ok though!

Why?

Because if removers can dissolve polish, they also dissolve oil…your skin’s natural oils.

Let’s Look Closer

Your nails dry out because of evaporation. Oils and moisture travel from your nail bed, through your nail and evaporate into the air. Yes… the oil evaporates too.

Then you put polish remover on your nails, it evaporates almost instantaneously, much faster than water and takes your dissolved natural oils with it. Poof!

Removers can’t go into your nails or skin….they’re too busy evaporating. This is how they dry your skin.

What Should I Do?

Since acetone dissolves polish faster, it’s actually less drying than non-acetone! You’ll be scrubbing a lot longer with non-acetone removers.

When used only once a week, the drying effect is temporary and quickly corrects itself.

Rub some olive oil on your skin around your nails before removing your polish. The acetone will take that oil instead.

Another option I prefer is to add a moisturizing acetone additive containing wonderful oils to reduce the drying effects of acetone. I use Bliss Kiss™ Simply Soft™

Rinse your hands after removing your polish. But wait an hour before polishing your nails again, so the water has time to evaporate from your nails.

Re-moisturize your skin and nails with a quality nail and cuticle oil after your manicure and then twice daily. I like to do a mini-intensive hydration treatment with Simply Pure™ hydrating oil.

Still Faster?

There is one more way to help acetone work even faster at dissolving polish.

Warm it!

Just don’t use the stove or the microwave. You will blow your house up! Acetone and non-acetone solvents are flammable.

In Doug Schoon’s book, Nail Structure and Product chemistry, he mentions that warm acetone can help shorten the dissolving time 30% to 50%!

I use Soak & Swipe™ manicure clips to help my body warm the acetone as it dissolves the polish on my nails.

Recommended Products

Simply Soft™ acetone additive

Simply Pure™ hydrating oil

Soak & Swipe™ manicure clips

The post ASK ANA: Is Acetone a Safe Nail Polish Remover? first appeared on Nail Care Headquarters.