Below is an article cross-posted from Surely You Nest, a blog written by the incredibly eco-savvy and amazing MamaBird.

Sooooo, I like pedicures as much as the next gal. Well, maybe a little
less. I happen to like short nails and am pretty happy if they are just
clipped with one of those drugstore nail clippers? But I can get behind
pretty toes. I got a pedicure right before I got married. And you know
what? I really liked it. Those vampy toes make summer come alive.
Anyhoo, I shifted over a while back to PeaceKeepers nail polish and acetone-free remover from Whole Paycheck ’cause conventional polish smells bad enough to warn me away even before I dig into EWG’s Skin Deep database. EGirl, naturally, would paint her digits a new color every day if I’d let her (awhich I do not).

So what’s the deal? Can I safely brighten her mood and her tootsies?

You
can pretty much guess that conventional nail polish is bad news. Ever
wanted to go hang out in a nail salon just to catch up with a friend
while she’s getting her fingers beautified? Katydidnot‘s cannibal kindergartener is clear enough about the hazard. He won’t even consider eating humans because of those painted nails.

A bunch of companies are marketing less-toxic nail polish and removers. What are the ingredients to avoid? Toluene, dibutyl phthalates aka DBP, VOCs (in remover), acetone, and formaldehyde. Check here for a good summary (thanks to Tiny Choices for the link). Mmmmmm, pretty. Pretty toxic.

Apparently OPI, Orly and Sally Hansen lost the most toxic chemicals, and Acquarella’s got a nontoxic line which is water-based (thanks to Green LA Girl for the tip). Suncoat‘s water-based and free of many of the top carcinogens (thanks to Green Mom Finds for the tip).  Well, Suncoat’s site comes down pretty hard
on the non-water-based polishes out there, noting "Chemical solvents,
namely acetates, are still the major ingredient in the polish: 60-70%.
These nail polishes still give off chemical fumes, pollute the air,
have an offensive odor, and are highly flammable and explosive."
They’re trying to sell the water-based stuff, of course, but they
certainly make a strong case.

Tiny Choices pondered this weighty question
a bit ago and has a great roundup of the enviro conundrum. They
basically say that since polish remover itself is no great shakes you
should skip the whole scene altogether. It’s good to have less-toxic
choices if you’re going to go down the path, though. I remember going
to Nusta Spa a few
years back and having to bring my own nail polish because, despite it
being an eco-spa, they only had conventional polish in there. That’s
what Ideal Bite recommends: bringing your own less-toxic polish to the salon. Sounds like the market’s coming around since I had my first kid and all hope of getting a pedicure went out the window (thanks to the EU and California, for banning awful ingredients).

I
think most of us probably err on the side of caution. Heck, they were
singing the sad old refrain of "it’s commercially viable and safe until
you prove it’s deadly" on BPA until pretty recently. Whatevah. I’d
rather rub beet juice on my kid’s nails than poison her. And yes, I do
realize the therapy bill may be higher. Back to the question: is the
so-called eco friendly nail polish really safe and/or a solid
environmental choice? I think the eco bloggers were in agreement: not
really. It’s better than the conventional alternative but really, your
best bet is to skip it altogether. Sorry, EGirl, we’re sticking with
special occasion polish for the foreseeable future.

Don’t
forget, you can always do the shape and buff — shiny nails look A-OK
too, in my humble opinion. As do nails that have lots of rich dirt from
the garden or sand from the beach under them, for that matter.
Living-your-life hands…gotta love ‘em. (Click here for an interesting look at the historical fascination with long nails aka ‘I don’t do any manual labor’ hands.)

*Photo courtesy of sxc.

Check out MamaBird’s latest essays on green living, crafting, parenting and all things nesty at Surely You Nest!