Can you tell our nail polish is well-loved?

Have you ever thought about the nail polish you use for yourself, and your children?

Changing your nail polish product is another simple “green” shift you can make in your family’s choices.  Doing so will allow you to avoid some biggie toxins being absorbed right into your child’s bloodstream.  Here are some ingredients that are commonly found in conventional nail polishes that you may want to avoid in pregnancy, and for your children once they are earthside:

• FD&C colors
• Formaldehyde
• Dibutyl Phthalate
• Toluene
• Xylene

In our house, anyone who wants their finger nails painted is sitting down for a weekly polish change in Puma’s room.  Since it is used often and liberally, we are definitely keeping on the “green” side of things when it comes to nail polish.

As students of the Bradley Method®, we had a class devoted to avoiding harmful substances (now we teach that class!).  It really opened our mind to all the subtle ways that toxins can enter our environment.  One of the biggest culprits is personal care products.  So, I stopped getting acrylic nails while I was pregnant, and started using Honeybee Garden when I was pregnant with Night Owl.  Then Puma got old enough to have an opinion, and she wanted brighter colors.  We have used Piggypaint, and now we have also added Hopscotch Kids (added bonus…local Phoenix mamapreneur!) to our polish collection.  All three are free of the chemicals, and I know that Honeybee Garden is also free of the FD&C dyes.

New on the scene is Chrome Girl – two mamas in California are behind this company.

So what do you think?  Have you considered switching over to non-toxic nail polishes?  What are your favorite brands if you have made the switch?