The Green Beauty Guide

Spring is in full bloom, and after three years of nail polish ban (first, getting ready to pregnancy, then being pregnant, then breastfeeding, then downright too busy) I got carried away and gave myself a lovely red pedicure. My red nail polish was phthalate-free, toluene-free, formaldehyde-free very pretty shade of true red by Zoya, a professional quality line of nail polishes founded by a pregnant aesthetician - sounds good to me!

When my petite Marie saw my red toes (with pretty red glitter, mind you!) she said: “Mama boo-boo… Mama vava” which in toddlerish means that Mommy’s got a wound, Mommy is in pain!

How actually true! When did red nails start looking attractive or healthy? To the toddler who was not (yet) brainwashed with glossy mags and music videos, red nails simply look like open, bleeding wounds on Mommy’s toes.

And as a holistic nutritionist, I got particularly interested in one area of studies, namely symptomatology. So here’s what a physician would think of latest nail trends:

Pale, ebony-colored nails: pale nails can indicate chronic liver disease, lymphoma, renal disease, or general fungal problem. So long for the chic, impossibly classy shades of pale beige and pink!

White nails, as in French manicure, can indicate of kidney, liver, or blood disorders such as anemia.  (Disabled-World.com) Half white nails, with dark spots, especially on the tip, may be indicative of kidney diseases.

Blue and purple nails can often be symptoms of argyria or Wilson’s disease, a liver and blood disorder.

Green nails (does anyone over 14 wear them?) may signal of arthritis, glaucoma, lung problems, emphysema, cardio-pulmonary disease.

Yellow nails (as in golden shade of nail polish) can signal of fungal infection, lung disease, or diabetes.

Red nails, apart from looking a bit risque (which was my reason to wear gaudy red with glitter) may suggest polycythaemia and carbon monoxide poisoning. Disabled-World.com adds to this lovely list “possible brain hemorrhage, heart disease, high blood pressure, lung disease, stroke…” - all linked to red nails.

Black nails may signal of anemia, severe heart problems, vitamin B-12 deficiency, and cyanosis (in this case, lips turn blue, too). Disabled-World.com adds that black nails could be a sign of adrenal gland problems, liver disease, cancer or melanomas, silver deposits (heavy metals), and trauma. Rouge Noir, anyone?

So I am off red polish, for the time being. I was thinking of medically neutral polishes, and it seems like the healthiest color would be a muted rose or mauve, maybe amber, basically, anything that is one shade darker than your natural lip color. So far, Zoya nail polish line offers just one shade in warm pink. Revlon, being DBP, toluene and formaldehyde free (bless them!) has some lovely shades including Really Rosy and Tropical Temptation. They look very classical on the verge of being boring. But rose, coral, and blush is how healthy nails really look like. 

Any other ideas? Phthalate-free suggestions, please!