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Nail Polishes and Nail Strengtheners


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Are Your Nail Strengtheners and Polishes Hard on Your Nails?

I couldn’t help but notice her nails. Mine are weak and soft, so naturally I notice the hands of other women. Her nails were truly enviable. She didn’t have a scrap of nail polish on them.

No, these nails were a force of nature all on their own. Long and obviously hard, I commented on them with more than a tinge of envy. “Oh,” she said, positioning her hand in front of her, “I need to cut them.”

She looks them up and down as if a bit annoyed. “I’ve always had hard nails,” she said. “I guess I’m lucky that way.”

Lucky? Lady, you’re the envy of the free world! What woman with soft, weak nails wouldn’t make a deal with the devil to have nails like that?

Nails. They are in the same beauty category as hair and shoes. A must-have. And yet, the large majority of women don’t have, which is why we resort to acrylic or gel nails, nail strengtheners or nail hardeners.

And whether or not you have long nails, let’s face it. Some outfits aren't complete without nail polish.

Nail Hardeners: Good or Bad?

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From Sally Hansen’s Hard As Nails to OPI’s Nail Envy, these companies promise us

hard nails. No matter if one product doesn’t work, those of us with weak, soft, brittle nails will try yet another nail hardening product. Why? Because maybe this one WILL work.

The problem is, even if these products do work on your nails, they aren’t solving the problem. In fact, they are creating more problems. Yes, that’s plural.

So, before you try yet another product for those dastardly weak nails, make an informed choice! Because nails companies aren’t going to tell you the whole truth.

As you’ve guessed, not all nail hardeners, strengtheners, and nail polishes are created equally. Some actually do more harm than good.

Let’s take a look.

Not All Nail Hardeners Are Safe

Good nail hardeners will contain proteins to encourage healthy nail growth. These proteins react with the natural protein in your own nails, creating protein bonds that tie the protein chains together. That’s what makes your nails harder.

Ethyl acetate is a prominent ingredient for bonding those agents together, and is generally recognized as safe. What’s not so safe is formaldehyde or formalin. They are so bad that some of the more reputable nail polish companies have removed them.

Formaldehyde or formalin initially hardens the nail. BUT, over time, it does exactly the opposite. Nails become brittle, which makes them susceptible to lifting and separating. Worse, it can cause severe allergic reactions around the nail, causing irritation, swelling and pain.

There is also quite a bit of concern that these two ingredients are also carcinogenic!

Dirty Nail Polishes

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Even many “natural” nail polishes have not