Handmade Beauty || A Simple Switch
A few weeks ago, the girls and I did a little “nail polish detox”, where we sat down, went through each of my polishes in my (already small) collection and threw out the ones that weren’t at least “5 Free”. Although they didn’t necessarily understand the difference between the “bad and good colors”, they always ask each time we sit down for a little girl time if the polish is safe for their fingers.
As low maintenance as my beauty routine is, especially lately with my past two months of straight morning sickness (if you missed something, catch a little announcement here), I’ve dedicated the past few years to intentionally whittling down the contents of my beauty collection until I’m confident that each item in it is safe for my skin and, of course, my girl’s skin, lungs, eyes, and everything else, as well.
I shared a few of my favorite skincare brands several months ago but today I wanted to delve a bit deeper into the world of nail polish (admittedly not my strong suit, but one I’m learning more about) and share about a brand I’m honored to partner with for the next few months.
What’s the trouble with conventional polishes?
Not surprisingly, most nail polishes, be they salon-worthy or purchased in the aisles of a dollar store, are laden with shockingly terrible chemicals. In fact, studies (and anyone with a sense of smell) show that even the air in most nail salons is harmful to breathe, let alone the polish they’re putting on your body.
Although I won’t pretend to be an expert, a quick Google search of “toxins in nail polish” is a little terrifying. Chemicals like triphenyl phosphate (or TPHP) are known endocrine disrupters, and are found inside the bodies of women who use polish containing it. Formaldehyde, a substance used to preserve dead bodies and a carcinogen, is also another guilty party inside most nail polishes. These, along with toluene and dibutyl phthalate are commonly cited as the other more harmful chemicals inside almost all nail polish brands.
Beauty products in America are notoriously unregulated and it’s hard to know who to trust, when brands who claim to be all-natural are actually laden with chemicals.
What is 7-Free Polish?
3-Free polishes were first to the scene, with 5-free close on its tail. Some brands, however, have cut the chemicals even more by offering 7-free options (a friend even told me that Target now sells a line that’s 10-free and I’ve even heard of 13-free). But what exactly are these polishes “free” from?
7-free specifcally, since that’s the polish I have experience using, is free from the 5 most common chemicals found in nail polishes with an addition of other 2 chemicals (Toluene, Dibutyl Pthalate, Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin, Camphor, Triphenyl Phosphate (TPHP) and Xylene). I can’t even pronounce most of those words…why would I choose to put them on my fingers?
Why Handmade Beauty?
Handmade Beauty hails from Madrid, a culture not subjected to the US’s loose standards when it comes to beauty products. They use only organic ingredients, even for their nail polishes, and have opened up several salons in Spain. All of their ingredients are listed on their website and they’re wonderfully transparent about their commitment to producing better, safer products.
I’m not someone who constantly needs a color on my nails, but when I do decide to get fancy, it’s wonderful to know that I can do so without worrying about myself, my kiddos, and my growing babe in the process.
*This post is part of an ongoing partnership with Handmade Beauty. All opinions and photographs are my own*
