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Nail Polishes Facts
When one says “nail”, the
word that most often goes together with it is “polish”
because the small bottles of colored nitrocellulose can safely be
named one of the symbols of the 20th century and it is
more than certain that they will have their place, though probably
with altered chemical composition, in this century as well. It is
unknown what percentage of women regularly use nail polish but it is
a safe bet that more than half of the women on Earth use it at least
once a month.
Colored nail polishes were invented in
the 1920s and the first nail polish was launched by Revlon. Though
the chemical composition has changed over the years, the main formula
is the same. Basically, a nail polish is made of nitrocellulose
dissolved in a solvent, to which various pigments are added. Some of
the other ingredients of nail polishes include methacrylate and vinyl
polymers, formaldehyde, camphor, acetone, ketone, toluene, suspending
agents, etc. Since not all ingredients are harmless and some are
known to cause cancer and other diseases, or are simply poisonous to
breathe, nail polish manufacturers have seen pressure from the public
to change their formulas.
The chemical composition of nail
polishes is close to that of car paints, which constantly raises
questions, but it looks that environmental issues alone are not
convincing enough for consumers to stop using nail polishes. Probably
the demand is too high and the fact that it is technologically
impossible to make a nail polish out of natural ingredients only,
make nowadays nail polishes acceptable to people.
Nail polishes come in different colors.
There are manufacturers that offer more than 100 shades! There are
also transparent nail polishes that only add gloss and protection to
the nails. Also, there are many crazy nail polishes with huge chunks
of glitter in them but they are harder to apply and often the glitter
fades away after a couple of days. No matter what color you have
chosen, the techniques for applying it are the same.
After that brief introduction to the
history and chemical composition of nail polishes, let's get down to
some interesting and useful facts, like:
To preserve nail polish for longer
periods of time, keep it in the fridge. Also, avoid leaving the
bottle open because this way you not only make it dry but you expose
yourself to the poisonous substances it contains.
If the smell of nail polish makes
you dizzy, you can go to the terrace and apply it there. When you
are in the open, the smell is less suffocating. In any case,
ventilate the room properly, after you have finished polishing your
nails.
Even skilled manicurists spill
drops of nail polish on the bottle or on the table. If this happens
to you, remove the drop quickly because it will leave permanent
stains on the table. If you don't remove nail polish drops from the
top of the bottle, the bottle might become glued shut.
The most professional way of
making manicure is to make a base coat, two layers of nail polish
and a top coat. (Manicure secrets are revealed here.)
Each layer must be thin and done in three strokes. Top coat can be
applied daily (if the layers under it are intact, of course) and
this way you can prolong the life of your manicure.
When you apply nail polish, don't
mistake it with paint. Being generous is not good because the thick
layer of polish might not dry out for a long time and additionally,
a thick layer tends to be uneven and falls quickly.
If you want to minimize chipping,
“wrap” the polish – i.e. paint a little across the
edge and under the nail tip. This thickens the polish and increases
its changes to stay for longer.
Don't use nail polish if it is
old. The shelf life of nail polish is 2 years in general, so if you
have older polishes, just throw them away.
Polished nails don't like water.
So if you need to wash dishes for more that 15 minutes, rubber
gloves are indispensable.
Most nail polishes are flammable,
so avoid placing them, even for a short time, on things like
cookers, heaters, etc.
If you are fed up with traditional
(i.e. one color) nail polish, you can try nail art. Nail art
combines two or more colors, arranged in a shape (i.e. vertical
lines) or includes small figures painted on the nails and it can be
really fun, especially for teenagers. Of course, if you are an
important business lady, having hearts painted on your nails is
hardly a good idea but for everybody else who can afford a crazier
look, nail art is great.
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