Are you someone who loves to get pampered with manicures and pedicures using bold and flashy colors for your nails? In case you are, you might want to look into whether the new and intriguing nail polishes are actually good for your cuticles. Since it usually takes over half a year to re-grow a broken nail, you might want to do all you can to ensure that your cuticles are in the peach of health. Maintaining healthy nails is after all a part and parcel of manicures.
Effects of Lacquer on Cuticles
Every cuticle needs a healthy dose of oxygen and moisture to stay well. The exposure of nails to external factors facilitates these needs for the keratin present in them lets them absorb water. However, coating your nails with a thick polish can sometime be harmful as it prevents oxygen flow and moisture absorption. This results in brittle cuticles that are hard, dry and sometimes even discolored.
In order to further understand the deep seated causes of such damage, it can be useful to consider the constituency of such polish.
The Constituency of Nail Enamel
Even though colorful lacquer mainly helps you in making a fashion statement, the consistency and constituency of the potion are often harmful. These are often added substances put in to aid the potion in staying sparkly, dry up faster or even be more durable. Although, some enamel is certifiably not toxic in nature, there are others that are still rich with chemicals that attribute to poor cuticle health.
Nitrocellulose- This is to give your nail a clear sheen and normally used in car paint.
Diluting Agent or Paint Thinner- Basically a solvent used to ensure that the enamel remains liquid and retains its viscosity.
Dibutyl Phyalate- This is to aid in averting excessive chipping after being coated on the cuticle.
Dye Stains – These come in flashy colors and are used to offer various shades to the enamel.
Chromium and Iron Oxides- These are used to offer the lacquer unique tints.
Choosing a Polish that is Good for you
The wrong enamel could harm your cuticle health; however, there are a lot of lacquers devoid of any petrochemical solvents making them ideal for use. There are also options for people who wish to use only environment friendly nail enamels. When choosing a lacquer, it would be wise to read the ingredients printed on the label to find out whether any dangerous solutions like isopropyl alcohol or ethyl acetate were used to be safe.
A Safe Frequency for Using Polish
It would be prudent to ensure that you have a week or two of a dry spell between terms of using nail lacquer. This is to ensure that there is no cuticle discoloration and the nail gets copious amounts of oxygen. Moreover, moisturizing your fingertips and nails thoroughly with a quality lotion or cream is advised on a routine basis.
You can afford to make a style statement with a fabulous nail polish whenever you wish; so long as you give your cuticles the care they need to stay healthy.
