Pretty Dangerous

A manicure may look beautiful, but some chemicals involved in the process of getting one, especially the application of artificial nails, can affect the health of your nails, the surrounding skin, and other parts of the body. Many common nail polishes contain what’s referred to as the “toxic trio” of chemicals: toluene, formaldehyde and dibutyl phthalate (DBP).   These three toxic chemicals have been linked to serious health concerns including: birth defects, asthma, developmental problems, headaches and other illnesses.  While nail polish brand leaders OPI, Orly and Sally Hansen make polishes sans the toxic trio, polishes with these dangerous ingredients still can be found in nail salons.

Recently, the California Department of Toxic Substance Control released their official report stating that some nail polishes claiming to be free of the toxic trio instead contain large amounts of

Skin Care Series - Ingredients to Look For

Before we have a discussion of specific ingredients, it's important to educate ourselves a little bit more on skin itself and what makes a product good or poor.

The biggest reason our skin, whether on the face or the rest of the body, develops lines and/or starts to sag, is that the collagen and elastin in our skin begins to break down. This article is the most technical of all the "Skin Care Series", so bear with me as we discuss "good" ingredients to look for in your skin care products.