michelle kaufmann designs

Now that it’s spring and the days are getting warmer, more sandals and other toeless foot apparel will be making its way from the back of closets where it passed the cold winter months and onto the streets once again.  Now that it’s time to start showing off our toes again, many of those toes are going to be painted all sorts of beautiful, vibrant colors in celebration of their 2009 debut.  So our tip for all you toe painters out there is use natural nail polishes that are better for you and the planet.

Conventional nail polish actually has a lot of frightening ingredients (something you might have guessed based just on the smell) like solvents that are known neurotoxins, some of which can also trigger asthma attacks. Acetate, a toxic heavy metal lead, and formaldehyde, a suspected carcinogen that’s a big no-no when it comes to the building materials we use at MKD, are also common ingredients. As are phthalates, controversial plasticizers that are increasingly thought to be hormone disruptors, with a number of studies now linking them to reproductive harm.

But if you’re the type who can’t stand the sight of a naked nail, don’t worry; there are tons of great nail polish on the market that are free of all the above described junk and that are also more Earth-friendly. These polishes are usually soy-, water-, or corn-based and are often vegan, as well, meaning they involve no animal testing or cruelty. We love/recommend Suncoat (water-based), Priti (soy-based), PeaceKeeper (mineral-based), and the SpaRitual collection.