safety issues- nail polish :(

I am currently 12 weeks p/g and have been growing my nails for a a while now with the help of a nail strengthener called OPI Nail Envy.
I decided to buy a really good top coat I saw on QVC the other day called Seche Vite (I'm in UK so may not be widely available) it states on the bottle that "This product contains a chemical which is known in the State of California to cause birth defects and other reproductive harm"
I was gobsmacked.
Anyway worried about the ingredients in my OPI Nail Envy, I checked it out on the Internet and it does contain pthalates- which is the same chemical in the top coat- there isn't a warning on the bottle.
On another site of cosmetics and body products known safety the Nail Envy had a risk factor of 4.4 out of 5 (being the most dangerous) it says it also contains known carcinogens and alsorts of scary stuff.
Apparently most nail polish contains these pthalates which have been known to cause birth defects such as feminisation of a male fetus. There are also alsorts of scary stuff in shampoo and body cleansing products. I know I'm probably being over cautious but I'm really concerned about what I've innocently used this past 3 months.

:( I think I'm going to cut my nails, shave my head and stop showering! LOL

Soon to be stinky Ruth xx

[mommabean]

I've recently been reading that many cosmetics are unsafe, pregnant or not. I guess since they are not ingested it is arguable whether or not the dangerous ingredients actually enter through pores. I wear cosmetics everyday and can't imagine not wearing them so this news does make me very uneasy. However, I know that most women do wear cosmetics and you would think that if they are as dangerous as some think that they are there would already be a ban on toxic ingredients. I would be interested to check out the sites that you found this information on. One website that gives a list of harmful ingredients is www.beautytruth.com. Thanks so much for the info :) Do you think that the hazard is the coat on the nail itself or ventalation issues?

[anxiousmomtobe?]

Use in a well ventilated place, you are not absorbing it through your skin and you will be fine.

Just think of the women who make a living working with this stuff...their babies all seem to be fine.

[NataliesMommy]

I am a manicurist and our nails ARE porous and can absorb these chemicals.  Most nail polishes contain formaldahyde and toluene which are not considered safe.  There is a polish made that is free of these chemicals.  It is called Zoya.  The polish definately doesnt last as long as the ones with chemicals but it safe for you to use while pregnant.  I am glad to see your concern in this matter.  A lot of women dont feel that there is a risk.

[RuthiePee]

Yes it really has opened my eyes. It's mad because this is my 5th baby (7th pregnancy- 2 m/c's) and I really didn't give it a second thought in my other pregnancies. I'm an Avon Representative too, so I must use a total of about 10-15  products a day on myself. I'm sure the risks are very very small.
I think in these two products you are right and it must be like the solvent side that is airborne rather than the coat on the nail itself. After all, lots of these products are used over artificial nails and probably impossible to penetrate through to beneath the nail bed. They do have a really strong solvent smell, more than normal nail varnish does (not that I'm a solvent abuser or an expert in the field may I add!)

I also can't imagine that the three quarters of a bottle that I've used over the past months (about 10ml) could do much damage, maybe if I drank it! But you never know.
I'm going to avoid the two definite culprits though just to be on the safe side.

Ruth xx

[RuthiePee]

Ooooh! Thanks for your experienced post!
I shall be avoiding nail polish in general then, better to be safe than sorry...

Ruth xx

[pertykitty]

do you have a whole foods market or trader joe's where you live? they have a great supply of organic natural , well everything! expect to pay a little more, but if you want chemical free you will find it!! try natural health or vitamin stores too. did you see that trading spouses where they made their own toothpaste with clay and butter??? *barf*

[mommabean]

thanks for the site. hopefully there will be more awareness and safe products in the future. i know that arbonne is all natural. i'm not sure if that means safe or not though. anyone have suggestions on product lines?

[RuthiePee]

Gosh, thanks for that site, OPI Nail Envy got a 10/10 for being terrible on it! They don't have a listing for the Seche Vite topcoat but I'd imagine it would also be 10/10.

A friend of mine used to go on about the safety of cosmetics to me and I never really took much notice, she was a representative for a company called Neways.

I think I need to look into it further.

Ruth xx

[JTSHB]

FDA site on nail polish below.
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/cos-nail.html

Also, I have been researching products and STILL am researching what is best....so far I have found that VEGAN products, organic AND chemical free are the best.

I even was buying my dd the California Baby shampoo and conditioner and found out that it is on the not so safe list.......It is low on the numbers, but why should it even be there?

My goodness, if you only saw on the list on the above site in my OTHER post, the baby products, you would just fall over.....even johnson & johnson baby shampoo, which I always thought to be SO GENTLE and good for kids is a 10 on the bad end.....cancer causing ingredients AND reproductive problem ingredients....what is that?

I say, the buyer MUST do their own research if they want to TRY and do the best they can with keeping them and their kids as safe as we can.....there is enough chemicals in our foods and air without adding it to our daily regimen of beauty products.

I am disgusted in it all......even baby wipes!

JT

[JTSHB]

And baby toothpaste is very bad.....ugh......

I buy the oral b baby toothpaste and have discovered it has cancer causing ingredients.....the quest is on to find better and healthier products for my dd and baby to come AND me and hubby.....I'm waiting on all our stuff to run out and then NOT rebuying them....some I have even thrown away due to ALUMINUM being a factor right off the bat.....so now I'm on the hunt for 100% pure.

I was even questioning myself on the California Baby products, you will see that some you find in the store that say pure, actually say 99% pure....not 100%.....so  I guess the 1% left over is for the extra added cancer?

JT

[JTSHB]

Just a thought on Avon products,
I have been researching products as to all the hazardous chemicals in them and am trying to find the right organic and chemical free ones lately.

Avon is a product I always bought from a lady here at work and I loved buying things from her, however, I have discovered that almost all of Avon's stuff has aluminum in them....from the lips to the lotions...this of course is yet another cancer causing ingredient.....there is also dimethicone in a lot of ingredients and that is a man made not so good ingredient.

Anyhow, I have stopped buying cosmetics altogether and especially Avon as it is in the "HIGH" risk category.

Even our shampoos have aluminum and our lotions that we think are soooo helping our skin....I just want to TRY and avoid what I can IF I can....

Of course we all know, our ANTI PERSPIRANTS contain aluminum....I only use DEODORANT which does not contain aluminums.....they say there is a controversy on aluminum and breast cancer, but experts would like to tell you it's UNPROVEN, but then again, they can't quite explain how we get cancer either.


So anyhow, here is a site where you can look up brands and their risks.

http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/browse.php?category=eye%20liner&order=product+INC&&showmore=products&start=20

JT

[RuthiePee]

Have you tried to find Neways on the internet?
I'm sure that was the name. I'm sure they do a line of products (and toothpaste/mouthwash I vaguely remember) I'm going to search later & see what I come up with.

Ruth xx