ORGANIC Nail Polish

We try to EAT organic whenever we can. I'm trying more and more 'organic' skin care and makeup products......and I've finally given the nail polish a chance.

I had almost given up on regular polish anyway - it was just getting to be too much trouble. I must be extra-hard on my nails, because a manicure (self-inflicted) never held up well, and my fingernails would peel or break or have some other 'problem' that I'd spend too much time and money trying to repair. And when my polish was looking its worse was the time that I least had an opportunity to correct the situation.

Another big consideration is Christopher's sense of smell and sensitivities (allergies). He can detect the odor of regular polish a mile away and I can hear his complaints from as far. And it did make me wonder how something with such a strong odor could really really be okay........and what was being absorbed through my nails.

A couple of random magazine articles and some online research later, I decided to try two different brands of natural nail polish. 

Here's the marketing:

Conventional polish contains around 70% of chemical solvents such as toluene, xylene, acetates and alcohol. When the polish is applied, these solvents evaporate into the air, generating toxic chemical fumes ( and the lovely smell). Regular polishes also contain the harmful and potentially fatal chemical phthalate. This chemical has been proven to interfere with normal hormonal balance, and can cause birth defects and other help problems. It is a low volatile chemical (will not evaporate quickly), and eventually is absorbed by the body.

"Organic" or water based nail polish is free of these chemicals and free of formaldehyde (a carcinogenic).

I purchased polish from two different companies: Mad River Science and Suncoat. Good selections, good colors. They are applied like regular polish, but with instructions to give them longer to dry than conventional polishes. Suncoat instructed that you not 'soak nails in very hot water' within 12 hours of application. 

Good enough, until (12 hours later) I showered. After each 'manicure' with either company's polish, just a shower would  'chip'  the polish.  Again,   even regular nail polish just wasn't soap- opera durable on me, but this stuff does come off so much easier.

So my analysis, for ME, is that organic polish is a great option for a special event or evening, but simply wouldn't hold up for daily wear without several touch-ups. 

I'm updating this post (June 6 '08) to say that I'm using my Go Natural organic polish on my toes and it is holding up as well as regular polish, possibly even better.  Go figure!  I'm loving it! 

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Steel Cut Oats

I love oatmeal.  I can eat it like a normal person these days, but when I was young, the only way I wanted it was each-spoonful-on-a-bite-of-toast.  If the toast was crispy enough, it could serve as the 'spoon'.  When I ran out of toast, I ran out of breakfast - no matter how much delicious (added milk, butter, little bit of sugar) oatmeal was still in the bowl.

(I had a similar eating style with eggs and bacon:  toast with butter and jelly, scrambled eggs spread over the surface, and bacon strips topping that.  Tall and a little messy, but it was so good that it was an event. . . .)

Now I can eat oatmeal ALL BY ITSELF, if I have to.  And now I have even gone so far as to try steel-cut oats.  (Organic, of course).  I had no idea what the difference was, but on the VERY DAY I was giving the oats a try, there was an article in our newspaper describing the differences.

The gist of it is:  rolled oats (Quaker Oats brand style)  are flattened flakes, and the ground (Scottish style) or steel-cut (Irish-style) oats look like grains or pellets.  Because the Irish / Scottish style oats  have not been steamed or heated and rolled, they retain more flavor and texture than the rolled oats.

I tried Archer Farms Organic 100% whole grain Steel Cut Oats.  They were very tasty and filling, but I will most likely be reaching for the 'regular' oats on a 'regular' basis. . . I wasn't SO impressed that I am willing to wait the 30 minutes it took to cook these.  They do offer directions to prepare ahead by soaking overnight; but you basically do half of the cooking the night before, and the second half the morning of.   Besides, my Bob's Red Mill Rolled Oats have more fiber and protein, and it's the look and taste I'm used to.

That's all.

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