A couple years ago in my quest to live healthier, I started to swap out some of my beauty routine for cleaner options. One of the first things I let go of was my salon gel nails. Many of the traditional salon polish lines are full of toxic solvents, TPO’s and HEMA. Some brands were forced to update their formulations when the EU banned most gel polish lines, but many still have not. It is good to do a little research on what brands and formulations your salon uses. Anything we put on our body is absorbed, and that includes nail polish. A good rule – if it’s poisonous to ingest, then I recommend not putting it on your body.

MY TOP THREE NON-TOXIC POLISH BRANDS – MY RANK AND REVIEW

I have purchased, tried, and experimented with three non-toxic nail polish lines. I have put them all through the wringer… party planning, bathroom cleaning and everyday wear and tear. Here are my thoughts and take aways. I hope this makes your next clean nail polish purchase easier.

Manucurist’s GREEN FLASH LED CURED GEL POLISH LINE

The first at home gel polish brand I invested in was the Manucurist Green Flash LED Cured Gel Polish line. At first try, I was less than impressed. The original topcoat formulation did not hold up well under the normal wear and tear of everyday life. But this year they released an updated topcoat called EXTREM Flash Topcoat. This formula touts a 21-day wear, and it does hold up! The finish is high gloss, and it wears beautifully! Green Flash offers a vegan formula made from 84% plant-based ingredients, designed to respect your nail health while delivering a professional finish. In line with European regulations, Green Flash is free from endocrine disruptors such as toluene, DBP and formaldehyde, as well as other controversial ingredients like methacrylate monomers including HEMA. Here are a few of my Green Flash Favorites and my entire collection of non-toxic nail polish.

Xtrem Green Flash Pros + Cons

Love the super durable wear! You can easily go two weeks or longer without a chip.
Love the non-toxic formual with a salon quality glossy finish.
It does take a little practice in the application. My third try was perfect!
Takes time to cure each application layer. Plan on 20-30 minutes to do both hands.
Takes some time to soak off polish between manicures.
Like that it peels off with non-toxic remover. No damage to your nail bed. No drills necessary.

DAZZLE DRY POLISH LINE

The second polish line I tried was Dazzle Dry. This is a traditional polish that does not require LED curing. It has a quick dry formulation that is wonderful for busy and on the go women. I love using this line on days that I am in hurry and don’t have the time to sit and cure my coats of polish with Mauncurist. At first I was not impressed with the wear – only getting about 5 days without a chip, BUT this was user error. In my haste, I had not read the instructions. Oops! It requires two coats of the base coat before layering the color. I was served an ad on IG that demonstrated the proper application. It made all the difference! The next time I used Dazzle Dry, it lasted almost two weeks before my first chip. Sometimes my personality gets the best of me. I really need to be better about reading instructins. I have found that softly roughing up the nail before polishing also increases wear significantly. Here are a few of my Dazzle Dry Favorites and my entire collection of non-toxic nail polish.

Dazzle Dry Pros + Cons

Love the that it doesn’t need curing or time to soak off between manicures. Easy removal.
Love the quick dry and non-toxic formula.
It does require a total of 5 coats: 2 layers of Basecoat, 2 layers of color, and a single thick layer of Topcoat.
With proper nail prep and applicaion can get a 7-10 day finish and wear.
Love that they offer a mini-set so you can try the system without a big investment. A great idea for a gift or your travel bag!
Great color selection!

MANUCURIST GREEN POLISH LINE

I was sent the trational Green Polish line by Manucurist with my DetoxBox subscription. I don’t know if I would have considered purchasing this line had it not been sent to me. I already owned the Green Flash Gel line and Dazzle Dry for a traditional polish, but I am so glad I got to try this line as well! Like Dazzle Dry, this is a traditional polish that does not require time to cure or the time to soak off. The wear and finish was wonderful! I got over 10 days of wear on my first applicaiton. The topcoat has a very glossy finish that almost felt like a gel. They also sent me their Dry Drops which is an oil that you add at the end that creates a quick dry finish. It really did cure quickly using the Dry Drops and I did not ding or dent my finish. Here are a few of my Green Polish Favorites and my entire collection of non-toxic nail polish.

Manucurist Green Polish Pros + Cons

Love the super durable wear! You can easily go 7-10 days without a chip.
Love the non-toxic formual and glossy gel-like finish.
Takes 4 coats: 1 Basecoat layer, 2 layers of color, 1 thick layer of Topcoat.
I recommend buying their Dry Drops to speed up dry and cure time.
This brand is always innovating. I have tried a few of their new finishes, like the Acitve Plump and Acitve Blur which do not require a base or top coat and give a really cool effect.
Consider their Mani-Stamp if you like a french manicure, but do not have a steady hand.

SOME OF MY OTHER FAVE NAIL TOOLS

Here are some of my other favorite tools for keeping smooth feet. I keep this foot rasp in my shower and file my heels a couple times a week, especially in the summer. This electric foot file is wonderful for getting vacation ready or for taking care of the dreaded “husband’s feet”. Haha! I keep this clean glycolic acid serum in my nightstand drawer and try to apply it a few times a week at bedtime. It is a micale worker for keeping soft smooth feet. I recently ordered this case off amazon to organize all my nail systems into one bag. I love that it stores everything is one place and is easy to grab.