Non-toxic nail care products you didn’t know you needed
A while ago, I talked about one of my favorite self-care zen spot in New York called sundays studio. Back then, my experience with the nail salon had mostly been in person. But of course, since COVID started, the nail salon has been closed for several months. As of October 2, 2020, the locations in New York City are open and available for appointments (my most recent visit can be viewed on IG Reels here).
Note: I am a sundays studio ambassador and the nail products featured in this blog post were gifted to me.
In the past, I would occasionally do my nails at home, but I mostly relied on going into nail salons to get my manicures and pedicures done. This year, I spent a lot of time learning how to do my nails at home better and while I was at it, I made a conscious effort to only use non-toxic nail products. Other than sundays, I also tried some products from Olive and June’s 7-free polishes.
After a few months of looking after my own nails, I’ve noticed myself reaching for the same products overtime, developing a few personal favorites — this includes nail care products as well as nail polish colors.
In this post, I’m listing my at-home manicure must-have nail care products as well as sharing a few of my current favorite shades of nail polishes!
The Non-toxic Soy Polish Remover
The Soy Polish Remover by sundays studio is free of acetone.
Hands down, this is the best non-toxic polish remover I’ve ever used! I’ve tried several other ones before but most of the time I didn’t think they were any good when it comes to efficacy. And at first, I was skeptical about this one from sundays studio, too, but luckily, I was proven wrong!
Using this nail polish remover does require a little bit more patience, but it’s worth it. Once the colors are removed, unlike traditional nail polish removers, the solution doesn’t dry my nails. It uses natural ingredients, namely grapefruit essential oils with Vitamins A, C, and E, to together hydrate your nails while removing the polish. I love that its a gentle product that cares for your nails.
My husband used to hate it when I’d do my nails in our tiny NYC 1-bedroom apartment because he could never stand the strong smell of polish removers with acetone (it tends to stink up the whole space within seconds). But when I use this soy polish remover, he doesn’t even notice — which is great because I no longer have to “book” my at-home mani’s around his schedule. A win-win situation, really!
The Hydrating Cuticle Serum
sundays has 2 types of cuticle serums and I like the hydrating version — “02”— more.
In my opinion, dry cuticles = no manicure. Even with the best nail color on, manicures are never complete when my cuticles look (and are) dry.
sundays actually created two different cuticle serums — one being an antibacterial version that suits nail biters, and another that is designed to simply hydrate your cuticles. I don’t really bite my nails so I went with the hydrating version, and I love it!
Also made to be non-toxic, the vegan serum can be used on its own, using the dropper directly onto your nails, or added to your hand lotion to further moisturize your fingers and hands. I love that it is not greasy at all — plus, the little bottle design is so pretty!
I use the cuticle serum whenever I notice they’re dry. As the temperature starts to drop, I imagine using it more frequently because my skin tends to get really dry in the winter.
Non-toxic Nail Polishes: The Top 3 Shades
My all-time favorite nail color from sundays is in fact an opaque white (No. 01) — some may argue that isn’t really a color (hehe). So many times, I found myself standing in front of the wall of nail polishes and thinking: “I got to do something different.” But 9 out of 10 times, I still end up doing white again.
I love sunday studio’s No. 01 white polish because the color doesn’t clash with any of my outfits!
(Top) No.01 nail polish. (Bottom) Top and base coat. Photos: Courtesy of @sundays_studio.
One thing I love about sunday’s 10-free polishes is the fact that the colors are lasting and they don’t chip easily — especially when you use a base coat and a top coat! They offer both as a set and I highly recommend them, too.
The other 2 nail polish colors I personally adore is an opaque lilac (No. 05) and a dark cherry red (No. 17).
Top and right photo by Ashley Gallerani Photography.
This lavender color is one of my favorite shades from sunday’s collection.
Photo: Courtesy of @sundays_studio.
A color that I haven’t tried but has caught my attention is No. 13, a vibrant chili pepper red! If you’re a lover of bold red lips and nails, I think this is a great one to consider. What’s more — this shade recently won the 2020 Best of Beauty Award from Allure!
All of sunday’s polishes are made in New York, cruelty-free, and as mentioned earlier, free of toxic ingredients (TPHP, dibutyl phthalate, toluene, xylene, ethyl tosylamide, camphor, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, parabens, and tert-butyl hydroperoxide).
I hope you enjoyed reading this review! Let me know if you have any questions or end up trying any of the products in the comment section below. I’d love to learn what your thoughts are on them. If you have a favorite shade, please tell me — I’d love to try it out, too!
Love,
Tricia