How do nail strengtheners & treatments containing
formaldehyde really work?
First off, formaldehyde is used as a preservative and a nail
hardener, and is usually found in nail strengtheners and treatments. This ingredient belongs to the group known as
“The Toxic Trio”, which many high quality brands have now eliminated from their
lacquers labelling theirs as “Big-3 Free”.
However, formaldehyde is sometimes listed under the name “formalin”, and
in the cheaper enamels it is often left out completely from the list of
ingredients. Formaldehyde has been
connected to a slew of potential side effects caused by exposure to it.
Nail strengtheners create more cross links within the
natural nail plate either through Formaldehyde or DMU (Dimethyl Urea). The
natural nail plate is more rigid than your hair simply because the natural nail
plate contains more cross links. Therefore, by adding even more makes your
nails more rigid. This can be excellent for thin, flimsy nails but remember
that more cross links means less room for oil and moisture, and hence can
dehydrate the nails. The other downside is that when overused, the nails can
become too strong (more strength results in less flexibility). The stronger
something is, the less it can withstand the force of impact, so consequently,
you can start breaking nails more easily if using nail strengtheners with
formaldehyde.
What is a cross-link exactly?
A keratin (what nails and hair are comprised of: keratin protein) cross-link is created when a
chemical link is formed between two of the long protein strands - much like
rungs on a ladder; cross-links join single strands of protein together like a
net. The result is greater strength and harder surfaces.
The disadvantages of formaldehyde is that this ingredient
found in nail strengtheners causes excessive cross-linking and does not help
the nails to maintain a good balance of hardness and toughness. As mentioned above, when using formaldehyde (or
formalin) nail strengtheners your nails will turn very hard and brittle
resulting in easily breakable nails with no flexibility whatsoever.
Doug Schoon, Chief Scientific Advisor for Creative Nail Design Inc. offers a fantastic image of cross links joining protein chains together, click here to view.
What products should I use if I want to stay clear of
formaldehyde?
We recommend only using nail care products that avoid toxic
chemicals (formaldehyde, toluene, DBP), even if the dosage isn’t enough to
cause immediate harm. For many
chemicals, we don’t yet know what the long-term health effects for humans will
be – little doses over decades could spell trouble.
Karen Orlowski's nails seen here - she is the inventor and owner of ASK Cosmetics Inc., a Canadian company specializing in innovative, safe and highly effective nail, skin and hair care products. For more info on her flagship product TIPS Nail Conditioner visit the website/online shop.
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