• Blog
  • Sustainable Living Tips
  • Old World New

  • Thrift
  • Gift Guides

Old World New

Sustainable Living Tips / Beauty / eco-friendly

“Free” & Non-Toxic Nail Polish: 20 Days of Sustainable Living Tips

mineral fusion nail polish 5 free

20 Days of Sustainable Living Tips

This series is designed to showcase small, actionable steps that anyone can take in order to make your lifestyle more sustainable.  It doesn’t matter what level of living you are already on.  These tips are intended to help you more easily navigate this new “trend” of being kind to our earth.  Let’s work hard to make it more than a trend.  We can make it our lifestyle.  Learn daily tips here and on Facebook every week day in February 2017 during a live chat about the Sustainable Living Tip of the day.  Everything can be done in a sustainable way.  Let’s tackle a new sustainable living issue today!

Quick Facts:

  • in an article titled “Nailed: Nail Polish Chemical Doubles As Furniture Fire Retardant,” researchers explain how a very harmful chemical, TPHP/TPP, is included in more than 1/2 of the existing nail polish brands.  This chemical ends up in the body as a result of applying it to your nails. [1]
  • Nail salon technicians are at risk far more than patrons since they are exposed to the chemicals that come along with doing nails all day long. [2]

What is “Free” nail polish?

“Free” nail polishes (3-free, 5-free, 7-free, 9-free, etc) are nail polishes that are created free of the toxic chemicals that most nail polishes contain.  The number represents the amount of toxins that they get rid of.  For example, 9-free nail polishes have even fewer chemicals than 3-free nail polishes.  “Free” polishes are becoming more popular, so existing brands are also trying to get on board and comply by reformulating to get rid of some toxins.  Some brands even make non-toxic nail polishes!

It is important to note that most nail polishes will still have some form of toxin in them.  These may or may not be hazardous – its important to research them.  My main focus with this post is to let you know that a better alternative exists.  Hopefully your interest has been piqued, and hopefully you will search for more healthy brands of nail polish.

X-free nail polish brands

  • Mineral Fusion 

    • 4-free: formaldehyde free, camphor free, TPHP free, DBP free, cruelty free
    • I have personally used this brand before at home (it is pictured above), and I love it!
    • Dirty Meter rating – 9 (that’s not good, it means it is still toxic)
    • EWG rating – 6 with limited data (mid range) see the EWG rating here
  • Deborah Lippmann 

    • 7-free, also cruelty free
    • I have personally used this brand before at my nail salon, and I love it.  Read about my all-natural manicure with Deborah Lippmann nail polish
  • Aquarella

    • non-toxic
    • water based nail polish
    • EWG rating – 1 with fair data (that’s pretty great!) see the EWG rating here
  • Honorable mentions – brands we know

    • some L.A. Colors nail polish receive the low rating of 2 on EWG
    • some OPI nail polish receive the low rating of 2 on EWG

I challenge you to:

  • Buy X-free and non-toxic nail polishes
  • Tell your friends about X-free & non-toxic nail polishes
  • Find a nail salon that performs all natural (or mostly natural) manicures and pedicures
  • Introduce your nail technician & salon to x-free & non-toxic nail polishes
  • Ask your technician and salon to start carrying X-free & non-toxic nail polishes
  • Ask your technician and salon to offer natural and/or less harmfuln alternatives to manicures, pedicures, waxing and false nails

mineral fusion nail polish

It’s that easy, guys & gals!  Spread the word about nail polish that is less toxic to our bodies.  Get your nail technicians on board with offering them.  Choose these things and the market will follow!  We have the power.

xoxo dolls & dudes,

Addie

0 Comments
Share

Leave a Comment Cancel Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

You May Also Like

January 25, 2021

Have A Sustainable Valentine’s Day!

November 21, 2018

Thrifted Gift Ideas for Christmas

February 24, 2016

4 Years Blogging Anniversary + Giveaway

February 1, 2017

Think Dirty, Shop Clean: 20 Days of Sustainable Living Tips

Join The Crew

The Sustainable Living IRL Facebook group is a welcoming space to share practical tips and real-life advice for making eco-friendly choices part of your everyday life.

Join Now

Hello from the garden today. Lots of visitors probably due to the heavy rains.
Hello from the garden today. Lots of visitors probably due to the heavy rains.
Hello from the garden today. Lots of visitors probably due to the heavy rains.
Hello from the garden today. Lots of visitors probably due to the heavy rains.
Hello from the garden today. Lots of visitors probably due to the heavy rains.
oldworldnew
oldworldnew
•
Follow
Hello from the garden today. Lots of visitors probably due to the heavy rains.
2 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
1/5
Happy Earth Day 🌍🫶🏾🌱

I used to think “let me just get 5k followers.. 10k followers… one day I’ll have 20k followers…” to help people live more sustainably with the blog posts and social media posts I created. 10+ years of that led to burnout. And it never felt the same as when my friends and family started to live a little more sustainably because of something they learned from me. 

I hope you’ll be the inspiration for someone in your life to be a little bit more sustainable today. It’s such a good feeling to see the people closest to you thrift more, consume less, and think differently — more sustainably — about how we treat our world. 

Don’t push it, just live it. 

Happy Earth Day 🌍🫶🏾🌱
oldworldnew
oldworldnew
•
Follow
Happy Earth Day 🌍🫶🏾🌱 I used to think “let me just get 5k followers.. 10k followers… one day I’ll have 20k followers…” to help people live more sustainably with the blog posts and social media posts I created. 10+ years of that led to burnout. And it never felt the same as when my friends and family started to live a little more sustainably because of something they learned from me. I hope you’ll be the inspiration for someone in your life to be a little bit more sustainable today. It’s such a good feeling to see the people closest to you thrift more, consume less, and think differently — more sustainably — about how we treat our world. Don’t push it, just live it. Happy Earth Day 🌍🫶🏾🌱
4 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
2/5
🥶❌🌱 Not my plant babies! 

It’s been cold in Texas the past few days, so I acted accordingly to protect my little backyard garden that’s barely underway. 

Using thrifted sheets (once back drops in my “thrift fashionista style content” days lol) and thrifted clothes pins (I knew they would come in handy! 😆🙌🏾), as well as some old jugs, bottles, containers, and twigs. Hopefully they help keep the plants from getting too cold to survive.
oldworldnew
oldworldnew
•
Follow
🥶❌🌱 Not my plant babies! It’s been cold in Texas the past few days, so I acted accordingly to protect my little backyard garden that’s barely underway. Using thrifted sheets (once back drops in my “thrift fashionista style content” days lol) and thrifted clothes pins (I knew they would come in handy! 😆🙌🏾), as well as some old jugs, bottles, containers, and twigs. Hopefully they help keep the plants from getting too cold to survive.
1 month ago
View on Instagram |
3/5
Finally got a migrating bird LIGHTS OUT sign 🤩

Turn off your lights (outdoor & indoor) to limit light pollution and to protect migrating birds 🫶🏾🕊️

TURN ‘EM OFF! (in my Teddy Pendergrass voice 😂)

#lightsouttexas #lightsout #lightpollution #migratorybirds
oldworldnew
oldworldnew
•
Follow
Finally got a migrating bird LIGHTS OUT sign 🤩 Turn off your lights (outdoor & indoor) to limit light pollution and to protect migrating birds 🫶🏾🕊️ TURN ‘EM OFF! (in my Teddy Pendergrass voice 😂) #lightsouttexas #lightsout #lightpollution #migratorybirds
2 months ago
View on Instagram |
4/5
Do you reuse gift wrap?

Here are some things that I’ve thrifted to reuse as gift wrap each holiday season:

⭐️ tablecloths
⭐️ napkins & handkerchiefs (matching napkins sewn together can be used for larger gifts)
⭐️ Scarves (like from @wrappr)
⭐️ Cloth bags (like the ones your sheet sets come in)
⭐️ Pillowcases
⭐️ Curtains (can be used as gift wrap or to cover larger gifts like bikes or toy kitchens)

As long as you can fold the fabric into a square before wrapping the gift, it works well when using the furoshiki style wrapping technique. 

Comment WRAP for a few tips and tricks to wrap gifts in cloth fabric.
oldworldnew
oldworldnew
•
Follow
Do you reuse gift wrap? Here are some things that I’ve thrifted to reuse as gift wrap each holiday season: ⭐️ tablecloths ⭐️ napkins & handkerchiefs (matching napkins sewn together can be used for larger gifts) ⭐️ Scarves (like from @wrappr) ⭐️ Cloth bags (like the ones your sheet sets come in) ⭐️ Pillowcases ⭐️ Curtains (can be used as gift wrap or to cover larger gifts like bikes or toy kitchens) As long as you can fold the fabric into a square before wrapping the gift, it works well when using the furoshiki style wrapping technique. Comment WRAP for a few tips and tricks to wrap gifts in cloth fabric.
5 months ago
View on Instagram |
5/5
@oldworldnew

Copyright © 2025 Old World New. All Rights Reserved.Site Powered by Pix & Hue.