Sienna (natural vegan nail polish brand)

You can’t have a 100% natural nail polish (or else it would not adhere to the nail). But there are better brands that are vegan (no dead insects to make pink/red colours) and sold in better packaging. Nail polish is flammable, so you can’t recycle it (so use it up or take to the tip’s toxic waste department).

Keep nail polish away from naked flames, children and pets (due to iron, zinc or titanium dioxide). Also avoid for pregnancy and nursing (like skin, your nails absorb chemicals).

Let nails go free from polish for a few weeks at a time, to let the nail plate dry out.  So-called ‘child-friendly polishes’ often use food dyes linked to hyperactivity and even cancer. 

Sienna is a good brand of natural nail polish. It’s based in Australia (where it runs an in-house recycling program), but made in France. The wood-top bottles contain polish made with sugar cane, cassava, cotton and corn. Suitable for people of Muslim faith.

Free from nano-particles, this brand also does not use glitter, as most is made from microplastics that  pollute oceans, when rinsed down sinks (these also get ingested by marine animals and seabirds, who can die if it collects in their stomachs.

Natural Nail Polish Removers

Acetone polish removers can harm aquatic life when rinsed down drains. You can make your own polish remover by mixing white vinegar and lemon juice in a small bowl, soaking nails for 5-10 minutes, removing with a reusable pad and rinsing. Zao Nail Polish Remover is certified organic.