Is acetone harmful for your nails?

Before we answer that question I'm going to touch on exactly what acetone and non-acetone polish removers are.

 

You may not believe this but, acetone is something your body makes. I kid you not!  It's the chemical your body makes when it breaks down fat.  There are other natural things like trees, tobacco, and even volcanoes that produce acetone as well. Strange, isn't it?

 

Just because our bodies produce acetone doesn't make the acetone you buy for your nails edible; quite the contrary, it's highly toxic to your lungs if breathed in for long periods of time, drying, and it's flammable. Prolonged exposure can make you very sick.

 

Why do salons use acetone then? Because it's very effective in getting the job done quickly. Acetone strips everything off the nails quickly and efficiently, including oils.

 

After your nails have painted and dried, it's a good idea to wash the acetone off the surrounding area of your nails, and rehydrate with cuticle oil.

 

If acetone is so drying, why not use non-acetate nail polish remover then?
 

For the longest time, non-acetate nail polish removers weren't that great. Getting nail polish off is a bit of a chore, most of the time it left residue behind and didn't remove dark colors very well at all. In fact, if the non-acetone polish were the slightest bit old, it didn't remove anything.

 

Non-Acetone nail polish removers are getting better though, in fact, I have some great suggestions (affiliate links below) for which ones to try if you need something a little less drying on the nails.

 

 

Non-acetone nail polish removers are made from ethyl acetate. Ethyl acetate is often used in cosmetics, food, and even some wine.

 

Like acetone, non-acetone is just as caustic, flammable, and can cause health problems if ingested or breathed in for long periods of time.

 

The above statement being said, while neither are totally safe, one is much more effective at getting nail polish off the nail beds, and that's why acetone is used in salons much more often than non-acetone nail polish remover.

Acetone nail polish removers are best for stubborn polishes that are dark, have several layers, and where the polish needs to be removed quickly.

Non-Acetone nail polish removers are best used for people with extremely dry skin, aging skin, and light-colored nail polishes. 

Is acetone more harmful than non-acetone for your nails? Not really. I see it as the less time you have a chemical on your skin the better, so it's my opinion that acetone is best. 

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