Pampering yourself while pregnant can often seem like a minefield. The rituals and routines that you might normally use to relax and rejuvenate may not be considered safe for your growing baby. Taking care of your fingers and toes is an important form of self-care. Don’t feel like you have to wait nine more months to get a mani or pedi. Here are a few tips for safe nail care during your pregnancy.
Skip the Salon
Salons can be a hot spot for toxins and unhealthy ingredients, like acetone. You can get a salon manicure and pedicure at home by using safe alternatives to gel nails or acrylics.
Start with a 9-Free nail hardener as your base coat. This strengthens your nails while smoothing out the surface for a perfect mani. It also prevents splitting, breaking, staining, chipping, cracking, and peeling. Nail hardener makes your manicure last longer and creates a shield for your nails.
Depending on your pregnancy, you might be experiencing chronically dry hands and cracking or peeling cuticles. Use a cuticle oil to hydrate and condition dry cuticles. It replenishes the fingernails’ natural oil balance while also moisturizing cuticles. Choose a vegan and gluten-free formula that includes nourishing ingredients.
Choose 9-Free Nail Polish
Get the color you want without the carcinogens. You should be choosing 9-Free nail polish anyways, but this is especially important when you’re pregnant. 9-Free nail polish is free of these chemicals:
- Formaldehyde
- Toluene
- Formaldehyde Resin
- Camphor
- Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)
- Xylene
- Ethyl Tosylamide
- Triphenyl Phosphate
- Acetone
These toxic ingredients can irritate nails and skin, cause hormone disruption, trigger respiratory and throat irritation, and other health issues. It’s best to choose a 9-Free nail polish, versus a 3-Free or 7-Free, because it replaces all of the undesirable elements listed above with nourishing and healthy ingredients.
Nail polishes that include botanical extracts and oils help nails grow healthier, lock in hydration, soothe damage, and prevent brittleness. Look for nail lacquers that contain elements like rapeseed flower oil, vitamin E, chamomile extract, or evening primrose oil. Make sure that your nail care products, like nail hardener or top coat polish, are also 9-Free. You can still have a stunning blue nail polish without the harsh ingredients.
Enlist Some Help
Right around your second or third trimester, reaching your toes might be more difficult than you’re used to. If you’re desperate for a pedicure, especially if your pregnancy falls around summertime, it might be worth asking your partner or bestie to help you out.
This can be pretty annoying for some of us, but can be fun and worthwhile in the long run. The people closest to you want to help you in any way that they can during this special, but admittedly difficult, time in your life. Give them the opportunity to help you with this simple yet self-care focused ritual.
About LONDONTOWN
LONDONTOWN delivers nail care and color products that go beyond the surface to provide care to the entire nail. Their exclusive blend of vitamins and botanical oils restore, hydrate, and strengthen nails from within for a perfect manicure with every application. Vegan, gluten-free, and cruelty-free, their holistic approach to nail care combines nail science with restorative nutrients.
