Author: meaningfulmanicures

Currently, in the world today, nail polish is a very popular and is used by many people. In fact, in a survey it was found that only 10% of 18-29-year olds never wear nail polish. This shows just how important nail polish is to our society today. But how has this come about? When did it become popular?  When did people start using it? For many hundreds of years, nail care and design has been important. It has a rich history which goes back to the time of the Egyptians. Nail art has undergone a long journey before becoming what it is today.  

It is widely disputed when and where nail care and nail art first originated as different cultures were beginning to explore this at similar times. The first people to practice nail care were either the Egyptians or the Chinese. In around 5000BC-3000BC, the Egyptians began practicing nail care. It was common for the women to die their nails using die which came from the henna plant and, in this time, nails eluded to your social status. Poorer Egyptian women would have worn neutral shades whereas if you were of a higher social status, your nails would have been much brighter.  

At the same time in China, nails would be soaked in a concoction of beeswax, egg whites, vegetable dyes and gums. The nails would be placed in the mixture and be left to soak for a few hours. This would turn the nails a colour of pink or red depending on the exact mixture of the ingredients. It was not only women who would take good care of their nails. In Babylonia, the men would paint their nails for war. It was made of a substance called kohl. Like the Egyptians, nail paint signified social status. The noble men would wear black nail paint and the common men would be wearing green. In the early life of nail art, it was very important to show social status. By 1300BC colours such as gold and silver were used to symbolise royalty however, this changed later to the colours red and black.  

The first record of nail art and not just dyes was during the Incan Empire which was from 1438-1533. They would paint designs such as eagles onto their nails. 

In the 19th century, nails were being dyed with oils that were also scented. As well as the nails just being painted, they were also buffed with a chamois cloth. The beginning of the 19th century was when the modernisation of nail art began. As popularity began to grow for nail polish, salons began opening all around the US and in other places around the world too. In 1830, was the invention of something called the orange stick, which was a pointy, thin wooden stick developed originally for dentistry but adapted to be used for manicure purposes.  

In 1917, the world’s first liquid nail polish was invented by a company called Cutex. It was first only made in clear but soon other colours were developed. This opened a new world of possibilities and one of the first manicures designs the moon manicure, became very popular. This is when you paint the nail but leave the moon part by the cuticle with nothing on it. Another company that further popularised nail polish was Revlon which was founded by the Revson brothers and Charles Lachman. They used many pigments and dyes making nail art more exciting. The French manicure was created in1976 by Jeff Pink and then in the 1980s Vogue began using it making it extremely popular.  

Nail polish has stayed popular since then and is only getting more desired, advanced and interesting with so many kinds. It will not be going out of fasion any time soon and is increasingly becoming a staple part of many people’s lives. From Ancient Egypt to the modern world. Nail art has come a long way.  

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Life is so fast paced. We rush around all day and never stop. Just one thing after another. In these fast-paced lives we lead, it is hard to stop for a moment and think. If we stopped scrolling through a multitude of hashtags, perfect pictures and birthday messages we might see more than what is on the surface. More than we want to see.  If we stopped for just one moment and really looked, we might see someone vulnerable; someone struggling; someone in need. This is the case for some people in the UK right now as you are reading this. Human trafficking is something heard on the news and seen in documentaries but in the safety and comfort of our lives it is hard to imagine it occurring. But it does and in places you might frequent often. Like a nail salon. 

Over the last few years nail salons, specifically budget nail bars have become more and more popular. This is because the lower prices make it accessible to everyone and the way we live our lives today also increases the popularity of these cheap bars. The main reason for their appeal is price; however, there are other factors, for example, you don’t normally have to book an appointment. The thought of being able to simply walk into the nail bar and be served immediately brings in customers due to the expectation for instant gratification that society today is so used to. The process is a quick one meaning that, depending on what you are getting done, you could be out of the nail bar in less than 45 minutes. The popularity of these nail bars makes it easy for the owners to make a lot of money especially if they pay their workers next to nothing. 

 You may ask why people would be willing to work in nail bars on so little pay. Currently, the UK is seeing an increase in human trafficking. Since 2015, there has been a 17% increase. People, in the case of nail bars most likely young women, are lured to the UK with promises of better job opportunities and a better quality of life. As a result, the families of these girls will pay the trafficker more than they can afford to get their daughter an easier life. This is one of the reasons that the trafficked girls never go the police. They feel they can’t because they have become indebted to their captor, which forces them to work extremely long hours with little or no breaks and for not much money just to pay off the debt that they owe. Furthermore, they would almost always have entered the country illegally hence the amount of money required by the trafficker due to the risks. This makes it even harder for these mistreated girls to go to the police; they are afraid that the police will punish them for being in the UK illegally.  

These types of human trafficking schemes are so difficult to spot and put a stop to because they are essentially hiding in plain sight. No one would go into a nail bar and instantly begin to think that the person who greeted them at the front desk could be holding the employees against their will and with very poor conditions and little pay. Added to the fact that people are constantly looking to the next thing and never stopping to look at the present, it is easy to see how the traffickers can get away with it. This is modern day slavery, and we need to learn how to stop it. 

The abuse that these people endure is unimaginable and it starts even before they reach their destination. One of the best ways to smuggle people into the UK is in the back of a lorry and the conditions are less than favorable to say the least. In fact, on the 23rd October 2019, a lorry was discovered in Essex with 39 bodies of Vietnamese people who were being smuggled over the border. They were in a refrigerated storage container on a lorry and they all died from suffocation due to lack of oxygen and overheating. In this lorry, there were 31 men and 8 women. Of these 8 women, one was a teenage girl. She was 15.  The conditions on the lorry were reported by chief executive of the Road Haulage Association, Richard Burnett as “absolutely horrendous”. Due to the recent clampdown on the borders around the UK, it is getting harder and more dangerous to smuggle people across. But this won’t stop people who are desperate, and they are willing to pay as much as possible to get here. Even if it costs them their lives.   

There are too many examples of these inhumane nail salons around the UK and this can only be rectified if we, as the public, become more vigilant. It is very important to know what signs to look for and what is best to do if you suspect a nail bar of human trafficking. There is an extensive list of things to look for and one sign is that the staff will act differently to what is expected. If modern slavery is occurring the atmosphere of the whole nail salon would usually feel different. The staff will be likely to be very quiet and speak little to no English. Furthermore, they won’t talk amongst themselves and will also seem frightened of the manager as this indicates abuse. Another suspicious factor is if some of the staff seem unusually young or not trained to the standard you would expect. An additional red flag is if the business is cash only. This is not always a definitive sign as some nail salons find it is easier to take cash as the owner may find it easier to have the money instantly, however, if they insist on cash this could be a sign of tax evasion which is extremely common in these circumstances. The staff will also refuse to handle any money and instruct you to give it to the manager. Indicating that the manager hardly pays them or doesn’t. Therefore, they wouldn’t want to give them a chance to handle any money. If you spot multiple signs in a budget nail bar, then you should act.  

If you suspect a nail bar of human trafficking you should call the police. You must judge if the situation is an emergency and if so, call 999. However, if it is not as urgent call 101. There are also options if you want to stay anonymous such as talking to charities without giving your name. Whatever you do, don’t just do nothing as if you are right it will help the wellbeing of many workers. There are other ways you can put a stop to this form of slavery too. As consumers, we hold the power. Try and support legitimate businesses as even though they may be a few more pounds expensive, it is worth it because it stops making the nail bar such a profitable form of human trafficking which is fueling the problem. You have the power. Use it. 

The world is changing. There is no denying it. Over the last few decades, we have begun to wake up to the harsh realities that we are facing as a world. One serious reality is the climate crisis. As human beings, we are responsible for the damage that we have done to this world and the damage we could cause in the future. We can try and mitigate the damage and prevent more by altering the lifestyles that we lead. There is a multitude of problems facing the natural world currently like plastic and fossil fuels and deforestation. All things from everyday items to industrial appliances can harm the planet and there is one substance that is in your house right now that can cause problems. Nail polish.  

There are many things that contribute to the nail art industry being unsustainable and problematic to the environment. One of these is that there is lots of single use products involved such as cotton pads. These are an item in everyone’s home right now and only a few people know the problems they cause the environment. The main problem is that like plastic, they are not biodegradable. This means it cannot be digested by bacteria or any living organisms leading to them becoming a pollutant. Moreover, it is not just the end of its life cycle, which is the problem, but the beginning as well. Every kilogram of cotton grown needed 20,000 liters of water to do so. This is a colossal and in fact, the same amount of water to produce 1kg of beef which is famously a very unsustainable product due to the water it takes to produce. 

 Cotton fields also have a lot of chemicals put on them which often leaks into the surrounding habitat for wildlife putting their lives at risk. Not only this but the water has to come from somewhere and this is usually taken from the surrounding area causing it to go dry. As if this wasn’t bad enough, cotton is grown in poorer developed countries and then shipped off to more advanced countries meaning that the area being destroyed cannot even benefit from the product. 

There are ways we can combat this problem though. Instead of buying a pack of cotton pads every few weeks, you could buy a pack of reusable cotton pads. These are normally made of a soft flannel material that you can use and then wash when you are done. This ensures you are not supporting the unsustainable farming. It may seem like a bit more work to have to wash the pads, however, take a moment to think which is more important.  

As if that wasn’t bad enough, there are many other issues with nail art and the environment. If you think of nail polish what is one of the first things that comes to mind? The smell. It is one of the most recognisable scents but not for good reasons. Nail polish is usually packed with toxins which can cause harm to the environment. The problems with these toxins arise when you decide to throw away a nail polish. Maybe it is because you don’t use it or because it’s past its use by date or even because you don’t like the way it looks anymore. Whatever the reason, one thing you should never do is simply toss it into the rubbish bin. This is the worst thing you could possibly do with your old nail polish. 

 Some people may wash some of the left-over nail polish down the sink, but this can contaminate the water supply and the toxins and find its way to sewage treatment plants. Putting the nail polish in the bin is also not a good idea because no matter how well you believe the lid is screwed on, there is a way it can leak such as the glass breaking. Wildlife are the main victims here as nail polish can then easily seep into the ground and contaminate the ground water which then impacts the streams and rivers nearby. Local animals are then at serious risk because they drink this water and the chemicals can kill you. 

 Another big problem is nail polish remover. A lot of them contain acetone which is flammable, toxic and a carcinogen. These cannot be simply dumped into the bin or down a drain either. For both products, the most responsible way to dispose of these products is to a waste disposal unit that can properly dispose of hazardous waste. Better yet, if you have nail polish which you no longer like but it is in good condition, then donate it to a charity such as an organisation called Give Makeup. They will take your unwanted nail polish and give it to disadvantaged women and children. What better way is there to get rid of unwanted nail polish? 

Nail polish contains a lot of ingredients and practically no one has the time or the energy to go through the extensive list on the back. However, if we did, we would see a troubling array of things. An example of what could be in some nail polishes is palm oil. This is something that many people have become familiar with in recent years. Palm oil is the main reason why, in Indonesia and Malaysia, forests are being chopped down at an alarming rate. In Borneo, 1.3 million hectares of forest a year are being felled. This is destroying the biodiversity of one of the most biodiverse places on earth. Rainforests cover only 2% of the world’s surface and yet hold 50% of the world’s species. Just imagine how much damage 1 hectare does let alone millions. Palm oil plantations take the place of the rainforest and as well as the lack of life they cannot take in the huge amounts of carbon dioxide that the unaltered rainforest accounts for. This accelerates the problems of climate change.  

There are ways to avoid buying nail products that use palm oil and other unsustainable products. The most important thing is to become educated on how to spot palm oil products as it has a multitude of names such as etyl palmitate, octyl palmate and even more obscure names. Furthermore, try to purchase products which have been ethically sourced. As the consumer, you hold the power and if you buy more of the ethical brands other brands will have no choice but to change their products in order to keep sales up. You have more power to instigate change than you know use it.  

A recent technique has recently become very popular in the nail art world and it is called ngative space nail art. This is where the natural nail is not completely covered. You can do designs on the bear nail or a box in the center with designs in it. The beauty is that it uses less nail polish and it chips much less as it is not right at the edge of the nail. This means less nail polish wasted and longer on the nail. Lastly, there is a reduced need for topcoats meaning that there will be less harsh topcoats being utilsed.  

There is so many things you can do to improve the state of the planet and these changes are small but can impact the environment. The change starts with you.