Face Fitness

 

On week 326 we are sharing a fun post on facial exercises and we wish you enjoy them, please share and like if you do.

We know that exercising we can firm up the body and revitalize the skin by bringing more blood and moving the lymphatic fluids. Naturally, the same is true about the muscles in the face and neck, right? it makes sense muscles don’t stop at the neck. As your muscles and connective tissue tones up by exercising, your skin will tighten by the simple fact that the muscles are attached to the skin by facia and the skin will become more resilient and elastic as well!

With facial exercises, you not only regain that look you thought it can be completely lost for whatever reason, but you’ll also grow mature, looking radiant and glowing with a well-toned complexion, more relaxed in your jaw muscles neck and scalp and by the way a scalp that has relaxed muscles and a proper blood flow will sustain great hair!!!! So as you can see is many benefits to these exercises, for me, they also made me aware of the gestures I was doing with my face that were not so flattering is kind like what observing a good body posture does and  also how we breathe, is becoming more aware anyway that is an entirely another post and I will write it, posture is important to the whole wellbeing.

Thank you for your consistent support and all your shares we deeply appreciate it, from all of us.

 

Facial Fitness by Patricia Goroway

 

 

 

 

Patricia Goroway has taught facial exercise and facial massage for more than 10 years with extreme success to clients and health care professionals around the world. Patricia Goroway techniques have been teaching facial exercise and facial massage for more than 10 years to clients and health care professionals around the world. Her techniques have proven to be one of the top leading facial exercises featured in fitness magazines and web sites such as Woman’s Health and Livestrong.com. She has a best-selling book, Facial Fitness is one of Barnes & Noble Publishing’s leading health and beauty book and also there is a full-length DVD included where she demonstrates the facial exercises and massage techniques in a fun and energetic format. Patricia Goroway is now offering a Certified Instructors Course to those wishing to add specialized exercise and massage techniques to their clients. This certification is the first and the only course of it’s kind and available exclusively through Facial Fitness Systems, Inc.

I recommend her products we are not in any way selling them do we wish we did the system is fantastic and she is a wonderful teacher. enjoy and here is the link to find it.

 

 

Facial Fitness: Daily Exercises & Massage Techniques for a Healthier, Younger Looking You

 

 

 

 

 

As we get more mature, the muscle fiber in our bodies tends to atrophy and become less with time especially when we don’t use it.

As muscle shrinkage (atrophy) is concerned, it’s debatable whether the loss of fibers from individual muscle cells or loss of cells themselves this is an important issue involves many factors so each case is different. Let’s see what atrophy of muscles is.  Atrophy referring to muscle really means that the bulk of the muscle is lost or largely diminished. In other words, the term is really a “universal” one. Bottom line it does not, however, address what is happening on a “cellular” level. And, it is what happens on a cellular level that helps us to understand how and why exercising the face can bring not only a more lively look but a healthier one, also.

 

 

 

 

A facial workout regimen is an excellent way to tone your muscles, and prevent muscles from sagging, moving lymphatic fluid to reduce puffiness, increase circulation and actually revitalize the whole system is very soothing and calming, we hold a lot of tension in our jaws, neck, and shoulders.

Doing facial exercises, facial yoga, and acupressure points for that matter is a great way to keep your face looking healthy, radiant, well-toned and alive and at the same time firming muscles and reducing puffiness and increasing elasticity, those are some of the many benefits including reducing tension, stress, etc.
These are also good exercises to do if you have muscle challenges like droopiness on your face, and neck, creating stronger muscles for a toned and more healthy skin.

 

The Muscles of The Face

 

 

 

There are 43 muscles in your face, most of which are controlled by the seventh cranial nerve (the facial nerve)
This nerve comes from the cerebral cortex and emerges from the skull just in front of our ears. And it rules your whole system.
It is not yet fully agreed by science how many muscles really exist due to the fact that some muscle tissue can’t be separated into countable muscle, also some peoples muscles are more divided than others, with that been said we continue with what we are addressing here and that is exercising our faces and neck.

The muscles divide into 5 primary branches and they are: temporal, zygomatic, buccal, mandibular and cervical. As we exercise them we also have the added benefit of adding relieve to eye strain, scalp tightness, releasing neck stress, shoulders pain, jaw tightness TMJ, tension headaches, facial tension and with facial exercise we can create a sense of total relaxation, in an average we don’t realize that focusing on our phones computers and in general being stress contracts and put a lot of strain on our muscles in general and in the face we start to create grooves and lines of expressions that not always suit us. Creams and potions can aid in some matters to soften the top layer but definitely does not tone muscles or weight lifters and Gyms will be only using creams that to do the work out for them, makes sense right?

The body makes skin, muscles, etc from the inside out not the other way around,

Investing in some work for your facial muscles can help give in a major way to accomplish a radiant toned face.  We need to make it clear that it will take consistency and maintenance it doesn’t happen in a week of exercising also everyone is different.

Is a normal process for our body and that includes the face to go through stages, our face changes as we go through life, so many factors contribute to this diet, sleep, stress levels, the amount of water we consume, overeating sugar, oxidation due to smoking or excess alcohol, etc? It may begin to lose elasticity and tone, accumulating fluid, droopiness, lines from expressions, that indicate either lengthening years or deepening character, depending on your viewpoint, and it can create just flat out frustration, almost invariably, to sag and look tired.

Let’s address sagging this is a process in large part because the fat pads that underlie the skin on our faces became thin ether with age, and other facts of life the muscles lose her tone. When we are in our early years, these pads snuggle together like puzzle pieces, providing much of the structure and the contours of our faces. When the pads change as we go through life, their connections start to loosen and gravity begins to draws them downward also the lost fast that keep the moisture diminishes and we lose that glow, elastin and collagen also diminish with stress, lack of sleeping diet to mention a few factors leaving cheeks hollowed and visages generally droopier and with a lack of life and radiance, circulation plays a great roll on this so when we decrease it with exercise, gentle massage, acupressure, radiofrequency and other new modalities we can have great results, still keeping in mind diet, sleep hydration and such.

Nowadays there are many different kinds treatments like injecting fat and fillers as an option in many cases the underlying loss of luster and tone is still there, and it is at the expense of thousands of dollars.

Plastic surgery is an attempt also but soon enough people are right back where they started after paying thousandths of dollars, going through full anesthesia and many risks the tone in the face has not bee restored in most cases and in some as you may have observed due to not so good of work from some surgeons the face looks unnatural and no longer is the same looking person.
When we see surgeries that obviously are pulling and cutting the skin but not addressing the muscles underneath it shows unnatural, more and more surgeons are getting that working with the muscles in a SUBTLE way gets better results.

I have a dear friend that has done 4 plastic surgeries and she is basically back where she started !!!!! no tone on her muscles and the elasticity from no circulation or proper diet not to mention stress, yes stress big one for skin, it works against her all day and night what we don’t use we lose that unfortunately is a fact.

People are starting to realize what an important role the muscles play in creating the contours of the face, doesn’t it make sense? they hold the skinned oh yes the bone structure. These facial muscles need to be exercised specifically and correctly to have an optimal result. When the facial muscles sag, the skin attached to the muscles also sags because they are attached to each other. the process of facial toning exercises brings and maintain healthy radiant maintenance.

Face exercises help restore the muscle tissue, elasticity and tone for a wonderful, glowing, look.
The exercises are based on the principle of gentle, easy facial muscle resistance, effective relaxation techniques, visualization, and breathing exercises yes breathing big part of skin and muscle toning and with that, you will achieve amazing results.

Breathing is a very big part of good and supple skin, yes that is correct our skin is the largest organ in our body and it breaths also somewhat absorbs nutrients, many companies claim huge amounts of abortion through the skin when they recommend products if this was the truth when we take a bath we would drown, the skin has a regulation mechanism to protect us from harm. So we that been said to correct conscious breathing is a very large part of keeping the skin and overall health in top condition. In Chinese Medicine, the lungs are the ruler of the skin.
The exercises will increase the blood circulation, which increases the natural collagen and elastin in the skin by adding blood and oxygen and creating a more vibrant complexion. The skin will become more elastic and softer to the touch and it will look at life.
Facial exercises strengthen and tone all muscles in the face, neck, and scalp. It’s best to start and create a routine like a spa time for your self, it will relax your entire nervous system.

You will educate your facial, neck and scalp muscles to work and remember how they need to work as they should, you probably know the saying what you don’t use you lose.
Your mind-muscle connection combined with the exercises will increase blood circulation to the face, neck, scalp, and hair, enriching every cell with more oxygen and nutrients, restoring facial and neck muscles that have been overstretched by time, gravity and stress to a healthy, energized, well-toned condition at your own convenience at the pace of your dedication.

Now let’s move to the actual exercises.
Let’s start with the first step clean your skin if you have time apply a mask and after you remove it, make sure to use a rich moisturizer if it is your preference I love to use oils as a moisturizer and I will introduce you to them here is the link
this is a must so you don’t hurt the skin, you can always remove the excess at the end if it didn’t absorb.

 

 

 

 

I will introduce you to a couple of sets of exercises, here we go.

 

1  Gently pull-on your forehead with your index finger. Using just your fingers, you can apply pressure to your forehead so that shifting your eyebrows can strengthen that part of your face. This can help smooth lines on your forehead.
Put your index fingers just above each of your eyes.
Pull down on your eyes while trying to raise your eyebrows.
Repeat 10 times to help firm your forehead.

 

2  Push your forehead with your hands. This simple exercise uses your palms to create resistance while flexing your eyebrows. Doing this workout will help create smooth lines on your forehead.
Place each of your palms on the sides of your forehead, the bottom of each palm resting on your eyebrows. Your palms should be holding the skin firmly in place.
Raise your eyebrow muscles, like you are surprised, then lower them, like you are angry.
Raise and lower 10 times, then raise and hold for 30 seconds. Lower and hold for 30 seconds, then repeat the up and down against 10 more times.

3  Do brow lifts. Using your fingers and your eyebrows, you can exercise the muscles in your forehead. Just a little bit of pressure can create enough resistance for good exercise.
Using two fingers in a peace sign, and place your fingernails over each eyebrow.
Gently push that skin down with your fingers, then push your brows up and down.
Repeat the up and down motion with your brows 10 times.
Do 3 sets of 10, take a short rest, then do another 3 sets of 10.

 

4  Stretch your eyelids. Your eyelids are easy muscles to work and don’t need much resistance. Using your fingers can help you stretch them out, removing wrinkles and giving you stronger eyelids.
Sit down and close your eyes.
With your lids relaxed, use your index fingers to lift up your eyebrows. While lifting, keep your eyes closed to stretch your eyelids as far as possible.
Hold this position for 10 seconds, then relax and repeat 10 times.

 

5  Do an eye squeeze. Work your eyelids further by squeezing your eyes shut with a little stretching resistance from your mouth. Because it uses so many different muscles, this exercise can help to stretch out your entire face, not just your eyes.
Pull your lips downward so that your facial muscles tighten, then pull your lips to one side.
Squeeze one eye shut for one second, then repeat 10 times, holding your lips to the side. Then do the other eye.
Do 3 sets of 10 for each eye, take a short rest, then do another 3 sets of 10.

 

6  Stretch your face while holding your eyes. This will help to build the muscles around your eyelids to give you more awake-looking eyes. Use your fingers to provide some resistance to the basic action of opening and closing your eyes.
Make a C around your eyes using your thumbs and index finger. Make sure your index finger is over your eyebrow and thumb against your cheek.
Shut your eyes, and slowly squeeze your eyelids close together. Relax the tension without opening your eyes
Repeat squeezing and relaxing your eyelids 25 times.

Exercising Your Mouth

 

1  Exercise by smiling. One of the simplest ways to firm up your smile is to practice doing it. In this exercise, you’ll slowly move your mouth into the position of a full smile, holding different positions. This will give you better control of your face and smiling capabilities.
Slowly begin to smile by stretching the corner of your mouth laterally, lips still together.
After that, turn your mouth upward to expose your upper teeth.
Smile as widely as you can, displaying your teeth.
Once you have reached that point, slowly relax your mouth, bringing the smile back to the starting point.
Stop at several stages on this expansion of your smile, and hold that position for 10 seconds.

 

2  Apply pressure to your smile. Similar to the last exercise, this one using different stages of your smile to work the muscles in your face. Here, your fingers will provide extra resistance to further work the muscles around your mouth.
Make a full smile, and use your fingers to hold it in place by putting pressure on each corner.
Close your lips halfway, then fully, using your fingers to resist the movement.
Hold each position for 10 seconds.

 

3  Do facelift exercise. This exercise works the muscles around your upper lip to help prevent sagging and keep a strong lip contour. Doing it properly will help you have a stronger smile that shows more of your upper teeth.
Open your mouth slightly and flare your nostrils. Wrinkle up your nose as far as possible, then slowly draw your upper lip as high as you can, and hold for 10 seconds.
Leave your mouth slightly open, and place one finger under the eye on the cheekbone. Curl your upper lip slowly upward, keeping finger pressure on your face. Hold for 10 seconds, then slowly return to the original position.

 

4  Do a lip exercise. This is a simple exercise that will help increase the blood flow to your lips. This will give the fleshier parts a healthier, livelier, and more natural color.
Open your mouth slightly, making sure your upper and lower lips are relaxed.
Bring your lower lip forward until it makes contact with your upper lip.
Bring your upper and lower lips inward to your mouth. Exert pressure, then relax.

 

5  Do a mandibular strengthening exercise. This exercise works your mandible, the lower jaw, and important part of smiling, talking, and chewing, as well as anything else your mouth does. An exercise like this will help to prevent a double chin and prevent aging grooves on the lower part of your face.
Keep your mouth, especially your teeth and lips, slightly closed.
Separate your teeth as much as you can without opening your lips.
Bring your mandible forward slowly. Go as far as you can, stretching your lower lip upward, and hold for 5 seconds.
Slowly return your jaw, lips, then teeth back to their original position.

 

6  Do the OO-EE mouth. Moving your mouth to some basic sounds can help you target the lips, as well as the muscles between your upper lip and nose. This is a simple exercise that only requires some exaggerated facial movement while making sounds.
Open your mouth, then purse your lips together so that your teeth are separated and not showing.
Say “OO,” using an exaggerated movement to purse your lips together.
Change sounds to “EE,” again using an exaggerated motion to stretch your lips into the proper shape. You can also replace “EE” with “AH” for a slightly different workout.
Do 10 reps between “OO” and “EE,” then repeat for 3 sets.

 

7  Suck on your finger. Use the natural pressure from a sucking motion to firm up your lips. By removing it at the same time, you’ll be able to provide additional resistance to work against.
Put your finger in your mouth, and suck on it as hard as possible.
While doing that, slowly removing it from your mouth.
Repeat 10 times.

Press on your cheeks while smiling. This will help strengthen your cheek muscles. Make sure to keep your head back when you do this exercise.
Press down on your cheeks with your three middle fingers.
While pushing, smile as hard as you can to push your fingers back.

 

9   Very Gently pull your cheeks up making sure you don’t overstretch the skin. Doing this exercise can help to smooth laugh lines and the fine lines around your under eyes skin make sure that you don’t pull that delicate skin and that you have enough moisturizer or oil when you do this. Your hands will be doing the work here, gently stretching the muscles on your face.
Place your palms firmly against your cheeks make sure not to press to the hard just firm.
Pull the corners of your lips up toward the upper part of your cheekbones until you can see your upper teeth and gums.
Hold the position for 30 seconds, release, then repeat 3 times, personally like to gently massage the area in between.

 

10  Squeeze your lips tight. Doing this will help to condition your lip muscles.  Your hands will help do the work by squeezing your face around your mouth and nose. Make sure not to pucker this when done repeatedly causes deep creases so just squeeze like you are setting a lipstick.
Put the palms of your hands on your face, the outer edge of hands-on your laugh lines and the bottom edges where your index fingers are on the jawline. Use your whole palm to put gentle pressure on your face press and let go and repeat for 10 times.

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Use your lip muscles (not your hands) to push your lips onto your index and middle finger together like you were kissing them and hold for 20 seconds.

 

 

 

 

Five best face yoga exercises

1  Warm-Up

 

How to do the exercise: Start your facial workout by blowing exaggerated raspberries with the lips, and with the cheeks as well as blowing. The bigger the vibration the better for relaxing facial muscles. Lip muscles are very important muscles of the face. By relaxing these muscles, other muscles are relaxed too and you will have a very relaxed and pleasant look.

Do it: At least once and up to three times per day this exercise can be done when you have a moment alone and is always one of those the day.

 

2  Slim Your “Tech Neck” Double Chin

 

How to do the exercise: Keeping your shoulders down and relaxed, tip your chin up to the ceiling until you feel a good stretch in the upper neck and chin area. Then, alternate making duck lips and sticking out your tongue, holding each “pose” for 5 seconds each. Repeat three times.

Make sure to keep your chin extended and keep your neck taut the whole while. This should feel a bit strenuous: If you don’t get tired, it’s not effective.

How often to do it: 1-2 times per day

 

3 Smooth Smile Lines

 

How to do the exercise: First off, don’t stop smiling and laughing! If you don’t smile, you’re not going to develop cheek muscle. Instead, tackle smile lines by breaking down the tension in the muscle from the inside out by using the tongue.

Starting up by the nose, where Hayashi says the lines tend to be deepest, “stick your tongue inside your mouth and make a tiny circle on the labial line.” Do five circles clockwise and counterclockwise on each side to smooth smile lines.

How often to do it: once per day

 

4 Firm Up Saggy Cheeks and Jowls

 

The droopy face look is no so cute it looks tired and sad. To help improve and perhaps remove the look of saggy cheeks,

( keep in mind to be realistic)pull your lips the right side of your face like you are kissing the right ear in what should look kind of like a sideways kissy-face. Hold for 10 seconds this is an effective exercise that “trains and stretches at the same time. It is a great way to improve skin elasticity.

How often to do it: 3-5 times per day, for best results

 

5 Help Eye creases and Crow’s Feet

 

Start by keeping both shoulders back and relaxed, bring your chin down to your chest and make an oval shape with your lips like going over your teeth and into your mouth. At the same time, look upward with just the eyes: try not to move your head or shoulders, you should feel stretching underneath the eye.

Stay here for three seconds, and then tuck the upper lip inside the mouth to make an “ahh” face. This round should give you a good stretch in the face it will relax the muscles and at the same time will tone them.

Once a day, no need for more. Is best not to overstretch the skin and the muscles in the face.

 

Enjoy and definitely pay attention to your diet, intake of water, stress and sleep all the exercises in the world won’t be able to counteract the oxidation and deterioration that these facts cause to your general wellbeing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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DIY Skincare Recipes 

 

 

On week 319 we are sharing recipes that are fun and you can enjoy making with friend and family. At our home, my husband and I love making potions, creams and folk remedies and we share with friends and family also we keep stock for presents. I grew up with a mother that show me many ways to create these products and I made a living for a while selling them, I showed my daughter and she grew up making them, selling them also, so much came from it, enjoy and share, thank you for your time and interest we truly appreciate it.

It is vital to be informed and careful about possible compound interactions before using any DIY recipes. Like anything, nature has its own contradictions as well. Please use your discretion and do a small test when in doubt, always remember to consult with your health practitioner, have fun and enjoy and like I said before please share.

 

 

 

 

Use of Turmeric to correct hyper-pigmentation

 

Mix a little amount of turmeric with cucumber juice or lemon. Apply this to the pigmented area of your skin.
Leave it for ten to fifteen minutes and wash off. Do this for a few days and gradually normal color of your skin will return. Lemon is a great astringent. Turmeric is an antiseptic and antioxidant that helps skin challenges such as this.

 

Anti-Wrinkle treatment for ideal skin

Whisk the tomato juice with an equal amount of milk. Store this mixture in the refrigerator. Apply this pack routinely twice a day. Leave this on your face for 10 minutes. This works as one of the best natural home aid for Skin Care.

 

 

Honey and milk

For dull and dry skin: Honey and milk are soothing and nourishing for skin care. These are the things which come straight from the breakfast table.
 One can apply our traditional moisturizer to the skin. It not only lightens complexion but also helps keep skin healthy and moist, aside from the Lactic acid in the milk helps the skin with a light resurfacing. It is very effective for dull and dry skin. Ghee can also be used as a moisturizer. Both ghee and malai can be used as a night cream.

 

 

 

Malai 

Malai is an Indian cooking ingredient. It is made by heating non-homogenized whole milk to about 80°C (180°F) for about one hour and then allowing it to cool down. A thick yellowish layer of fat and coagulated proteins forms on the surface, which is skimmed off. The process is usually repeated to remove most of the fat. Malai has about 55% butterfat. Buffalo milk is thought to produce better malai because of its high-fat content. Buffalo milk with fat contents varying from 5 to 12% is heated and boiled and then allowed to cool up to 4 degrees Celsius for best results. Similarly, cow’s milk with milk fat from 3 to 5% is boiled and cooled to make malai.

 

The banana-honey face pack

 

Whisk together two tablespoons of honey, two teaspoons of glycerin, one egg white and one mashed banana to form a smooth consistency. Gently massage your face with this pack. The fingers should follow a circular movement while massaging your face.

Then coat your face with the remaining mixture. Leave it for fifteen minutes and wash off your face with water. This homemade face pack not only rejuvenates your skin but also give it a supple feel.

The banana-honey face pack: Whisk together two tablespoons of honey, two teaspoons of glycerin, one egg white (use pasteurized egg) and one mashed banana to form a smooth consistency. Gently massage your face with this pack. The fingers should follow a circular movement while massaging your face.
Then coat your face with the remaining mixture. Leave it for fifteen minutes and wash off your face with water. This homemade face pack not only rejuvenates your skin but also give it a supple feel.
Soften cuticles with honey: Whisk together three tablespoons of almond oil, 3 tablespoons of raw linseed oil and 3 tablespoons of honey. Use this mixture to massage your nails and fingers.

 

 

Cucumber

Cucumber cleanses the skin and helps to soothe the skin and bring back the glow of the skin. Scrubbing the neck with cucumber removes the dead skin cells.
  Apply grated cucumber or cucumber juice on the dark neck.
Gently scrub the neck for a few minutes
  Wash it off after 15 minutes

 

 

 

Lemon Juice

Lemon Juice – 
The citric acid present in the lemon juice is a natural bleaching agent. If you have sensitive skin, you will have to dilute lemon juice for this purpose.  Apply lemon juice to the dark skin of the neck using cotton ball  Leave it there for 10-20 minutes and wash it off with water.
  Do not expose the skin to sunlight after applying lemon juice.

 

 

Avocado-Honey Moisturizer


 

According to: http://www.rd.com/slideshows/8-natural-recipes-for-amazing- skin-from-a-plastic-surgeon/#slideshow=slide2

Avocado-Honey Moisturizer
 A moisturizer is an anti-aging must. By helping your skin retain moisture and acting as a temporary filler for wrinkles, it makes your complexion look smooth. Dr. Ordon says that his patients love this recipe because it makes their skin look and feels dewy, and youthful.
Ingredients:
 3 tablespoons of fresh cream 1/4 avocado
1 tablespoon honey
Directions: 
Place all three ingredients in a blender and puree into a smooth cream.  Apply it to your skin and leave on for at least an hour. Rinse off with warm water.

 

 

Cornstarch

You may think cornstarch can only be used to thicken your gravy, but it’s also useful in easing itchy, dry skin, it works miracles for chicken pox or itchy rashes. Make a paste and apply to skin let it dry and remove with a wet warm cloth and apply Aloe Vera Gel. Sprinkle a handful in the bathtub and have a soak, if you can, do not rinse, pat dry and wait a few minutes before you apply moisturizer, I highly recommend Coconut Oil.

 

 

Oatmeal

Adding oatmeal to your bath will soothe your skin. The oats are packed with vitamin E, a nutrient vital to healthy skin. Oatmeal is also used as a folk remedy for treating dry, chapped hands. Rub your hands with wet oatmeal instead of soap. Dry your hands with a towel, then rub them with dry oatmeal. Vinegar. Try this folk remedy for chapped hands: Wash and dry hands thoroughly, then apply vinegar. Put on a pair of soft gloves and leave them on overnight.

 

 

Mayonnaise

 

Mayonnaise straight from the jar will make hair soft and shiny. The egg nourishes brittle hair with protein, while the vinegar gives it body and bounce.

Try this mixture to regain supple hair: Mix one teaspoon powdered brewers’ yeast with four ounces of apple cider vinegar to create an after wash rinse. Pour it over wet hair and let stand at least a minute before rinsing. 
Dry skin

For a homemade scrub, mix ground oats and honey. Rub all over your face—especially your nose, make sure you scrub gently. The scrub part of the mixture will remove dry, scaly skin while the honey seeps in as a moisturizer. Rinse completely off and pat dry, and your skin will be glowing and baby soft. Only use this remedy once a week.

For super dry skin, use olive oil. Rub it in prior to a bath or shower. You may substitute peanut, sesame or sunflower oil.
A quart of milk in a hot bath is a luxury as well as a skin toner. It’s a trick nearly as old as time.

 

 

Teabags

 

Puffy, tired-looking eyes?

Used teabags make excellent eye cosmetic After dunked, drain it and place it over your closed eye (one for each) and hold it there for a few minutes. Redness, soreness, swelling and irritation will disappear like magic.

 

 

 

Bug Off Citrus Butter

One way to keep pesky little critters fully controlled

1/2 cup Cocoa butter
1/2 cup Coconut oil
1/2 cup Shea butter
1/2 cup Sweet Almond Oil 1 tsp vitamin E oil

10 drops Citronella essential oil 5 drops orange essential oil

Place the Cocoa butter, Coconut oil, and Shea butter in a large glass jar or glass measuring cup.
Place inside a pan with about 2 inches of water. Heat over medium heat until everything melts completely, stirring gently with a wooden spoon or chopstick. Remove from heat and add the sweet Almond oil, essential oils, vitamin E, and citronella oil. Mix thoroughly.

Place the mixture in a sanitized jar.
Chill in your fridge for about an hour. The mixture should be firm, but not too hard. once the mixture is chilled, use your mixer or hand mixer to whip it to a smooth consistency.

 

 

 

Sweet Chai Tea Bomb

 

At last the soothing comfort of spicy Chai Tea for you for your bath!  You got to love it, don’t you agree? YumYum body. You can also use Green Tea powder. Clove Oil is very strong and can be too much for sensitive people so use very small amount.

You may not need the Witch hazel if the honey does its job, I use it in batches that seem too dry. I like the round bomb mold best for this recipe.

1 cup of Citric Acid
2 cups baking soda
3 tablespoons kaolin clay
1/4 cup organic brown sugar
3 tablespoons sweet Almond Oil
2 tablespoons Organic tea powder
2 tablespoons honey
10 drops or less for sensitive skin do a patch test when the full mixture is done
5 drops vanilla essential oil
Witch Hazel to bind

Place the dry ingredients in a glass bowl and work with gloved hands until there are no lumps.
Add the sweet Almond oil, honey, and the essential oils to a mixture, and blend with a whisk. Test the consistency with your hands. The mixture should hold together when squeezed. If it feels crumbly, spritz in some witch hazel to bind. Pack the mixture firmly into the mold Set aside for ten minutes then tap lightly on the back of the mold to release it, enjoy.

 

 

 

Banana, Strawberry, Kiwi, and Honey Face Mask 

 

When it comes to face masks for oily skin is this simple yet very nourishing natural solution.

Ingredients: 1 ripe banana, 3 Strawberries 1 tablespoon of honey, 10 drops of lemon juice and Kiwi slices for the eyes.

You should mix the banana and honey in a bowl. Then, add the lemon juice and combine them. Once the mixture is ready, apply it on your face and let it work its magic for about 15 minutes. In the end, rinse with lukewarm water and wipe your complexion with a washcloth.

 

 

Cucumber, Egg White, Lemon, and Clay Mask

This mask is just perfect for cleansing clogged pores. As its name suggests, you’ll need the following ingredients: 1 tablespoon of egg white, ½ teaspoon of clay, a few drops of lemon juice and 1 egg white.

Add all these ingredients together and mix them until a smooth paste is formed. Then, apply the mask on your face, but make sure to avoid the eyes area and leave it for about 20 minutes. Finally, rinse with warm water.

 

 

 

Strawberry and Yogurt Facial

 

You should know that the yogurt will help exfoliate your acne prone skin.

Ingredients: 4 ripe strawberries, 1 teaspoon of plain yogurt

Firstly, wash thoroughly the strawberries, then use a fork to mash them. Add the plain yogurt and stir until it becomes smooth. Then apply this mixture on your face and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Use warm water for rinsing.

 

 

 

Homemade Juice Mask

Both lemon and strawberries have natural astringents that are perfect for fighting acne.

Ingredients: 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, 1 cup of strawberries, 2 egg whites, 3 teaspoons of honey and 4 drops of essential oil.

You should mash the strawberries with a fork until they form a smooth paste. Then, add the lemon juice, honey, and egg whites and mix them together. Apply the formed mixture on your face and let it stay for about 10 minutes. Rinse with warm water and a warm cloth.

 

 

 

Oatmeal Face Mask

For this mask, you’ll need 1 tablespoon of honey, some oatmeal, and 1 egg yolk.

You should take a small bowl and mix there the egg yolk and honey. Then, add slowly some oatmeal so that you create a thick paste. Apply the mask on your face and neck and let it sit for about 15 minutes. In the end, rinse with warm water.

 

 

 

Apricot, Yogurt and Clay Mask

This is an amazing natural face mask because it nourishes your skin and regulates its oiliness. We recommend using it once or twice a week. You can easily create it with the following ingredients: ½ teaspoon of clay, 1 apricot and 1 tablespoon of yogurt.

Firstly, you should peel the apricot. Then add it into a blender and mash it. Add the yogurt and clay and blend them together until a paste is formed. Apply it carefully on your face and leave it for 20 minutes. Then rinse with warm water.

 

 

 

Turmeric and Yogurt Face Mask

Ingredients: 2 tablespoons of rice flour, ¼ teaspoon of turmeric powder and ½ cup of plain yogurt.

Mix all these ingredients until they form a smooth paste and afterward apply the mixture on your face and let it sit for about 15-20 minutes. Then use a wet cloth for rinsing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glass and Bamboo Tea Infuser Pot

Our chic, modern teapot features a removable glass infuser for brewing loose-leaf tea directly inside the pot without over-steeping. Place a tealight in the included bamboo stand to keep fresh tea warm for serving while protecting your tabletop. Perfect for tea lovers, it’s a great gift for any tea lover.

 

 

 

Capresso Electric Water Kettle

Our convenient and affordable Capresso Electric Water Kettle boils water extremely quickly for tea, coffee, hot chocolate or instant soup. Made of durable, heat-resistant German SCHOTT glass, this fast boiling kettle has a large capacity and an automatic shutoff feature. It’s perfect for home as well as on trips to anywhere with an outlet.

 

 

 

 

 

Make-up Brushes

 

 

 

Hello, and thank you for your support, likes and share without it we wouldn’t be here.  On week  299. We are sharing a post about the difference between Synthetic and animal hair brushes, how to clean the brushes and their different uses. Here we will share the common uses, so if we miss a fact please let us know so we can pass it along to our readers, we will give you credit for the contribution send your additions to isabelsbeautyblog@gmail.com.

I personally love using a good brush to apply makeup, and as the years in my career go by I notice that my make up peers all have a favorite brush, sponge and my dear friend Carme Tenuta loves to use Q-tips for application of products, now the trend is a blender sponge ( I love the blender sponge, you can reuse it so no waste on that) and the toothbrush make up brush, which we will share along in this post in brief words. I have applied makeup with so many tools in a pinch to become creative, you can save the day, trust me. So let’s go to our post, enjoy, thank you ahead of time for subscribing, sharing and liking with deep gratitude, from all of us at Isabel’s beauty blog.

 

What is a brush and what are the parts that compose it?

 

How much do you know about your paintbrushes? A great part of an artist’s tool case, the paintbrush is a tool that helps you express your self.  In addition to all the other makeup supplies, it’s a staple. The creation of a very good quality brush involves skills perfected over centuries. Although some of the processes in the fast pace life have become automated over time, many aspects of a paintbrush are still manufactured by hand. It is most fascinating to witness the creation of one of my most favourite tools. In order to truly understand the paintbrush, it’s imperative to have a grasp of its anatomy and what it takes to build it, once you realize what it takes to create such a valuable tool and you appreciate it’s creation process, your work will have that much more appreciation, it does to me.

 

 

Hair

The part that does the painting on the brushes is commonly divided into three types of materials: natural hair, bristle, and synthetic. The quality of the brush and what the brush is best used for is according to hair type, blend, and its construction.

Natural Hair (animal Hair)

When Animal hair is used, like sable it has a finely tapered point and “flags,” which are similar to split ends on human hair. The soft, fine fibres and flags allow the brush to hold more make up or whatever medium is used for, and spread it is supposed to apply colour evenly and by that blend better.

Bristle

Bristle is a much stiffer, coarse, natural hair that often has flagged tips also. The Bristle kind brush is great for adding texture to projects, heavy-bodied products are ruff for a skin I use it texturizing color on prosthetics projects great for hiding edges and giving depth, great tool!!

Synthetic

Due to the many production requirements and the high cost of many types of animal hair the industry is favouring synthetic filaments (yeiiii for animal safety) were created from man-made fibres, such as PBT resin and such of synthetic materials, are very often referred to as Taklon or Syn-Sable. The diameter of a synthetic filament of this material and the blend of different filaments affects how soft or stiff a brush is and how the brush performs with various media and it’s blending performance.

At this time there’sisThere’s a whole range of advanced new synthetic makeup fibres on the market that are good not just with liquids and cream, but also with powders and they give a great finish.

The old conventional wisdom that synthetics are only good with liquid and cream cosmetic products has persisted in many reviews. But it’s just really true anymore!

The American chemical company DuPont, based in Delaware, which originally invented Taklon, has invested a lot of R&D in developing a range of newer synthetic fibres such as Natrafil and other ones that are just as good at everything natural fibres are good at doing.

Taiki the Japanese company is one of the leading brush manufacturers in the world has also worked with DuPont to develop Tafre fibre. That product contains DuPont’s Sorona, which has 37% percent renewable plant-based ingredients — from corn — and extrudes it from machines in such a unique way that is more similar to the way hair grows out of skin for a much more sophisticated fibre that picks up powder a lot more like the natural animal hair brushes.

 

Very interesting video about the Brush industry

Hair Blend

The Paintbrush lines that incorporate natural hair and synthetic filaments, as well as various blends of these, offer a large range of options for artists. Most frequently, the standard shapes and sizes in a brush line are made of a similar hair blend. Your chosen product medium and the effect you’re looking for will be what determine which brush blend works best for you finished look.

Examples of Hair Type and Blend

An Oval Mop Wave is a brush with very innovative synthetic hair that is crimped to mimic the shape and movement of natural hair brushes. This particular brush is recommended for softening and blending, decoupage, due to the fact that it shows minimal brushstrokes great blender love the look it creates I am a fan of it.

The Flat brush is made with a blend of different size synthetic filaments that allow for an even product distribution and a smooth flow throughout the bristles I like flat brushes with an oval edge great for around the nose and edging, in general, I even correct booboos at the edge of the lip and love it for concealer details,I use this type of brush a lot is a great blender and super when it comes to defining edges.

The Lunar brush has a 50/50 blend of stiff bristles and synthetic hair filaments. This combination blend allows the makeup or whatever medium you are using to settle on the outside of the hair, while at the same time distributing the makeup evenly throughout the bristles for textured effects another one that it can be used for fantasy and effects make up.

The Round Blender Brush has soft, natural hair that makes this brush great for techniques that require a light, feathery touch on your application.

Handle and Ferrule

The handle of a paintbrush is frequently made of wood, and more and more brush lines use environmentally conscious coatings on the wood by that we mean less toxic material. Brushes with short handles allow you to get in close to detail a more detail work, I personally prefer short handles for many reasons at the end is a matter of preference. For that and their handle balance, short- handle brushes are my preference they are easy to store and to travel with ( I like thin handles due to the fact that I can store more brushes in my holder too. Handle balance involves the thickness of the handle in the mid-section and how it tapers to a point, making the brush comfortable in the hand.

The ferrule is the metal band that connects the brush head to the handle and is usually glued on both ends and crimped near the handle part. A good quality is very important I preferred synthetic and titanium they don’t corrode and don’t contain NICKLE witch is toxic to our health and the fact that can cause a reaction on people skin and the sensitive skin around the eyes.( here is were bacteria can accumulate when the brushes get washed with soap and water as I have witnessed before they don’t dry properly) make sure that they get dry before you store the brushes to prevent mould and accumulation of bacteria, I clean mine with 99% alcohol for over 40 years and they are in great shape.

This s a great site to learn about brushes and where to purchase https://www.lab2beauty.com/t-brush-anatomy.aspx

Shapes and uses :

These are just what the common denominator is you can use any brush that you prefer and however you feel like the end product is the focus here.Your tools are of your choice and like. Everyone is different in their needs and form of application so here we are sharing information from many sources, you can choose what accommodates your need the end result is what is important.

 

 

 

 

 

Click the image to enlarge 

 

Click Image to enlarge

 

 

 

 

 

Most Makeup brushes fall into two categories: the ones made with animal hair and the ones made with synthetic bristles. Today’s synthetics are actually had become better than the animal-hair brushes and that is the opinion of many of my pears, for many practical reasons. Even do the feel of a high-quality synthetic brush may be similar to an animal-hair one, there are actually many differences between the two.

1. Synthetic brushes made of nylon or polyester filaments are less likely to become damaged by the makeup itself or products you might use to clean your brushes they dry really fast when you clean them, aside from not holding bacteria like animal hair brushes they don’t deteriorate as much and they are easy to restore once they get to bend.
2. Synthetic brushes are easier to keep clean because they don’t absorb the makeup pigment like animal hair does especially after continuous cleansing, animal hair opens up the cuticle of the hairs, just give it a thought what would happen if you apply makeup or any other painting product to your hair daily and clean it hopefully after every time you use your hair for it, how damage do you think your hair would get and take in consideration that your hair gets nutrients like blood and oils from your body, the paint brushes made with animal ar made with dead hair no more oil or blood supply, with that said the hair gets damage fast, especially when they are not taken care of properly. This means wear-and-tear on the Synthetic brushes.
3. Synthetic brushes are better for creating a soft, layered look they spread the makeup more evenly without over rubbing and irritation.
4. Some people are sensitive or allergic to the animal hair that some brushes are made from, including squirrel, mink, sable and horse hair and some are of animals that you don’t really want to know. Synthetic brushes are better suited for people with those sensitivities aside is no animal cruelty involved in the prosses.
5. Synthetic is a great brush option for you if you are vegan and vegetarian, Or you have compassion for the suffering animals.
6. Benefits: Synthetic brushes are unique in that the bristles naturally gravitate toward each other, allowing for more precise, smooth and streak-free application. Due to the fact that the hairs’ precise properties, they are great for angled, sharply cut brushes.
7. Synthetic hair is great for cream and liquid products – including foundation, cream blush, gel liner and concealer. It is able to not absorb so much of the product and apply a smooth finish to the skin without much streaking.
8. For any cream and liquid product including lipsticks.
9. Unlike natural brushes, synthetic brushes don’t “trap” and absorb makeup between bristles, which means that you’ll use less product than you would with fluffier natural brushes. Synthetic brushes tend to be flatter and smoother than natural bristles, which makes them ideal for precision.

 

 

Face Brushes

• Foundation A brush with long, flat bristles and tapered tip
• Powder  A brush with fluffy bristles; soft, full and rounded
• Fan brush – similar to a fan painting brush, used for light touches and even playing mascara and soft blush
• Blush brush – fine bristles and rounded head
• Concealer brush – soft and flat with a pointed tip and a wide base and some of them with a flat curved tip
• Kabuki brush – very thick and rounded with a short handle
• Duo fiber multipurpose brush – flat, circular and feathery head
• Mineral powder brush – thick and rounded for the most part
• Face Contour Brush – Slanted and rounded for cheekbones
• Face Sponge – Varied Shape, Sponge Texture

Eyes

• Eyeshadow brushes

• basic eyeshadow brush
• crease brush
• lid brush
• contour brush/blending brush

• Angle eyeshadow brush – small, soft and rounded angled tip
• Eyeliner brush – very thin and fine with soft bristles
• Blending eyeshadow brush – long with a round head
• Smudge brush – flat and soft
• Mascara (usually comes with the mascara) or you can purchase the disposable mascara wand your using it in different people.
• Eyebrow brush – long, thin with tougher bristles ( like a thin toothbrush)
• Slanted Eyebrow Definer Brush – Stiff and Angeled
• Spiral brush for use to comb on any shot small hair and to apply color

Lips

• Lipstick brush – fine, soft and tapered
• Lipgloss brush (usually comes with the lip gloss)

Here are some sites to find out about animal cruelty is no joke we don’t wish to participate in hurting animals for products that can easily be replaced with excellent performance products that are non-animal cruelty.

 

Are the animals harmed when they give up their hair? If we have the common sense that is a given they do not take them to a Beauty Salon that is for sure. According to caringconsumer.com, mink and sable brushes often use hair obtained from the fur industry, which is known for trapping and killing animals for their pelts, often by gassing or electrocuting to avoid damaging the hair nice right?. Horsehair commonly comes from horses slaughtered for meat, goats are shorn like sheep (and they suffer cuts and other injuries) we won’t place the photos we have, they are horrific!! Squirrels are hunted or trapped, breaking legs and for the most part damaged to death!!! not to mention traumatized. Some manufacturers obtain their hair supplies from other countries,( like China) where animal welfare regulations are either lax or nonexistent, I lived in China and there were no regards for animals in general.

“Companies that claim that they are cruelty-free,” says Peggy Hannaman-Jones, founder of the Branded J Collection, “claiming they are shaving the animals and using shed hair from animals are incredibly deceiving themselves and others, to say the least. It is simply not true! All hair is bought through fur farmers all over the world.” We are definitely not interested in participating in hurting anything, Period!!

Let’s talk about the Oval brush

Matthew Waitesmith the former senior vice president at MAC Cosmetics was the one that reinvented the tools not just for professionals, but for novices, too. Apparently MAC had introduced these type of brushes some years ago but they are getting super popular now because They blend products super fast and easy not to mention extremely well and the important thing for me is that uses very little product so you save all the way around, the only part for me is the Palette, where you are supposed to place product to avoid cross-contaminating. You throw away the pads, not really for me, too much waste and not much benefit. An expensive, wasteful gadget to me.

These brushes prove the claim to provide a uniform application with their dense, microscopically small and soft fibers which is absolutely true. They really are amazing blenders I must say.
It provides superior blending with an ultra-fine tip which blends on a microscopic level, creating patterns so small they are imperceptible with the naked eye and provides a very gentle feel during application of makeup. Great for mature skin, they are super gentle and get in very small little creases.
It provides efficient use of a product with a uniform surface area of each CosmeFibre which helps pick up and lay down product without holding on to it. CosmeFibre is made of a proprietary material that has some shape memory which retains shape so much better than conventional animal hairs and it doesn’t change your brush shape at all. Be conscious of the cleansing and how hard you push on them, they are not invincible.
Versatile brushes which help the fibre perform well with powders, liquids or emollient-based products.
To help to avoid sensitivities, CosmeFibre provides an excellent animal-free alternative to conventional animal hair makeup brushes. All Artis brushes are 100% Animal-Free!!!! yeah.
The CosmeFibre brushes are made using a high tech manufacturing process that produces completely consistent fibres and is shaped and refined by hand into high-quality fibre bundles. Each brush is hand-assembled to create the artisan-quality Artist Brush.
These brushes are chemically resistant which can resist excess water, alcohol, acids, detergent etc. Artis brushes won’t degrade from brush cleaning formulas. I clean mine with 99% Alcohol and the look brand new
These are also UV resistant and brushes won’t degrade due to sun or light exposure not like animal hair ones.
Modern construction and provides a comfortable fit for holding the brush. The fibre alignment and the tilted handle aid in simplifying application and blending to one’s own face.
High tech resins, metallized plating, and durable monofilaments are used to help make the brush more dependable and durable over its lifetime of use.

All in all, I absolutely love them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://features.peta.org/cruelty-free-company-search/index.aspx

http://www.crueltyfreekitty.com/ultimate-guide-to-cruelty-free-makeup/

 

Synthetic makeup brushes are, made of synthetic bristles. Sometimes they are dyed to look just like natural brushes — to a dark cream or brown colour — but they can also look like white or beige artificial hairs. They can be quite soft as animal hair brushes, but they’re much less expensive and come in many styles and brands. Plus, they’re also much easier to upkeep and don’t shed as animal hair ones.

Brands like Real Techniques, Urban Decay, Too Faced, and EcoTools make exclusively synthetic brushes, and some even have cruelty-free sustainable objectives. On the EcoTools website, they make it clear that their brushes “are beautiful and show respect for the earth and it’s beings.”Let’s keep the earth and animals unharmed there is no need to do anything that can cause pain or destruction do.

Today’s synthetic makeup brushes are not your grandma’s super stiff nylon bristles from the old days. So if you only know the name “Taklon” it’s time to expand your beauty knowledge. Today’s modern synthetic fibers, such as Tafre and Natrafil, offer excellent “pickup and payoff” of powder makeup, in addition to liquids and creams.

For decades now, the conventional procedure in makeup application is that you should use a synthetic makeup brush when applying liquid or cream makeup products and a real natural animal hair brush for powder and blending applications a bit much for me at least.

Usually, this advice is even attached to explanations that sound perfectly reasonable, such as the (true!) fact synthetic brushes are more hygienic for applying foundation to clean, bare skin.

But the real reason for this longstanding advice – which has become severely outdated in just the last 5 years – is that traditional synthetic brushes have never been very good at picking up powder compared to brushes made with real animal hair.

That’s because the cuticle of the real animal hair is covered in DEAD cells that form scales (isn’t that a great thought), which are layered along the hair shaft in specific shingle patterns. Sometimes these scale layers can run 12 layers deep, providing lots of nooks and crannies that serve as little scoops to pick up powder makeup particles and ultimately deposit them on the skin, and with that said the powder or make up stay in there also mixed with Skin cell and oils Hmmmm!.

Each animal, in fact, has a different shingle pattern that offers unique characteristics in picking up and depositing makeup, as described in these forensic FBI files. This document from Silver Brush in Windsor, NJ, explains the differences between many animal hair variations when it comes to applying paint. And this catalogue from Crown Brush explains many of the differences when it comes to makeup application keeping in mind that a good artist can acomplish the top results with even their fingres, is not the tool what does it is the talent.

To date, goat remains the most popular makeup brush on the market. But pony, squirrel, badger, boar and sable have remained popular in some circles for their unique cuticle qualities even do synthetic brushes are perfectly good. In fact, Kolinky Sable brushes are highly cherished by makeup artists as well as painters, because of their ability to achieve the finest of point shapes and again the new non-animal brushes can accomplish the same.

 

 

The Trouble With Animal Hair — The Animals!

 

 

 

Beginning in 2013, however, US federal authorities began seizing shipments of Kolinsky hair brushes because of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora to provide protection to more than 35,000 species of animals and plants, we are so glad for that. PETA explains in this article that many of these animals are killed for their hair alone .and not for their meat at all!!!!

So, as you can see, using real animal hair brushes in makeup brushes has gotten, well, pretty complicated from an ethical and compassion standpoint and pretty expensive when you consider an animal must be caught or raised, slaughtered, skinned and then the hair has to be cleaned and sorted into different grades is that what we really want to do? when are other choices?

And to be honest, it’s never been the most hygienic option because those layers of scales that create the cuticle can trap all sorts of dirt and oil and are a popular breeding ground for bacteria.

Aside from allergies to animal hair — and many women have them — there are many other issues that come with using animal hair in brushes.

Most cosmetics brands today only want to use animal hair in brushes if the animal was not killed specifically for their hair. Because that would, obviously, be cruel. And when you’re applying pretty pink blush and lipstick, very few people also want to think of dead animals. In fact, squirrel brushes (which set the softness standard) have pretty much been eliminated from the landscape because of a widespread industry practice to stop killing them for their hair alone.

DuPont has been a continued leader in developing synthetic makeup brush fibers that outperform the fibers of the past. From nylon and Taklon to more modern cosmetic brush fibers, such as Natrafil and Sorona, which is used to make Tafre, today.

But if the animal was, say, slaughtered for its meat — goat is the most widely consumed meat in the world — and the hair was a byproduct of food consumption, the beauty industry has mostly still been okay with that.

Sometimes, an animal need not be killed at all for its hair, although it’s often more expensive to acquire animal hair humanely. When Wayne Goss says his brushes were made with natural goat hair “gathered humanely,” it certainly raises more questions than it might answer for some, like, precisely how was it gathered humanely?

Then, once the brush makers have the animal hair, there are also issues with the quality — or grade of the hair — and the consistency of its color, among other factors. When a brush maker is making a huge product line of brushes for, say, the Estee Lauder brand, where all the brush hair needs to be consistent, these issues can be significant. That’s why a lot of brush hair is still dyed, which you can see color bleeding from your brushes after washing sometimes.

What’s more, natural hair also has to be well cleaned and sanitized because all those little scales along the cuticle trap dirt and bacteria.

So ultimately, real animal hair can be unethical, expensive and problematic. 

 

 

Early Synthetic Fibers

 

Because of these challenges with real animal hair, a lot of makeup brush manufacturers and their suppliers have been hard at work developing more sophisticated synthetic makeup brushes that behave as good or better than real animal hair or older model synthetic fibers.

The earliest synthetic makeup brushes on the market were straight up nylon and were stiff, flat fibers with a totally flat – microscopically speaking – surface structure. That’s why powder products really don’t stick to them; the powder literally slides off.

If you’ve ever tried to apply a dark eyeshadow with a synthetic brush, you are likely familiar with what a fallout disaster can look like.

Taklon, just like nylon, was originally developed by DuPont, the American chemical company based in Delaware. Taklon is made out of thermoplastic polyester — sometimes referred to as PBT, which stands for polybutylene therephthalate — to mimic the characteristics of natural sable. It is a bit softer than the earliest nylon brushes and a touch better at picking up powder than nylon, but not by much.

Taklon also has a tapered point, and sometimes Taklon, whose rights are now owned by the Toray Chemical Co. of Osaka, Japan, is generically referred to as “tipped polyester.” real-techniques

You can still find plenty of cheap nylon and Taklon brushes on the market today, and some brush manufacturers have gotten pretty clever to try to get them to work better with powders.

Today, for example, nylon and Taklon are made in a range of sizes, and the diameter affects the stiffness and softness of the brush, with the narrowest diameter fibers being the softest with the most sway.

By mixing together various diameters – or denier – of these early synthetic fibers, or by getting clever with the toe shape, brush makers have been able to enhance the pickup and payoff characteristics of certain synthetic makeup brushes.

Take a look, for example, at the severely raked side of the brush toe on a Real Techniques brush, and you’ll see how a clever toe shape, with the end of every strand strategically placed, can improve powder pickup by using the tip, primarily, to pick the product up.

But the real holy grail in synthetic fibers has been replicating goat hair, the real workhorse fiber of the beauty industry in terms of makeup powders – and, perhaps, enhancing the antibacterial properties of the brush at the same time.

Already familiar with the opportunities of the enormous makeup brush market, DuPont’s Filaments group has been hard at work trying to solve these problems.

Around 2010, DuPont launched Natrafil, which takes another polyster fiber and roughs up the surface structure microscopically with some texturizing additives in a complex and patented process, resulting in a structured surface. Just like natural cuticle, this rough microscopic structure helps the fiber pick up powder as well or better than goat or pony hair.

In today’s competitive beauty market, however, some brush manufacturers decided to kick it up a notch, too.

These Tafre-fiber makeup brushes from Japanese brush maker Taiki represent some of the most advanced synthetic makeup brush fibers on the market today. They are for discerning customers that need excellent pickup and payoff of makeup products, from liquid and creams to powder.

The Japanese brush maker Taiki, for example, which has a US headquarters in Montvale, NJ, has developed an all-new patented way of making synthetic fiber with an underlying polyester material.

Basically, Taiki uses DuPont’s Sorona fiber — which is a “PTT,” or poly trimethylene terephthalate — to create a new brand of synthetic fiber, Tafre, that may be the most modern and innovative on the market.

Taiki uses its manufacturing machines to extrude the fiber in a way that is similar to the way hair grows out of skin on an animal. Which is to say that they twist it and kink it in a patented process that creates a more natural style of fiber. Because they are using DuPont’s Sorona, which contains 37% percent renewable plant-based ingredients — from corn — it’s also considered a green, environmentally friendly fiber. The creation of PBT fibers relies more on fossil fuels.

Compared to nylon, Sorona production uses 40% less energy and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 56%. Interestingly, Sorona is also used in residential and commercial carpets, apparel and automotive mats and carpets. It’s also highly durable with a high degree of stain resistance!

Matthew Page, Global Segment Leader, for DuPont’s Sorona Automotive group, told My Brush Betty in November that Taiki is the only company using Sorona material in a makeup brush today. “It has high performance and durability,” he explained, “so we see the cosmetics industry as an attractive opportunity.”

The true test of Tafre’s value for me was when I tested an eyeshadow Taiki-Tafre brush with some bright blue shadow after I had already applied all my other makeup. I have hooded eyelids so eyeshadow application is always an issue for me, because if brush fiber isn’t soft enough, it will tug on my eyelids, causing fallout and misplacing the color. In this fallout test, the brush performed beautifully. The brush was exceptionally soft, so no tugging. And, maybe even more interesting, no waste! I didn’t have to see all those pretty (expensive) makeup flakes dusting away or making a mess on my cheeks.

In the end, synthetic brushes today — if you choose the right ones — are great for all types of makeup products, from liquids and creams to powders, and they are also more hygienic, less prone to shedding and fallout and ensure a more consistent brush.

So when you buy that same model of brush that you love a few years from now, chances are better it will be just like the one you’re replacing.

 

 

Synthetic Word Jumble

 

Artis-MirrorNow, there are a lot of fancy synthetic fiber names on the market today – and most don’t really explain what they are — so it may be difficult to tell if you’re getting brush made of Tafre or Taklon. Very few sellers of makeup brushes are transparent about the synthetic material used.

For example, the new Alexis Bittar Liquid Gold brushes at Sephora says they have “Satine” fiber, humm! They say it’s “revolutionary” but don’t explain what are they made of. Too Faced says its brushes use “Teddy Bear” hair. Again, that comes with no explanation so just marketing names. The innovative new Artis brushes  here use “Cosmefibre,” which comes with just a tad more explanation, but still not as much as I would like for something I’m using on my face every day.

There’s one sure-fire way to get an advanced-synthetic fiber brush: Make sure to test a brush before you buy it by dipping it in some powder to see if it falls off. Just give it a light shake and see what happens. An advanced synthetic will hold onto most of the powder until you actively deposit the powder on your skin.

Most important of all, don’t believe the old adage that synthetics are only good for liquid and cream products. That’s just not true anymore!you can find amazing synthetic brushes that do a great job, we refuse to compromise the safety of animals.

 

CRUELTY-FREE MAKEUP BRUSHES: SYNTHETIC OR NATURAL?

 

Is pretty simple for us if it means hurting a anything in the process of creating a tool we don’t want to use it, period is no need at all, that is conscious KARMA and nature is not really in alignment with this behavior.

From: http://www.crueltyfreekitty.com/makeup/cruelty-free-makeup-brushes-synthetic-natural/

When it comes to the topic of cruelty-free makeup brushes, there are even more things to consider. If a cruelty-free company offers brushes made from natural hair, does it mean the brushes are cruelty-free? Does it mean that the company isn’t cruelty-free? In this quick guide, I’m going to walk you through all the questions you might have about choosing brushes that are 100% cruelty-free, and share with you my personal opinion on what truly makes a brush animal-friendly.

The term cruelty-free usually strictly refers to animal testing. If a product is cruelty-free, it means that it hasn’t been tested on animals at any point of production or afterwards. Cruelty-free does not however take into consideration things like animal ingredients, meaning that a product can still be certified cruelty-free by the Leaping Bunny and contain animal ingredients. This is a controversial subject and it’s very subjective where the line between what is and isn’t literally “cruelty-free” can be drawn, but for the sake of clarity: cruelty-free refers to the testing methods, while vegan refers to the ingredients.

As you know, most makeup brushes are made from natural bristles of animal hair. Brushes themselves don’t have to be tested on animals, and are often sold by makeup brands that are completely cruelty-free in the sense that they abide by a strict no-animal-testing policy and are sometimes even certified. By this standard, it might be logical to conclude that brushes made from natural hair are also cruelty-free, although not vegan. This might sound right, but I disagree with it 100%, and here’s why.

Where everyone draws the line when it comes to what is and isn’t cruelty-free is sometimes a matter of opinion, and while I have pretty strong convictions given that I’m passionate about living cruelty-free and what it means to me, I also respect most opinions on the subject. And I’ll share my personal opinion with you: I believe that no makeup brushes made from animal hair can be cruelty-free. This applies to the vast majority of brushes, especially those that are cheaply-made in places like China. About 99% of brushes made from Animal hair are, in our opinion, obtained from cruel methods that can be just as cruel as animal testing.

Many companies claim that the hair used in their makeup brushes is obtained through “humane methods” and that the animals only “get a haircut” in the making of those mass-produced brushes. But who are we kidding! Does that sound plausible to you? Even though there’s no real way to prove it, it all sounds like sugar-coating to me. Also remember that a lot of brushes use badger hair and squirrel hair, and in those cases, it’s safe to assume that those small animals are getting more than just “a haircut”. So there you go: I believe that buying synthetic, or vegan, brushes is the safest way to ensure that your makeup tools are cruelty-free.

That being said, I still support cruelty-free companies that sell natural hair brushes under their brand, although I will personally not buy or recommend buying their animal hair brushes. Sonia Kashuk is an example that comes to mind: the company is cruelty-free and their makeup brushes are excellent, but I only choose to buy their synthetic ones. It’s a matter of preference, as well as where you personally draw the line. If you’re a cruelty-shopper and still buy non-synthetic brushes, I’m not here to preach. After all, the official message of these brands is that their animal hair brushes are, indeed, cruelty-free.

Where do you draw the line? Do you avoid all animal ingredients? Are you fine with all animal ingredients, or do you only buy cosmetics that contain some of them, like beeswax, and avoid others? Or like me, do you draw the line at animal hair brushes?

 

 

Today, there are more cosmetic companies than ever focused on quality products that are cruelty-free and eco-friendly.

Aveda offers brushes with bristles made from taklon (a non-animal fiber) and handles made of 30% natural flax fiber and 70% polypropylene (of which 90% is post-consumer recycled resin), making them not just animal-friendly, but environmentally-friendly as well.

 

The Body Shop, which does not test its products on animals (neither does its suppliers) or sell brushes made from animal hair, offers good-quality synthetic brushes in different shapes and sizes for different applications. Whether you’re adding a touch of pink to your lips or a soft finish to your forehead, consider the variety of its synthetic brushes available.

 

From the Body Shop I selected one of my favorites the Eyeshadow Brush item #10611, the brush is a high-quality make up brush even though they sell it as an eyeshadow brush which I use it often for and love, the brush is great for concealer detail and anything else you find a use for, so often people ask me what brush I use with which products and my answer is always whatever works for you. There are really no rules, companies design brushes to work for different uses and to provide us with bigger selections and more product, to tell you the truth all of us that use brushes on an every day terms, have our favorites that we adopt.

My last bit on this brush, I like that the brush handle bottom is flat and I can place the brush standing up, easy for me to grab and it doesn’t get product all over my setup.

 

NVEY ECO, originally from Australia but you can order its products online, offers certified organic makeup products. Along with that the company sells makeup brushes with bristles made of synthetic fibers, not animal hair, and include the world’s first compostable makeup brush handle Hummm why would we want to compost our make up brush handles? not sure well intended do. None of the ingredients in the company’s products are made from ingredients derived from genetically modified crops, nor does it use mineral or petroleum oils.

 

Urban Decay is known for its creative and alternative colors (along with product names like Smog and Acid Rain and Oil Slick), and for its cruelty-free and certified vegan products. Check out its “Good Karma” line of brushes made from recycled plastic bottles and aluminum.Now that is Eco friendly reusing products that other way contribute to solution great solution.

In Urban Decay brushes I would like to go over a few of them that I have tried lately.

Lets start with Good Karma Optical Blurring brush, (the blurring name is probably referring to blending  I assume), The brush is very good at blending. I use it especially with clients that favor mineral make up.  For me it is easy to handle and blends very well. It works with cream foundations, liquid foundations, and mineral powder foundations even though it was created for Urban Decay’s Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Foundation.

The brush bristles are amazingly soft, it just glides.  Not only do I like the feeling but the idea that it seams very gentle on the skin, which is a concern for me, to much pulling and rubbing can cause IRRITATION!and that combined with products  no so good especially for the long term.

 

The brush is very easy to clean and dries very fast, another great plus for me being that it is synthetic. it is not bacteria friendly and wont cause allergies for people that have animal hair allergies, not to mention CRUELTY FREE. The brush is medium size with a dome head. Very easy brush to manipulate for chin area, nose area, and eyes if you choose to. And to ad another quality that I admire, the fact that it comes in a container to store it, great to keep sanitized .

 

EcoTools, All materials used in the EcoTools collection are earth-friendly, and include tree-free paper, a natural hemp blend, recycled plastic lining, as well as non-toxic inks. The brushes are made with recycled aluminum, bamboo, and synthetic bristles.

For more information on synthetic versus animal hair makeup brushes  click here

Super Synthetics

from: http://www.peta.org/living/beauty/synthetic-make-brushes/
There’s no reason to use animal-hair brushes, especially when there are so many high-quality synthetic brushes available. Check out these companies’ luxurious offerings:

• Circa Brushes 

  Carries a line of makeup brushes that use high-quality, hand-cut synthetic hair. Eva Mendes is the creative director for this cruelty-free beauty brand, available exclusively at Walgreens.

 

 

• wet n wild is sending a positive message to cosmetics companies around the world: It dropped all animal hair from its makeup brushes and went vegan!

 

• Branded J knows that animal-hair brushes aren’t just bad for animals—they’re also bad for your skin. Unlike animal-hair brushes, which are loaded with dead skin cells, bacteria, and chemicals that can cause your skin to break out, Branded J’s collection of custom-cut taklon brushes is animal-friendly, anti-bacterial, and awesome for applying make-up.
• The Body Shop knows that if you wouldn’t put on makeup using your cat’s tail, you don’t want to use any other animal part, either—its brushes don’t contain animal hair.
• Ecco Bella Botanicals has a range of non-animal brushes that complement its cruelty-free cosmetics.
• Paris Presents’ EcoTools makeup brushes are made with cruelty-free taklon bristles, sustainable bamboo handles, and other natural and recyclable materials to keep you and the Earth looking beautiful. Alicia Silverstone is a celebrity fan of these luxurious-yet-affordable brushes, which can be found in many drugstores.
• For professionals and newbies alike, It Cosmetics offers a large selection of high-quality brushes to help you apply makeup smoothly and accurately.
• Garden Botanika brags that its 100 percent taklon brushes are actually softer than those made from fur, allowing more makeup to cling to the brush and providing a smoother application.
• Origins Natural Resources brushes look and feel like animal hair, but don’t worry—they’re cruelty-free just like the rest of Origins’ personal-care products.
• Urban Decay Good Karma brushes tickle your face using synthetic taklon.
• Aveda brushes are also made of taklon, with a flax-infused, recycled-resin handle. They’re animal- and environment-friendly!
• Nanshy uses only super-soft synthetic hair in its brushes—and its lush vegan brushes are famous for their durability, flexibility, and easy maintenance.
• Sevi Cosmetics‘ 100 percent taklon brushes are the perfect complement to its vegan makeup. No cruel animal testing and no creepy animal ingredients!
• Valana Minerals knows that “[t]here is no need to sacrifice quality or animals in the pursuit of beauty.” Its six luxurious synthetic makeup brushes are perfect for applying Valana’s cruelty-free and vegan powder, foundation, blush, bronzer, and eye color.
• Afterglow luxe professional cosmetics brushes are uniquely designed to provide a beautiful, flawless finish. Handmade of the highest quality taklon, they’re super soft and ideal for applying loose mineral makeup evenly.

 

 

Cruelty-Free Makeup Brushes

 

Review – Synthetic Makeup Brushes – Cruelty-free – ELF & Eco Tools No Animal Hair from CrueltyFreeQTs

 

 

 

Cleaning your brushes

I personally clean my brushes every time I use them. When I work I use individual bags for the actors with their brushes and their makeup, it is a great way to avoid cross-contamination and breakouts. One of my mentors taught me to use 99 % alcohol for several reasons, one being that it kills bacteria in contact another is that dries very quickly so no more bacteria or fungus mould can grow on the brushes inside the ferrule. The alcohol doesn’t damage the brushes at all contrary to what one would believe. I have over 500 brushes and use them for years and they are in perfect shape. The commercial Brush cleaners tend to have scents that can cause allergies,  Skin breakouts, and contain Petroleum byproducts like oils that get in the Farrell of the Brushes (that is the metal cylinder that holds the hair to the Brush handle ) it doesn’t let it dry and bacteria grows there. they are more expensive and a lot less quantity and it leaves a residue on the brush that I personally don’t wish to place on the actor’s skin is not made for that. I get a Gallon of 99 % Alcohol and it lasts me for several months.Is too much risk of contamination to take so have a Brush Cleaning Party with your friends!!!

 

 

 

 

 

ZOREYA(TM) Makeup Brushes 15pc High-End Real Walnut Handle Makeup Brush Set with free case

KENZIE BEAUTY 10 PCS Oval Makeup Brushes Set

Uniqcare Electric Makeup Brush Cleaner and Dryer- Professional, Automatic

 We use 99% Alcohol with the Brush cleansing Machine nothing else

ABCsell Acrylic Makeup Cosmetic Organizer Display Stand For 10pcs Toothbrush Foundation Brush RD

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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History of Nail Polish Facts,Videos, and More

 

Hello everyone thank you for your support we are truly grateful for all your support, on week 277 we are sharing a post on the history of Nail Polish, from its origins to now, wow very interesting the developing of it and how much it has changed through the times, I am personally very thankful that it has because there were very toxic materials used to manufacture these products so nail polish has come a long way.

I usually let my nails breathe especially in winter. I only use nail polish for an event. I prefer it I am usually doing many activities with my hands and the nail polish doesn’t last me and I don’t favor the chipped nail polish look. With that said here, we go with the post enjoy and please share so other people can learn about it.

 

 

Nail polish originated in China, and its use dates back to 3000 BC. Around 600 BC, during the Zhou dynasty, the royal house preferred the colors gold and silver. However, red and black eventually replaced these metallic colors as royal favorites. During the Ming dynasty, nail polish was often made from a mixture that included beeswax, egg whites, gelatin, vegetable dyes, and gum Arabic.

 

A Time-Consuming Process

from:http://classroom.synonym.com/origin-nail-polish-9845.html
While modern nail polish typically dries in a matter of minutes, that definitely wasn’t the case with the rudimentary versions made in ancient China. Once women painted their nails, they typically had to wait for several hours. Some women even went to sleep hoping for it to dry fully by the morning.

Zhou Dynasty and Nail Polish

During the Zhou Dynasty of the 11th to 3rd centuries B.C., women of different classes wore nail polish, whether they were privileged or not. Nail polish color denoted the social status of a woman. In 600 B.C., royals painted their nails with silver and gold. Average Chinese women were permitted to wear light pink nail polish. The consequences of not abiding by the color regulations were extremely severe. Any lower-class Chinese girl who painted her fingernails in royal colors would have faced the death penalty. By the time of the Ming Dynasty (14th to 17th century), royal nail polish color preferences had switched to red and black.

 

 

 

Nail Polish in Ancient Egypt

 

 

Although the Chinese were pioneers in the origins of nail polish, Egyptian women (and men too) were also coloring their nails by 3000 B.C. Their methods for painting their nails differed from the formulas used by the Chinese, but the color still signified social status, with deep red hues reserved for those of high rank. Ancient Egyptians often immersed their fingertips in reddish-brown henna, a type of dye extracted from flowering plants. Cleopatra, for one, was a big fan of henna for nail coloring. Ancient Egypt also produced some nail polish blends that were lacquer-like in a formula. Egyptian women frequently used berries to color their nails, too.

 

 

from: http://www.nailbargamax.it/the-history-of-nail-polish.html
Different materials, techniques, and colors have transformed the use of nail polishes, always in line with the evolution of tastes and trends. The origins of Nailart were India and China. The history of ancient and millennial civilization. During the Bronze Age, the henna, obtained from the powder of dried leaves, starts to be used also for nails decoration and in 1500 B.C,  in Mesopotamia, China, and Egypt, appear the first nail polishes, obtained from a mix of powders of crystal, malachite, and sulfur.

Nefertiti and Cleopatra are remembered, among other things, as two of the most beautiful women of their time. It is no surprise, then, that they were the first to make something as iconic as red nail polish famous! During their respective reigns, a societal hierarchy was indicated by the specific color worn. The stronger the shade of red, the more power the person possessed.

Although the practice likely existed earlier, sources suggest that Nefertiti, Queen of Egypt (14th century B.C.) colored her fingernails a ruby-red color. Nefertiti and her royal court would use henna (and sometimes even blood!) to color their nails.
The colors, that go from black to green, from red to gold, were used to define the belonging of a social class while sometimes, symbolizing the individual or tribal power. The colored nail polishes consist in real and unique representations, as traditional Incas narrations.
During the Medieval Age this practice was abandoned, and only restarted gaining popularity during the Renaissance in order to embellish the hands of noblewomen of that time. In the Victorian era, as explained in Madame Bovary – of Gustave Flaubert – with the protagonist Emma Bovary, a new nail polish became popular, made out of oil and chamois.

 

 

 

From: http://www.cosmeticsandskin.com/ded/polish.php

Until the 1930s, polishing powders were the main preparations used to shine the nails plate. These were made in many forms including sticks, blocks, pastes, loose powder and even liquids but all used fine abrasives that were buffed on the nail to produce a shine During the 1930s powder polishes were largely replaced by liquid polishes that were painted on the nails to produce a more or less instant shine. Early forms of liquid polishes were made using a variety of materials but eventually, most were formulated using nitrocellulose.

 

 

 

Wax polishes

Many paste polishing powders included waxes to help suspend the powder, thicken the paste and add shine. If the abrasive was left out of this mixture then any shine produced would be due solely to the wax, which polished the nail plate in the same way that a polishing wax makes wood furniture shine.

Wax nail polishes were made as pastes or liquids and what they lacked in effectiveness they made up for in simplicity of manufacture. Paste wax polishes were simple mixtures of substances like beeswax, ceresin, spermaceti and soft paraffin, melted together and poured into small pots.

Wax polishes could also be made as a liquid by dissolving the wax in a suitable solvent, either cold or gently warmed in a steam-heated mixing bowl. When applied to the nail plate the solvent evaporated leaving a thin layer of wax behind. As the solvent used was highly volatile, these liquid polishes had to be sold in sealed stoppered bottles.

 

Solvents and films

Liquid wax polishes were the first nail polishes that used a solvent to deposit a film on the nail plate. The film helped protect the nail and maintain the shine for a longer period of time, thereby reducing the need to rebuff the nail. Liquid wax polishes were often applied over a nail that had first been buffed with a polishing powder – so they simply helped to preserve the polished surface – but they could also be subjected to further buffing after the wax polish had dried.

When nitrocellulose polishes appeared, the need for buffing was reduced and eventually disappeared. However, old habits died hard and reference to buffing – either before or after applying a nitrocellulose polish – were still occurring up until the outbreak of the Second World War.
Before applying varnish, if it is to be used, the nails must be well polished with the buffer and one of the various preparations now in favor, which are generally made in stone, powder, or cream form. … Never apply varnish to a nail that has not been burnished in this way; otherwise, the natural gloss of the nail will eventually disappear. … Care must be taken in its application to obtain an even surface. Work is always from the lunule down towards the fingertips.
Many French women to-day varnish from the entire base right over the nail. This is not really very becoming. The half moon showing is always rather intriguing. Dip the brush in the varnish and then press against the bottle so that only a portion remains on it; this guards against the excess of varnish, which usually results in a blob on the nail. Make an even sweep with the brush from the half-moon down to within ½ in. from the edge, or where it can be seen that the nail ceases to adhere to the flesh. The amount on the brush is usually sufficient for two lengths of the nail. Be careful not to allow the varnish to contact with the edges of the cuticle, as this spoils the effect. Allow to dry and apply a second coat, and once again when the enamel has completely dried use the buffer.

Varnishes and lacquers

 

 

Once the idea of applying a film of polish to the nail with a suitable solvent had taken hold, the door was opened to using other varnishes and lacquers, many of which had been developed in the nineteenth century. The range of materials used included shellac, gum benzoin and cellulose nitrate (nitrocellulose). Although these liquid nail polishes appeared early in the twentieth century it took a while for serviceable polishes to be developed and for the idea to catch on.

When industrial lacquers and varnishes began to be used, it became possible to source nail polishes from larger and older lacquer firms that had the technical knowledge to deal with this dangerous material and the facilities to produce polish in bulk. This left nail polish companies with the relatively simple tasks of bottling, packaging, selling and distributing the polish meaning that they could to start with relatively small overheads. A number of new nail polish firms began in this way, perhaps the most important of which was Revlon.
The wise manufacturer selects one of the private label house to make his enamel. Elaborations and special effects can be worked out.
The danger from fire—perhaps even explosions—is so great that the risk isn’t worth the result. Private label houses in many cases have spent years in perfecting their clear lacquer. They have studied every conceivable coloring material and know its behavior in nail lacquer. Most of all they know the dangers of the business and are adequately protected.
Many successful businesses have been built in this field by delegating the manufacture of nail lacquer to the private label house.

Given the relationship with the varnish and lacquer industry, it is understandable that many early liquid nail polishes were known as varnishes or lacquers. However, they were also referred to as polishes or enamels by cosmetic companies and beauty writers of the time. Unfortunately, the story of nail polish in the twentieth century is muddied by the fact that the terms polish, lacquer, varnish and enamel were used haphazardly and covered a wide range of nail products.

 

Benzoin polishes

 

Benzoin-based nail polishes provided a reasonably good shine to the nail but they took longer to dry, required buffing to bring out the shine and had a tendency to become brownish in color, so could not compete with cellulose nitrate polishes in the long run.

Poucher (1932) provides us with a formulation for a gum benzoin polish, tinted pink with a small amount of eosin, perhaps to hide the brown, but a similar product could be made that was completely clear.

Nitrocellulose polishes

 

Nitrocellulose – also known as cellulose nitrate – is produced by immersing cellulose in nitric acid, or a mixture of nitric and sulphuric acids, for a short time. A common source of the cellulose in the United States was cotton and when nitrated it was known there by such names as pyroxylin, nitrocellulose, nitrocotton, soluble cotton or guncotton, in part depending on the composition of the cellulose nitrate which varied according to how much the cotton had been acted on by the nitric acid.

A number of uses were found for cellulose nitrate in the nineteenth century including the manufacture of explosives, celluloid (an early plastic), nitrate film stock, varnishes and artificial silk. Some of these technologies relied on the fact that partially nitrated cellulose could be dissolved in organic solvents – like alcohol, ether, and acetone – and when these evaporated a clear film was left behind.

 

Collodion and liquid court plaster

 

Collodion was first produced in 1846 when Louis-Nicolas Ménard [1822-1901] and Florès Domonte produced a clear gelatinous liquid by dissolving pyroxylin (a partially nitrated cotton) in a mixture of ethyl alcohol and ether. Its discovery was put to good use the following year when John Parker Maynard [1817-1898], a Boston physician, discovered that dried collodion formed a clear, waterproof, protective film over a wound. Maynard’s discovery gained wide medical acceptance and led to a number of commercial forms of this liquid medical dressing being put on the market, generally badged as liquid court plasters.

Early liquid court plasters tended to contract and crack on drying but a flexible form was later developed an important advance. It used plasticisers like Canada balsam and castor oil to produce a film that could bend and flex with the skin.

In 1882, John H. Stevens [1853-1932] patented the use of amyl acetate as a solvent for pyroxylin. It produced a more durable, transparent film than that generated from using ethyl alcohol and ether, and it found a number of industrial uses including the development of nitrocellulose-based wood and metal lacquers.

Liquid court plasters were also formulated using amyl acetate rather than ethyl alcohol and ether.

Given the developments in nitrocellulose-based medical dressings, and industrial varnishes and lacquers, it was almost inevitable that someone would produce a nitrocellulose-based nail polish. Exactly when the crossover happened is open to question, with most cosmetic chemists placing this landmark event in the history of nail polish in the late 1910s or early 1920s. However, evidence suggests that it took place a good deal earlier than this. For example, the Bijou Chemical Company of New York was putting their Bijou Fluid into a nail polish/enamel as early as 1903. Given that this preparation also formed the basis for their liquid court plaster, a metal lacquer, an adhesive, and a leather waterproofer, there seems little doubt that Bijou Fluid was a flexible collodion containing nitrocellulose, and that their nail polish was nitrocellulose-based.

Unfortunately, the situation regarding liquid nail polishes produced before 1920 is far from clear. As I have already noted, there were numerous liquid nail polishes on the market before 1919, but it is difficult to know whether they were made as liquid abrasive powders, liquid waxes, liquid benzoin polishes or liquid nitrocellulose polishes, without access to their original formulation.

 

Nail polish and automobile paint

 

One reason why some have suggested that nitrocellulose nail polishes were developed in the 1920s is the belief that they were inspired by developments in glossy car paint, specifically the Duco Paint that E. I. du Pont de Nemours developed for General Motors in 1923. This seems unlikely. Although it is true that Duco Paint is based on nitrocellulose, came in a wide range of colours, and was advertised as having a fast-drying, tough, durable, waterproof finish, Duco was designed to be sprayed on not painted on, required at least twelve hours not minutes to dry, and only had a satin sheen so required further polishing to develop a high gloss (E. I. du Pont de Nemours, 1925). This, and the 1923 date suggests that the development of Duco Paint coincided with a greater use of nitrocellulose in nail polish but was not directly responsible for it; both products evolved from the varnish and lacquer industries.

 

Celluloid film stock and nail polish

 

Nitrate (celluloid) film was patented by Hannibal Williston Goodwin [1822-1900] in 1898. It was later reinvented by the Eastman Kodak Company – which started a legal dispute which was not settled until 1914. Eastman Kodak reportedly made their celluloid film stock by dissolving pyroxylin in a mixture of methyl alcohol, amyl alcohol and amyl acetate (Sabin, 1904, p. 113). Camphor was added as a plasticiser and the resulting film was then coated with a photosensitive gelatin emulsion.

Given that nitrate film was liable to catch fire, it was dangerous to store and was often sold as scrap after a movie had played out in cinemas. A nail polish could be made from this film scrap by stripping off the gelatine and then dissolving the remaining film in amyl acetate and acetone or other solvents.
The preparation used by photographers which consist of celluloid obtained from scrap sources and dissolved in amyl acetate is widely employed.
The work consists of cutting up the scrap and charging into a comparatively large mixing pan, because of the space occupied. Amyl acetate and acetone are poured into the pan, and heat gently applied.
The consistency of the product can be varied by the amount of scrap added and should be reduced to a syrupy condition. some selected perfume is then added in the usual manner and the charge emptied.

Scrap celluloid was widely used to make nail polish early on but the practice began to disappear in the 1930s. Using scrap celluloid film was cheaper but the presence of any synthetic camphor adversely affected the brightness of the finish so its use had declined by the time the Second World War broke out. When nitrocellulose supplies were diverted for the war effort there was a renewed interest in using celluloid film stock but this faded when normal supplies resumed after 1945.

 

 

 

Color

The first nitrocellulose nail polishes were generally made in a clear ‘Colourless’ or pink ‘Natural’ shades. The pink color was produced using dyes like carmoisine, safranine, erythrosine or phloxine. By the end of the 1920s nail color had become more obvious, with many companies making enough shades enable nail polish to match the clothing colors that a woman was wearing. Mother of pearl polishes, made by adding in fish-scale essence, also made an appearance.

Although companies like Glazo made nail polishes in a wide range of colors, manicurists could also mix up colors to meet the needs of individual clients. Unfortunately, it is clear how a manicurist accomplished this for their society clients. Some materials such as gold, silver or pearl powder could be mixed directly into clear polish as could some colors. It is also possible that manicurists first applied color to the nail and then covered this with a clear nail polish. Clients could return the following day to have it replaced with something more suitable or use a remover.
Very pink fingernails and sometimes blood red nails have been popular for some time with women in London. The latest idea, however, is to have fingernails to match dresses. At a recent function, a lady was observed in a Parma violet chiffon frock, and Parma violet fingernails to tone exactly. The idea is an off-shoot of the matching craze which is sweeping over London and Paris just now.
A well-known London beauty specialist is pushing the craze, and her clients arrive with samples of the frocks they will wear in the evening to have their nails “done!”. Mauve, violet, blues, greens, orange, yellows and reds are used. One girl wearing a pearl-colored satin frock had her fingertips enameled a lovely pearly tint, which looked really pretty. The enamel comes off quite easily with a special preparation used for the purpose so that there is no fear of one’s blue or green fingers clashing next morning with one’s favorite orange jumper suit.

Some nail polish firms used this idea as well. Cutex, for example, sold a clear nail polish in the 1920s that came with a separate tint which could be used to produce a polish with different degrees of color.

In the more somber depression years of the 1930s, bright colors went out of fashion to be replaced by subdued reds and smokey-reds.
Lately, the cult of the colored fingernail—gold, mother of pearl, blood red, or tinted to match the gown—marks us as to hand consciously. Pointed fingers with nails trained like pencil tips, and colored in unnatural tones, makes lovely hands look like the claws of some exotic bird and not the warm and human hands that have charmed lovers down the ages.

Transparent polish

With the exception of pearl and metallic types, most nail polishes used in the 1920s were transparent, either clear or colored with dissolved dyes. They were generally applied across the center of the nail, leaving the lunula (half moon) and free edge visible Having color only across the center of the nail plate was believed to make the fingers look long and elegant.

 

 

Opaque polish

By 1930, opaque (cream) nail polishes were becoming fashionable in Europe. Initially, these cream polishes were made by European companies or smaller American firms that had a presence there and only became more common in the United States after Revlon started up in 1932 and Cutex began selling them after 1934.

 

 

Revlon

1932 When Revlon launched the first ever opaque nail enamel, it was referred to as cream enamel – the product was created using blended pigments, instead of dyes – this enabled a vast choice of colors. The nail enamels were only available in beauty salons to start with. 1937 The nail enamel was launched into department stores & pharmacies.

In 1939, when Revlon began to make lipsticks, they heavily promoted the notion that nail polish and lipstick should match, a fashionable French trend that had first appeared in the 1920s. Cutex had previously pushed this idea when it introduced its own line of lipsticks in in 1935.

Even earlier, two other American companies, Peggy Sage and Glazo, were producing nail polish shades to match lipsticks no later than 1930, even though neither firm made a lipstick at that date. Peggy Sage matched their nail polishes lipsticks from other companies in Peggy Sage salons and when Revlon became a much bigger threat in the late 1930s Peggy Sage entered into an agreement with seven cosmetic companies operating in the United States – Schiaparelli, Lelong, Lentheric, Charles of the Ritz, Du Barry, Dorothy Gray and Coty – to match Peggy Sage nail polishes with their lipsticks. This was a stop-gap solution with most of these lipstick manufacturers soon making their own nail polishes.

 

Modern nail polish

 

By 1930, there was a general agreement about the characteristics of an ideal liquid nail polish. It should be harmless, easy to apply, dry quickly and evenly, harden well, resist chipping and abrasion, be waterproof, have an even color that did not stain the nail, be stable in the bottle, and have a pleasant smell. Unfortunately, early nitrocellulose nail polish formulations did not share all these qualities. Their adhesion was poor if colored they often stained the nail, and they took a relatively long time to dry. Many early nail polishes did not even have a dedicated nail polish remover, being lifted by applying another layer of polish or by using acetone.
The use of nail enamel is now almost universal. It is a rapid means of acquiring a brilliant lustrous finish and may if desired, be applied without previously burnishing the nails. The only disadvantage it possesses is that of coming off in streaks after a few days. This is not very noticeable when a colorless enamel is applied, but if a tinted one has been used the effect is grotesque. Before applying the second coating of enamel, the remains of the first must be removed. This may be done by painting on the enamel itself and then rubbing off with a cloth, or better still, by using Acetone in the same way.

By the end of the 1930s, dedicated nail polish removers had been added to most manicure lines.

 

Components

 

All modern nail polishes have four main components: a film former, solvents, resins and plasticisers. Coloured nail enamels also contain pigments and pearlescent materials and may also include suspension agents to help stabilize the suspended pigments. Other ingredients such as U.V. filters and proteins were added to more recent formulations.

 

Film former

 

The film-former is the glossy coat that is left on the surface of the nail after the solvents have evaporated. As previously noted, before the Second World War a range of substances was used to generate the film – including gum benzoin, shellac, and waxes – before nitrocellulose became the film-former of choice. Since then, other film-forming substances have been proposed as substitutes for nitrocellulose – one of the earliest being cellulose acetate, also used in ‘safety film’. Although there are nitrocellulose free nail polishes on the market today, nitrocellulose is still the commonest film-former used; it has a low solvent retention and dries quickly to form a waterproof, tough film.
Nitrocellulose is outstanding for its hardness, toughness, resistance to abrasion, and excellent solvent release. It is interesting to note that nitrocellulose is also the oldest man-made substance among the film-forming agents which dry solely by evaporation and without any subsequent oxidation or polymerization.

As noted earlier, nitrocellulose comes in a range of grades depending on how nitrate it is. This affects its volatility and solubility; highly nitrated nitrocellulose being more volatile and less soluble, lower nitrate forms being less volatile and more soluble.

The second characteristic of nitrocellulose that affects its use in nail polish is the length of the polymer chains that make it up. Shorter chains result in a more brittle film that has a lower viscosity, while longer chains make it softer and more viscous. Polishes that have a low viscosity will not adhere well to the brush and will not give a thick enough coat, while those that are very viscous will not flow easily and leave a coat that is too thick and streaky. Nitrocelluloses with medium length polymer chains are the types most commonly used in nail polishes, identified as E27 and E32 in Europe or ¼ and ½ RS grades in the United States.

Plasticisers

Nitrocellulose produces a tough transparent film but as it is also brittle, the polish will crack and flake if it is used alone. To make the polish more flexible, solid and liquid plasticisers are used. Liquid plasticisers, such as castor oil, produce a soft flexible polish, while solid plasticisers, such as camphor, generate a harder film. To get the best of both worlds both types were used. Camphor and castor oil were two of the commonest plasticisers used in early nail polishes. Castor oil is no longer used and although camphor is still found occasionally in some polishes, both of these early plasticisers have been largely replaced by better substitutes.

Resins

Resins are added to nail polish to help it adhere to the nail plate so that chipping or peeling are reduced. They can also make the polish tougher and improve gloss. Two main forms are used: natural resins – like benzoin, de-waxed dammar, mastic sandarac, shellac and benzoin – and synthetic forms.

Until the 1930s, most of the resins used were natural and they suffered from a number of drawbacks. Some, like benzoin, darkened when exposed to light and most required some burnishing of the nail plate after the polish had dried to bring out the full gloss. Being natural products there was also the issues of batch uniformity and rising costs.

In 1938, the synthetic resin, toluene-sulphonamide-formaldehyde (TSFR or TSAfr), was introduced into nail polishes and gained wide use. As well as being colorless and transparent it made the nitrocellulose film tougher and improved its adhesion. Unfortunately, in 1943, TSFR was identified as a common cause of allergic contact dermatitis. Symptoms could appear around the nail but a common site of an allergic reaction was the eyelids, due to users rubbing their fingers against their eyes when their eyes were ‘tired’.

TSFR is still found in nail polishes today, generally listed either as tosylamide/formaldehyde resin or toluene sulfonamide/ formaldehyde resin, but some manufacturers avoid it. Some go even further and along with camphor and dibutyl phthalate (DBP) – an early plasticiser banned by the European Union in 1976 – sometimes specifically list TSFR as being absent.

Solvents

There are a large number of solvents that can be used for nitrocellulose-based nail polish. Selecting which to use and in what proportion depends on a number of factors including drying time, cost and odor. It might be thought that fast drying solvents would be ideal but this is not necessarily the case. If the nail polish dries too quickly the film may be streaky and the rapid evaporation can cool the polish below the dew-point causing clouding (blushing), particularly on humid days when the water content of the air is high. Best results are therefore obtained by including a range of solvents, some of which have a slower rate of evaporation.

 

Color

As mentioned previously, until the 1930s nail polishes were largely colored with soluble dyes like carmoisine, safranine, erythrosine, and phloxine. These were easy to incorporate into nail polish, the only major problem being that they often stained the nail.

The first nail polishes that included suspended particles first appeared in the 1920s. These were the pearl polishes – made with fish essence from fish scales – and metallic polishes – that used bronze, silver or gold metallic pigments. The use of other suspended pigments such as titanium dioxide and iron oxides occurred in the late 1920s when opaque cream polishes were developed. In the United States, these became more common a few years before the 1938 Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) and the introduction by the American Food and Drug Authority (FDA) of an approved list of colors that could be used in cosmetics. By this time, the fashion for matching nail polish and lipstick had taken hold in the United States and similar pigments began to be used in both lines.

The early pearl and metallic polishes experienced a degree of sedimentation – settling out of the solid particles – but the problem became acute when cream polishes replace transparent forms. The issue was made more difficult by the fact that that sedimentation occurred at different rates for different particles. For example, pearl essence made from fish scales settled more slowly that made from bismuth oxychloride.

Of particular concern was titanium dioxide. Being white and heavier than the iron oxides it settled first, and once settled it was difficult to get it to back into the mixture. A number of solutions to the problem were tried over the years: some early polishes included a stirring stick to mix the polish before use; the iron oxides were deliberately coarse ground so that they would settle with the titanium dioxide to produce a residue that was reddish rather than stark white; the titanium dioxide was dyed so that when it settled it was not as noticeable; new ingredients were added to try to reduce the problem; bottles were designed to hide any sediment that might appear; and instructions were added that suggested shaking the bottle vigorously before use.

The ultimate solution to the problem was to develop a nail polish that was highly thixotropic, that is, one that was thick and viscous when still, but thin and less viscous when applied. A number of compounds were tried over the years but synthetic bentonite and hectorite clays proved to be the most effective and, although not without their problems, many nail polishes contain stearalkonium hectorite or stearalkonium bentonite to this day.

 

Base coats and top coats

 

One way to achieve good adherence, reduce staining and improve hardness, color and gloss were to use a base coat before applying the polish and then follow that with a top coat. The three products contained similar ingredients but differed in the amounts used. The base coat had more resin to help it adhere to the nail and reduce chipping, while the top coat contained less resin but more plasticiser and nitrocellulose to improve gloss and resistance to wear. In between these two, a layer of color was applied although top coats often contained color as well.

 

The first base coat (undercoat or foundation coat) appears to have been developed by Perma-Nail in New York in 1946. It was quickly followed by others including Everon (Revlon, 1946), Fulpruf Undercoat (Elizabeth Arden, 1947) and many others. I make note of this product mainly because they were the cause of numerous reports of allergic contact dermatitis. Subsequent products of this type showed similar problems.

Base coats and top coats formed a part of many professional manicures well up to the end of the twentieth century but for the average consumer they were too much trouble and in the 1950s many manufacturers made the point that their polishes did not require either, Charles of the Ritz being one of the first to do so with their Fresh Paint polishes.

 

Bottles

 

No discussion of nail polish can be complete without a mentioning their bottles. Nail polish is now sold in bottles capped with a screw top lid – to help reduce solvent evaporation – with a brush attached to the cap. However, early nail polishes came with a brush that was not integrated with the bottle but was included in the box as a separate item.

With the introduction of titanium dioxide and iron oxide pigments in the 1930s, triangular shaped bottles became more common for a number of reasons: they ensured that pigments settled on the bottom of the bottle, rather than on the sides of the glass containers; the shape also minimized any signs of floating artifacts or streaks that might appear at the top of the polish; and it also gave the bottle a low center of gravity that helped prevent it from tipping over and spilling.

The introduction of thixotrophic nail polishes made the use of triangular bottles to disguise artifacts largely redundant and enabled nail polish manufacturers to experiment with the wide variety of bottle shapes we see today.

 

 

Moon Manicure

The first modern manicure was known as the “moon manicure”. To achieve this look the cuticles were cut, free edges filed into points, and polish was applied to the nail but not to the moon and tip.  Covering the entire nail with lacquer was considered extreme and improper. Red was considered the most ladylike color, but pale pink, nude, white and peach were also popular. It was considered important to choose a lacquer that would complement your outfit as well as match your lipstick.

In the 1940s and 1950s, the half moon style was still popular and there were dozens of colors introduced, including green, yellow, blue, mauve, and black. Matching nails with your clothes was still in vogue.

 

 

1960s

The fashions of the 1960s were far more relaxed than in previous decades. Instead of the half moon manicure, it was customary to paint the entire nail. Colors were less vibrant, including coral, purple and frosty blue hues.

 

1970s

 

Eventually, colors evolved to the full spectrum, such as various reds, oranges, and eventually the French manicure style polish, says Pattie. “The shape changed from almond-shaped to  square nails around the mid-70s through to the 90s, and French manicures became extremely fashionable.”

 

1980s

In the 80s creativity abounded and women went wild with nail art. This included multiple polish color applications to one nail, airbrushing, hand painting, embellishments, feathers, foil art, bright shades of pink, neon hues, real gold nails, and nail charms, Just about anything has experimented with to create designs. Longer lengths were in and a square shape. Various products were introduced to enhance the nails and their length, to include gels, tips, ‘organic’ nail powders and advanced types of acrylic blends.

 

1990s

After the run of nail art, consumers became more aware of their nail ‘health’ and products advanced in this direction. “Late 90s to early 2000, natural nails became popular again.” Black also had its heyday with the grunge crowd.

 

2000s

 

Into the 2000s, nail polish colors evolved to every and all shade. Various gel products and gel polishes were introduced, 3-D nail art, glitter, and Japanese style art are now seen on all types and classes of women. The shape has also gone back to the original almond shape and even to a more dramatic stiletto shaped nail.

 

Now

Recently, the evolution of nail appliqués has become the biggest trend,  The first appliqués were introduced by the Minx brand in 2007, and now Dashing Diva is the innovator in the field, offering appliqués with embellishments to make producing the popular 3-D art styles a breeze for anyone.  Gel polishes are also trendy, although removal is difficult.

 

 

Modern nail polish

 

from: http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Nail_polishes.aspx

 

Modern nail polish is sold in liquid form in small bottles and is applied with a tiny brush. Within a few minutes after application, the substance hardens and forms a shiny coating on the fingernail that is both water- and chip-resistant. Generally, a coating of nail polish may last several days before it begins to chip and fall off. Nail polish can also be removed manually by applying nail polish “remover,” a substance designed to break down and dissolve the polish.

 

 

Raw Materials

There is no single formula for nail polish. There are, however, a number of ingredient types that are used. These basic components include film forming agents, resins and plasticizers, solvents, and coloring agents. The exact formulation of a nail polish, apart from being a corporate secret, greatly depends on choices made by chemists and chemical engineers in the research and development phase of manufacturing. Additionally, as chemicals and other ingredients become accepted or discredited for some uses, adjustments are made. For example, formaldehyde was once frequently used in polish production, but now it is rarely used.

The primary ingredient in nail polish is nitrocellulose (cellulose nitrate) cotton, a flammable and explosive ingredient also used in making dynamite. Nitrocellulose is a liquid mixed with tiny, near-microscopic cotton fibers. In the manufacturing process, the cotton fibers are ground even smaller and do not need to be removed. The nitrocellulose can be purchased in various viscosities to match the desired viscosity of the final product.

Nitrocellulose acts as a film forming agent. For nail polish to work properly, a hard film must form on the exposed surface of the nail, but it cannot form so quickly that it prevents the material underneath from drying. (Consider commercial puddings or gelatin products that dry or film on an exposed surface and protect the moist product underneath.) By itself or used with other functional ingredients, the nitrocellulose film is brittle and adheres poorly to nails.

Manufacturers add synthetic resins and plasticizers (and occasionally similar, natural products) to their mixes to improve flexibility, resistance to soap and water, and other qualities; older recipes sometimes even used nylon for this purpose. Because of the number of desired qualities involved, however, there is no single resin or combination of resins that meets every specification. Among the resins and plasticizers in use today are castor oil, amyl and butyl stearate, and mixes of glycerol, fatty acids, and acetic acids.

The colorings and other components of nail polish must be contained within one or more solvents that hold the colorings and other materials until the polish is applied. After application, the solvent must be able to evaporate. In many cases, the solvent also acts a plasticizer. Butyl stearate and acetate compounds are perhaps the most common.

Finally, the polish must have a color. Early polishes used soluble dyes, but today’s product contains pigments of one type or another. Choice of pigment and its ability to mix well with the solvent and other ingredients is essential to producing a good quality product.

Nail polish is a “suspension” product, in which particles of color can only be held by the solvent for a relatively short period of time, rarely more than two or three years. Shaking a bottle of nail polish before use helps to restore settled particles to the suspension; a very old bottle of nail polish may have so much settled pigment that it can never be restored to the solvent. The problem of settling is perhaps the most difficult to be addressed in the manufacturing process.

In addition to usual coloring pigments, other., color tones can be added depending on the color, tone, and hue of the desired product. Micas (tiny reflective minerals), also used in lipsticks, are a common additive, as is “pearl” or “fish scale” essence. “Pearl” or “guanine” is literally made from small fish scales and skin, suitably cleaned, and mixed with solvents such as castor oil and butyl acetate. The guanine can also be mixed with gold, silver, and bronze tones.

Pigment choices are restricted by the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which maintains lists of pigments considered acceptable and others that are dangerous and cannot be used. Manufacturing plants are inspected regularly, and manufacturers must be able to prove they are using only FDA approved pigments. Since the FDA lists of acceptable and unacceptable pigments change with new findings and reexaminations of colors, manufacturers occasionally have to reformulate a polish formula.

 

Today’s Manufacturing Process

 

 

The modern manufacturing process is a very sophisticated operation utilizing highly skilled workers, advanced machinery, and even robotics. Today’s consumers expect a nail polish to apply smoothly, evenly, and easily; to set relatively quickly, and to be resistant to chipping and peeling. In addition, the polish should be dermatologically innocuous.

Mixing the pigment with nitrocellulose and plasticizer
1 The pigments are mixed with nitrocellulose and plasticizer using a “two-roll” differential speed mill. This mill grinds the pigment between a pair of rollers that are able to work with increasing speed as the pigment is ground down. The goal is to produce a fine dispersion of the color. A variation of this mill is the Banbury Mixer (used also in the production of rubber for rubber bands).
2 When properly and fully milled, the mixture is removed from the mill in sheet form and then broken up into small chips for mixing with the solvent. The mixing is performed in stainless steel kettles that can hold anywhere from 5 to 2,000 gallons. Stainless steel must be used because the nitrocellulose is extremely reactive in the presence of iron. The kettles are jacketed so that the mixture can be cooled by circulating cold water or another liquid around the outside of the kettle. The temperature of the kettle and the rate of cooling are controlled by both computers and technicians.
This step is performed in a special room or area designed to control the hazards of fire and explosion. Most modern factories perform this step in an area with walls that will close in if an alarm sounds and, in the event of an explosion, with ceilings that will safely blow off without endangering the rest of the structure.

Adding other ingredients
3 Materials are mixed in computerized, closed kettles. At the end of the process, the mix is cooled slightly before the addition of such other materials as perfumes and moisturizers.
4 The mixture is then pumped into smaller, 55-gallon drums, and then trucked to a production line. The finished nail polish is pumped into explosion proof pumps, and then into smaller bottles suitable for the retail market.
Quality Control

Extreme attention to quality control is essential throughout the manufacturing process. Not only does quality control increase safety in the process, but it is the only way that a manufacturer can be assured of consumer confidence and loyalty. A single bottle of poor quality polish can lose a customer forever. Regardless of quality control, however, no single nail polish is perfect; the polish always represents a chemical compromise between what is desired and what the manufacturer is able to produce.

The nail polish is tested throughout the manufacturing process for several important factors (drying time, smoothness of flow, gloss, hardness, color, abrasion resistance, etc.). Subjective testing, where the mixture or final product is examined or applied, is ongoing. Objective, laboratory testing of samples, though more time consuming, is also necessary to ensure a usable product. Laboratory tests are both complicated and unforgiving, but no manufacturer would do without them.

 

 

DIY Nail Polish

 

from: http://www.girlishh.com/how-to-make-natural-fingernail-polish/

 

Recipe 1
Mix a tablespoon of Olive Oil, cold and pressed, with half a tablespoon of Kaolin Clay Powder, or White Clay and make them into a paste. Olive Oil helps moisturize cuticles and nails, while clay will bring shine to the nails.
Add henna dye to the nail polish to get a color. Henna comes in different colors and can give a natural shade to your nail polish. Make a paste from Olive Oil and henna that is smooth.
Use an old brush or cotton swab for applying polish on nails evenly. Keep it on for fifteen minutes. If you are going to use henna for tinting nails, wipe out leftovers on the skin and air dry the nails.
If you are coloring your nails with henna, moisturize them often. A cotton swab immersed in warm water is enough to dab on the surface. You should leave the polish on for a minimum of one hour.
When the paste dries off, use a damp cloth to wipe away the nails. Gently rub to buff your nails. To get natural gloss, you should repeatedly apply this.



Recipe 2
Gather 3 tbsp Olive Oil, 2 tsp Alkanet Root, 1/4 tsp Beeswax, and two drops of Vitamin-E Oil. Heat the Olive Oil and Alkanet Root. When they are warm, remove from heat and allow them to set.
Use a good mesh strainer to strain the blend and separate Alkanet. Strained oil should once again be put into the boiler. Add beeswax to the oil and let it melt. After this, you can mix in the Vitamin E Oil. Mix and remove. With an old brush, apply the nail polish evenly on the nails. Do not smear it on the skin that surrounds it.



Recipe 3
Henna has been growing in popularity as a natural dye. It has been widely used in the East for many centuries. It is found to be very safe while giving an attractive color to your nails. It is easy to make a natural nail polish from henna.

Firstly, mix water and red henna in a small container. Stir the mixture until a fine paste form. Henna is made from herbal leaves that are dried before being ground to fine powder. You can purchase red henna from most of the local health food shops or online.

Next, paint the henna carefully on your nails; fingers or toes. Use a clean and small paint brush; paint slowly so that no henna will get onto your skin. When you are done, let your nails dry naturally.
Once the henna polish is dry, wash your hands. As the henna polish is really a stain, there is no worry of chipping or smearing like the commercially prepared nail polish. Henna polish will stay permanently on your nails as you have applied it until your nails grow out. Do not keep the remainder of the henna polish. Make a fresh paste each time you want to polish your nails again.

 

 

 

 

 

https://youtu.be/maHStEQ9_dM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zoya Naked Manicure Mini Professional Kit

 

The ultimate custom color blending kit for any Naked Manicure lover including 0.25oz bottles of all six perfectors (Pink, Buff, Nude, Mauve, Lavender and White Tip), plus Naked Base, Satin Seal Topcoat, and Glossy Seal Topcoat. Perfect for travel or for gifting!

 

Heavenly Haze – Nail Polish; Non-Toxic, Vegan, and Cruelty-Free

 

Karma Organic Nail Polishes are 7 free contain no toluene, formaldehyde, DBP (phthalate), camphor, formaldehyde resin, n0 xylene, and parabens. are safe for pregnant women, kids, cancer patients, and allergy sufferers. Chip resistant, durable, and with no harsh odors, they are available in glossy, matte and glow-in-the-dark shades. The non-yellowing formula is cruelty-free (not tested on animals). Packaging is 100% recyclable. This nail strengthener contains calcium and coffee extract to help strengthen natural nails without the use of Formaldehyde. Weak, thin, splitting nails or peeling nails will benefit from the use of this product which is free of Toluene and DBP, as well as Formaldehyde.

 

Nail Polish Remover – 100% NATURAL & Plant Based – USDA BioCertified – NonAcetone – Also Acts As Conditioner & Strengthener For Nails & Cuticles

 

• UNLIKE MOST OTHER ACETONE FREE REMOVERS Pure Vitality Beauty nail polish remover is also free from Acetate, Ethyl Lactate & Petroleum Chemicals – all of which are harmful with repeated or prolonged exposure.
• HIGH PERFORMING WITHOUT DRYING OUT YOUR NAILS – Will strengthen & moisturize your nails, unlike traditional nail polish removers which leave you with weak, brittle fingernails and toenails. Even removes stubborn UV gel nail polish!
• ALL INGREDIENTS RATED 0 OR 1 IN THE COSMETIC SAFETY REVIEW by the Environmental. Working Group’s Skin Deep database. Pure Vitality Beauty nail polish remover is nonhazardous, non-toxic, non-carcinogenic and pregnancy safe.
• ECO-FRIENDLY – biodegrades quickly and fully. No chemical fumes to pollute the air. Cruelty-Free.

 

100% Pure Creamy Nail Polish – Pepper

 

Apply 100% Pure Horsetail Base Coat first for strong, healthy nails with a smoother surface. Apply one coat of nail polish color. After the first coat dries, apply a second coat. Finish with 100% Pure Glass Top Coat for a chip-free high gloss finish.

 

 

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