Updated February 9, 2024
On June 1st each year, National Nail Polish Day primes us with every shade under the sun. Sandals and beaches mean manicures and pedicures, too.
From the French manicure to elaborate nail art, nail polish has come a long way since the bees’ wax and gum Arabic used by the Chinese around 3,000 B.C. The celebration recognizes these durable lacquers and gels that last longer and provide variety.
- 3000 BC – The art of nail painting goes back as early as 3,000 BC. During the Ming Dynasty, aristocratic women of ancient China would soak their nails in a formula made of egg whites, beeswax, gelatin, and gum Arabic, adding dyes from vegetables, orchids, and roses to color their nails.
- 3000 BC – Ancient Babylonians paint their nails before a battle.
- 18th Century – The French manicure is probably the most popular nail color scheme. It originated in the 18th-century Paris, but it became popular during the 1920s to 1930s.
- 1920 – Michelle Menard utilizes the enamel used for cars and creates a polish for nails.
- 1930s – Black nail paint is created.
- 1934 – Maxwell Lappe, a dentist, created a product called Nu Nails, which was an artificial nail designed for nail biters.
- 1975 – Jeff Pink creates the French manicure.
- 1978 – Acrylic nails were introduced in 1978 and were invented by a dentist named Fred Slack.
- No longer the status symbol it once was, nail color now changes with the seasons, our styles and our moods. And, there is also a shade or hue for every occasion. Vibrant reds, turquoise and plum make summer nails shine during beach parties and weekend barbecues. The understated style of pale pinks and beiges or a subtle moss help us look workweek chic. For those elegant evenings or when we want to make a statement, nail polish adds gold, silver and sparkle to even the most economic wardrobe.
- Nails are made of the same material as our hair – keratin
- If you have abnormally pale nails, you might have anemia.
- Dark, vertical lines on the nail bed mean you might be having melanoma.
- Depressions and small cracks in nails are often associated with psoriasis.
- Brittle and thin nails might mean thyroid problems.
- Yellowing and thickening nails are signs of fungal infection.
- Meanwhile, bluish discolorations might indicate lung disease.
- Modern nail polish was a by-product of car paint.
- Red nails are totally attractive, but if you have them in the 1950s, you would be considered promiscuous.
- Some churches even banned women from worshiping during Sundays if they had painted nails.
- During the Victorian era, women with paint on their nails were considered sinful, and women who did so were usually prostitutes.
- Unless you’re obsessed about your favorite color, your nail polish color of choice isn’t random, whether you realize it or not. According to psychological experts, color preferences are usually a reflection of our current mental state and the thoughts that are subconsciously stored in our memories.
- Nail polish was used to identity class rankings in Ancient Egypt. Nude and light colours were worn by people in lower class, while high class women painted their nails red.
- Men’s nails tend to grow faster than women’s.
- The fastest growing nail is the one on your middle finger.
- The slowest growing nail is your thumbnail.
- Typing with your nails will actually stimulate their growth.
- If you place a piece of your fingernail in Coco Cola, it will dissolve in 4 days.
- Nitrocellulose (a main component of nail polish) is also an ingredient in fireworks.
- Queen Nefertiti tinted her fingernails and toenails red.
- The most expensive nail polish in the world costs $250,000, and contains 267 carats of real black diamonds.
- Cleopatra wore nail color from the henna plant, which was a red color with an undertone of gold.
- In Egypt, black nail color symbolized a higher class, and green nail color was for less important people.
- You can use clear polish for everything from fixing running tights to coating inexpensive jewelry to prevent rusting.
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