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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Modern nail polish was a by-product of car paint. A completely colorless version was introduced in 1916. Revlon became the first established nail polish brand in 1932 when it released a cream color.
- The French manicure is probably the most popular nail color scheme. It originated in 18th-century Paris, but it became popular during the 1920s to 1930s.
- 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 on 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 with 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 identify class rankings in Ancient Egypt. Nude and light colors were worn by people in the lower class, while high-class women painted their nails red.
- Acrylic nails were introduced in 1978 and were invented by a dentist named Fred Slack.
- Years earlier, in 1934, a dentist by the name of Maxwell Lappe created a product called Nu Nails, which was an artificial nail designed for nail biters.
- 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 runs in tights to coating inexpensive jewelry to prevent rusting.
- There are 13 types of nail polish finishes. And they include shimmer, micro-shimmer, micro-glitter, glitter, frost, luster, crème, prismatic micro-glitter or shimmer, iridescent, opalescent, matte, duo-chrome, and translucent.
- Opened bottles of nail polish only last about two years.
Sources:
