Pamper your nails the non-toxic way
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Houston's first non-toxic nail salon opened last week, and it's helping women feel gorgeous without any chemicals.
"Staying healthy is a part of my lifestyle, and not putting toxins in my body -- including topicals -- is part of staying healthy," says Carol O'Neal, who came with her friend Joanne Cooke to give Paloma Nail Salon a try for the first time.
"It's so important to be healthy inside and out, and it's important to me to take care of my nails," Cooke adds.
"Paloma is a non-toxic nail space, and what that means is we don't have the five toxic chemicals that are found in a lot of nail products in the US," explains Paloma owner and founder Maryam Naderi.
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"We do not have formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, camphor, DBP or toluene. Those five ingredients have been found to be carcinogenic to people over long periods of exposure," Naderi adds.
In Europe and Australia, those chemicals are banned from the beauty industry, but not yet in the United States.
"They are currently under study in the US, and I anticipate they'll be banned in a few years," explains Naderi.
Naderi wanted to create a place that was safe for consumers and nail technicians.
"There are doctors dedicated to nail technicians to treat lung cancer, skin conditions, miscarriages, sadly, and birth defects. And all of these have been linked to the chemicals they're exposed to 8 hours a day, maybe 10 hours a day over many years, potentially," she explains.
All of Paloma's nail polishes are five-free, which means free of those five toxic chemicals. One line is seven-free.
The salon doesn't offer acrylic or gels, but Christy Brown comes for a similar service.
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"These are gel-like, so they simulate the gel, but they're not as toxic," she says.
The gel-like, long-lasting polishes are five-free and require no UV lamps or acetone soak to get the polish off. Naderi says that's another problem. These harsh nail services lead to brittle nails, so she offers nourishing treatments.
"The Paloma is our signature treatment that's designed to help people whose nails need a little extra TLC," she says.
Cooke tooke advantage of The Paloma.
"Today, the treatment that was given literally took off the cuticles in the most noninvasive way I've ever experienced," says Cooke.
Paloma isn't as expensive as a nail spa, but their services are much higher quality than a budget nail space. You can expect to spend $30 for a manicure and $45 for a pedicure.
