Nail Polish: History and modern standards

Nail polish is present in the arsenal of care in almost every modern woman: after appearing in public with unkempt hands, devoid of traces of decorative nail polish, is considered perhaps the mauvais ton. In addition, nail polish and indispensable when performing procedures such as pedicures. Outwardly, she almost always is a thick viscous mass with a smell of solvent, which is applied to nails with a small brush. But she seemed so far away is not always and throughout its long history, has undergone many changes.

Researchers culture of ancient Egypt have discovered that some of the preserved since time immemorial statues nails and toes painted red. Egyptians used for this purpose leaves of the plant, called Červenica. They also sometimes tinged hair, feet and hands. Ancient Romans in around a hundred years before our era invented the recipe for nail polish, consisting of fat and animal blood, and it was in vogue in both women and men.

Nail polish has been popular in Asia: the fashion for decorated in a certain way nails appeared at the court of the imperial Ming Dynasty. Long fingernails were seen as a sign of belonging to the upper class. Women of the imperial family could grow long nails to twenty-five centimeters, and it served as proof that they do not do manual labor. The men wore long and painted nails as an amulet, protected from encroachment of the dark forces. The Chinese know the painted nails are specially prepared enamel black, pink or red on drying which sometimes took several hours.

Safety criteria

The inventor of the first formula-insoluble and, therefore, not be washed off with water nail polish was Charles Revson, and later founded the company Revlon. It happened in the thirties of the twentieth century. True, they made lacquer did not differ stable structure and quickly peeled from nails, literally on the second or third day after coating.

Optimal composition of nail polish remover Revson at that time had not yet come up for this purpose recommended that users of its products to use the usual acetone. Color diversity of the first gamma nail varnish is also not different: you could choose only between five or six shades of red, and then it turned out that the application of Charles Revson pigments are not safe for healthy nails.