Think about it, when’s the last time you’ve actually seen your toenails? But for that brief interval during the filing/clipping/scrubbing portion of the pedicure, many of us see nary a glimpse of actual nail from the second the sun shines in spring until that first (or second!) frost of fall. Ever wondered, don’t our toenails need to “breathe”? Apparently, yes: wearing polish constantly can dehydrate your nails and even stain them. Renowned ped-expert Bastien Gonzalez (whose pedicures have been reported to run upwards of $140) has been a longtime proponent of the polish-free pedicure, preferring to buff nails to a shine with a special buffing cream. Earlier this year, Gonzalez did bend a little in his anti-varnish stance, launching an exclusive red nail polish with the One and Only resorts; his polish of course contains no formaldehyde or other nasty chemicals.
If your digits are suffering from polish overload, you take a break on your next salon visit and ask that toenails to be buffed only (no clear polish). Or, become extra vigilant about removing the color in between visits, say after two weeks even if the color still looks impeccable.
But something about brightly-polished toesies just says “summer” to me, and it’s hard to imagine going buff all season… especially when all we’ve got on is a thong (sandal, that is).
Exhibit A: my toes sometime in May, whose nails have sported a rotating shade of coral/pink ever since.
