{"id":893,"date":"2024-01-07T16:44:43","date_gmt":"2024-01-07T16:44:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vampy-varnish.com\/?p=893"},"modified":"2024-01-07T16:54:53","modified_gmt":"2024-01-07T16:54:53","slug":"can-nail-polish-get-you-high","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vampy-varnish.com\/can-nail-polish-get-you-high\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Nail Polish Get You High? The Truth Behind The Rumor"},"content":{"rendered":"
Nail polish and getting high are rarely associated with one another. However, some alarming headlines over the years have left many readers wondering – can simply painting your nails cause intoxicating effects similar to drug or alcohol use?<\/p>\n
Let’s carefully break down the facts behind this urban myth.<\/p>\n
If you’re short on time, here is the quick answer: There is no conclusive evidence showing nail polish itself causes users to feel high or experience psychoactive effects like those caused by drug use<\/b>.<\/p>\n
However, many nail polishes contain solvents that should still be used cautiously in well-ventilated areas.<\/p>\n
Nail polishes contain solvents like ethyl acetate, butyl acetate, and nitrocellulose to keep the polish flowing and quick-drying. These ingredients can cause headaches, dizziness, and irritation when inhaled in large amounts or over long periods of time. Proper ventilation is key!<\/p>\n
Plasticizers like dibutyl phthalate (DBP), toluene, and formaldehyde are sometimes added to improve flexibility and durability. There have been concerns about their safety with long-term exposure, so many brands now advertise being “3-free<\/b>” or “5-free<\/b>” to indicate they exclude these.<\/p>\nWhy Proper Ventilation Matters<\/h3>\n
Applying nail polish in small, enclosed spaces with poor airflow can allow the solvent vapors to accumulate to higher levels. Over time, this concentration could potentially cause negative health effects like headaches or dizziness in some people.<\/p>\n
Painting nails outdoors or in a well-ventilated area dilutes the vapor concentration, making it less likely to reach levels that could cause issues. Many salons have installed special ventilation systems for this reason.<\/p>\n
The EPA recommends proper ventilation when using any household chemical like nail polish. So be sure to open a window – fresh air is free and keeps the risk low!<\/p>\n
The belief that nail polish fumes can cause intoxication likely started from people conflating the dizziness that strong fume exposure can cause with actually getting high. Breathing in powerful solvents and chemicals like those found in nail polish and nail polish remover for extended periods in poorly ventilated areas can make some people feel temporarily lightheaded or dizzy.<\/p>\n
However, this is not the same as the euphoric sensation caused by drug or alcohol intoxication.<\/p>\n
According to Dr. Carlton Erickson, director of the Texas A&M Center for Addiction Research, “The amount of inhalants and solvents needed to achieve intoxication far exceeds what you would realistically be exposed to from nail polish.”<\/p>\n
While breathing nail polish fumes constantly may cause headaches or nausea in some sensitive people, true intoxicating effects are very unlikely.<\/p>\n
In the past, particular chemicals that were once used in nail polish posed more health risks and may have contributed to the misconception that nail polish fumes can get you high.<\/p>\n
For example, products containing the plasticizers dibutyl phthalate (DBP), toluene, and formaldehyde used to be more common. Research found associations between high, frequent exposure to these chemicals and issues like headaches, dizziness, and nausea.<\/p>\n
However, major nail polish brands reformulated their products years ago to remove these controversial ingredients. So most mainstream modern polishes no longer contain chemicals like DBP or toluene. Now, the fumes given off are much less likely to cause adverse health effects unless exposure in an enclosed space is extremely prolonged.<\/p>\n
Brands like OPI, Sally Hansen, and Essie have pledged to not include over 10 types of controversial chemicals frequently associated with health issues in their nail polishes. So with safer formulations now the norm, the concept of getting “high” on nail polish fumes holds even less weight.<\/p>\n