When you decide to browse the cosmetics department of your local supermarket or pharmacy, you will probably gravitate towards the nail polishes stand. Any big store that is worthy of the name will present a large variety of nail polishes in a range of colors, manufactured by a plethora of companies. Estee Lauder, Revlon, Maybelline, Helena Rubinstein and many more will offer you an exclusive range of shades and hues.
Yet you are probably not aware of the fact that these bright, tantalizing nail polishes carry a long and fascinating history with them. Archeologists have discovered the remains of nail colors dating all the way back to ancient Egypt and China, showing that women around the world have always painted their nails as a way to beautify their appearance. In the ancient Chinese imperial empire, however, nail polishes were not only considered to be cosmetics. They were also an indicator of social status that was taken extremely seriously. The royal classes would wear darker colors as a sign of their status, while the lower classes wore paler hues in deference to their superiors. And don’t think that you could just fool anyone by changing the color of your nail polish. If an ordinary citizen was discovered wearing the royal nail colors, they would be put to death!
Today, nail polishes are not that controversial at all. Their composition has also somewhat changed. In ancient China, nail polishes were made from substances such as egg albumen, beeswax, gum Arabic, and gelatin. Another type of nail polish was made from mashed roses, orchid, and alum. In ancient Egypt, nail polishes were made from henna. Much later on, at the beginning of the nineteenth century, many women used scented oils to color their nails, which they buffed with a chamois to achieve a shine. As time went by, women started polishing their nails with tinted creams and powders.
Nail polish as we know it today was invented when a new type of automobile paint was invented in the 1920s. It is quite funny to think that the nail polishes that we use are so similar to paint. Both of them are based upon a substance called nitrocellulose, which is used in a lower concentration in nail polishes.
Nail polishes exist in many colors. The most traditional and common are various shades of red, pink, and brown. However, there is also a trend, mainly among Goths, to wear black nail polish. Another fashionable combination of nail polishes is the French manicure. This mimics natural nail color, and is a pinkish beige color on the bottom of the nail and a white strip painted on the tip.
These days, nail polishes are no longer the sole preserve of women. Some men have started wearing it as well. This is, of course, not the first time in history, as in some of the ancient empires, it was worn by men as well.
Nail polishes are clearly a fun cosmetic to wear, with a very interesting history.