Nearly all women when asked admit that they are prepared to
spend over the odds for any bottle of nail polish and most of them also have a
lot more than ten nail decorative colors within their beauty cabinet. The
fascinating aspect about this is that though women use these extensively, very
few of them know much about the origin of nail polish and how it has evolved
over the years.
It is worth
understanding this in some detail.
The first reference of individuals using nail polish in order
to embellish their finger nails can be traced back to the times of the Incas,
who used it to paint pictures of eagles. They used nail decoration in order to
communicate their hierarchy and position. Additionally, it not very uncommon
for the Inca tribe men to paint colourful images of the many gods on their
nails, with the sun god accorded the prime status. It is believed that the
Incas might have been practicing this as part of their culture going back over
4000 years!
A brief history of nail
polish or nail coloring as a
trend begins way back in 3000 B.C. The Chinese are credited with using a unique
kind of nail enamel on their fingertips
that could turn the specific fingernail a reddish or pink color. Similarly,
people in India also use the Henna dye to paint their fingernails especially during festivals and during weddings.
The color that is achieved after this henna is washed off
ranges from brilliant orange to darkish red. In certain ancient communities,
such as the Egyptians, the various colors on the fingernail had their own
social importance. Higher classes could sport the red color whereas the lower
classes were only allowed to wear white.
Vibrant hues on nails brought about by the use of synthetic
or enamel nail polish first created a splash in the 1920s. They were
immediately seen on Paris runways and became very popular from the fashion
perspective but there was some resistance from those who were advocating
African-American rights. The use of trendy colors on fingernails was thought to
be offensive to colored women and they went ahead and boycotted these products.
It is strange but true that some of the psychiatrists of
that era even considered the use of nail polish as subjecting oneself to some
kind of self mutilation. But over time, the allure of nail polish products and
the trendy colors was too overpowering to women of all classes and race with
the result that many cosmetic companies started coming out with their own
distinctive brands.
Just have a look at these figures and you will understand
how much cosmetics and its various derivatives have influenced fashion and
style. The turnover crossed $250 billion in 2011 and nail polish products make
up for a substantial chunk of this turnover.
Nail polish
products have indeed come a long way and with advances in technology as well as
refinements in the manufacturing processes, they are all set to capture new
peaks.