I tried non-toxic nail polish remover, and here's what happened...

If you asked any of my close friends the most likely place you’d find me one year ago, they would have either said Pilates or a supermarket. Yes, I took an in-person class every single day, and usually chased my workout with a pitstop at Publix, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s or Costco. Although I have made three trips to Trader Joe’s in the past 10 months (only on weekdays right when they open at 8 a.m.), I have not step foot in any of these other establishments since March of last year. But yesterday—after 311 days!—I HAD to go to Publix for ground turkey since I only got one pound in my Whole Foods curbside pick-up and I needed two for dinner. I wouldn’t say it was traumatic (although it was pretty close), so I’m fairly certain I’ll be sticking with Shipt or Instacart for the long-term, but I digress…

Since I do 99% of my shopping online these days, Thrive Market has become a go-to for all of my natural and organic pantry staples—as well as totally random, crazy snacks that fit my dietary restrictions du jour. I recently discovered Thrive’s selection of clean beauty products, and when I came across the adorable Piggy Paint Nail Polish Remover I decided to try a non-toxic option to see what’s up.

Crazy-cute packaging aside, I was a bit reluctant, but I’m happy to report that this stuff works. The upsides: It doesn’t singe the hair in my nostrils and the oil-based formula is super-hydrating for my nails and cuticles (as opposed to stripping them dry). The downsides: It takes a bit more time to remove polish than acetone-based removers, since the directions say to soak nails for 30 seconds with a solution-saturated cotton ball. I also found it’s not the best for cleaning up stray polish with a brush if I go “outside the lines” when painting my fingers or toes. (So I will always have a small bottle of conventional polish on hand.)

So now that I actually have faith in non-toxic nail polish remover, I’m eyeing Static Nails’ Remover, which appears to simplify the process with a dropper-based delivery. You can apply it directly to your nails, let it sit for a spell and follow-up with a saturated cotton pad if necessary. Consider this tip from Static Nails founder Alexis Irene: "A little bit of this remover goes a long way. Since I love to multitask I personally like to apply a small drop of the remover to each nail before adding some to a cotton pad. This saves me time by starting the removal process for all nails upfront.”

And with that, I have another effective “clean” swap that helps eliminate unnecessary chemicals from my life. And the fact that my nails are healthier and stronger than ever doesn’t hurt. Case in point: Today’s DIY manicure.