OPI Nail Envy

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Hello,

Just a quick question.

I meet lots of women who all say that they use o.p.i Nail Envy and say that it works brill in strenghening there nails and helping them grow.
This is all well and good but I am slowly converting to a Creative girl, I love there L&P, Brisa, Solar collection and polishes.

Im just wondering is there anything that Creative have that does the same thing as Nail Envy that I can offer to new clients, instead of telling them to try opi, when i would rather stick to Creatives products.

Thanks
Rebecca
 
Yes ... of course ... The product is called ToughenUp and it is a formaldehyde free nail toughener that works by promoting cross liking between the keratin layers of the nailplate. Awesome product and effective.
 
Thanks Gigi,
I have seen the ToughenUp, just didnt realise exactly what it was, Im glad to know that I can now offer this to clients.
Does it have instuctions on how to use it? Im pretty sure it will have, but if not, does it work in the same way as OPI NE does? apply every few days, remove after a certain amount of time then repeat the process? (cant remember exactly)

Cant wait to get some now.....Im guessing that it is something I could use to finish a manicure and hope for the client to purchase some to carry on the treatment!

Can you put polish over ToughenUp or is it the other way around? (maybe not at all)!!

Thanks in advance

Rebecca
 
ToughenUp can be used as a base coat and you use it similarly to the way you describe.

It contains DMU which is a chemical that physically alters the state of the nail. Actually causing the layers to bond together more tightly. It is patented. No Formaldehyde!!!
 
Hi Rebecca, I have been using OPI Nail Envy for about a year and I can honestly say that my nails have never ever been in such good condition, I recommend it to all my friends as it was recommended to me and although I love creative products I would be very reluctant to switch to anything else. I have never looked back since using it
 
Well you never know if you dont try do you?

I could equally provide you with testimonials from delighted users of ToughenUp. and probably lots of other brands too!!

Creative are not known for supplying products that don't work, and I'm sure that you will not be disappointed with the results. If you are wanting to brand your business by using Creative then try ToughenUp.
 
Could you explain the point about 'No Formaldehyde'. Why does formaldehyde make a product inferior? What are benefits of 'no formaldehyde'? Is toughen up the only product without it?
 
HandyAndy said:
Could you explain the point about 'No Formaldehyde'. Why does formaldehyde make a product inferior? What are benefits of 'no formaldehyde'? Is toughen up the only product without it?


Formaldehyde can cause yellowing I beleive if you use too much of it

htp....
 
HandyAndy said:
Could you explain the point about 'No Formaldehyde'. Why does formaldehyde make a product inferior? What are benefits of 'no formaldehyde'? Is toughen up the only product without it?
I never mentioned that a product was inferior because it contained formaldehyde! It just works completely differently. Formaldehyde is an ingredient that many are allergic to. It hardens the nails by drawing moisture out of it. Eventually if over used, the nails will become tremendously brittle and yellow and the exact opposite of what the client wanted in the first place will happen. The nails will snap and chip.

DMU is a discovery that has been found to have a beneficial effect for nail strength and toughness without causing yellowing of the nail surface or excessive drying of the plate. A very cool new discovery.

There are always improvements taking place in products. Think of how all the beauty lines have changed over the years from bragging about their products containing things like lanolin and mineral oils to now only using botanical oils ... because they have found out that botanical oils are far better and benefit the skin. Many people were allergic to lanolin and mineral oils do nothing for the skin. Things are always changing for the better ... there is no point in changing for the worse now is there?
 
I would also like to say how much success I've had with Toughen Up, both on myself and with clients. Because I've had success, I feel I can recommend it whole heartedly to my clients without that feeling of doubt. Prior to using Toughen Up and Solar Oil, my nails have looked pitiful unless I had nail enhancements on.

Can't comment on OPI, but I know alot of people rate it.

Unfortunately Toughen Up does not come with instructions........which of course would be useful! However, I believe Geeg mentioned using it 3 -4 times a week for about 4 weeks, and then when your nails have improved, reduce it to 1 -2 times per week (I'm sure Geeg will correct me if I'm wrong;) ).

Adele
 
i bought a salon-size of Toughen Up for my mum today (converted her from OPI nail envy) so would love some instructions for use too....thanks guys
 
geeg said:
I never mentioned that a product was inferior because it contained formaldehyde! It just works completely differently. Formaldehyde is an ingredient that many are allergic to. It hardens the nails by drawing moisture out of it. Eventually if over used, the nails will become tremendously brittle and yellow and the exact opposite of what the client wanted in the first place will happen. The nails will snap and chip.

DMU is a discovery that has been found to have a beneficial effect for nail strength and toughness without causing yellowing of the nail surface or excessive drying of the plate. A very cool new discovery.

There are always improvements taking place in products. Think of how all the beauty lines have changed over the years from bragging about their products containing things like lanolin and mineral oils to now only using botanical oils ... because they have found out that botanical oils are far better and benefit the skin. Many people were allergic to lanolin and mineral oils do nothing for the skin. Things are always changing for the better ... there is no point in changing for the worse now is there?
Hiya All,

Going really off thread now SORRY!!!! I was reading a newspaper article about date rape drugs and apparantly a girl had accepted a ciggerette off a guy and the next thing she woke up in a B&B and coulnt remember what happened. She had been gang raped by this guy and 2 or 3 of his mates and when they tested her blood she had traces of Formaldyhde (which was in the cig). So dont accept drinks off strangers or cigs or certain nail products (was joking on that last remark, sorry).

i have found nail envy to be very drying and extremley yellowing!!

Amanda
 
It is a simple and legitimate question ie why is this product better because it doesn't contain formaldehyde? I'm sure lots of people were wondering the same thing. The implication of your praise is that it is superior to other products and that there is an added benefit in using it.

Fortunately, some of the answers are coming out and I know that clients are going to ask me the same thing. If they are using OPI, and it works, why change. Well, if the formaldehyde can lead to brittle nails and this doesn't have it and so won't cure one problem to cause another, then it's worth being able to explain the reasoning to them, isn't it?

There is no need to keep going off the deep end at people when they ask a question.
 
HandyAndy said:
It is a simple and legitimate question ie why is this product better because it doesn't contain formaldehyde? I'm sure lots of people were wondering the same thing. The implication of your praise is that it is superior to other products and that there is an added benefit in using it.

Fortunately, some of the answers are coming out and I know that clients are going to ask me the same thing. If they are using OPI, and it works, why change. Well, if the formaldehyde can lead to brittle nails and this doesn't have it and so won't cure one problem to cause another, then it's worth being able to explain the reasoning to them, isn't it?

There is no need to keep going off the deep end at people when they ask a question.
My goodness girl/guy where the heck did this come from?? Have I gone off the deep end??? I am not aware of it.

I answered your questions so you could give your explanations. NO where did I use the word inferior or imply that another product was inferior. Your implications are YOURS not mine.
 
Geeg - or another Geek in the know.... I saw layered being discussed I am guessing this means my clients can apply and reapply over their existing coat of Toughen up...

I am hoping to sell some tonight...
 
HandyAndy said:
Could you explain the point about 'No Formaldehyde'. Why does formaldehyde make a product inferior? What are benefits of 'no formaldehyde'? Is toughen up the only product without it?
Hi HandyAndy,
I found this in the article section..under TECHNOTES................
Doug Schoon wrote this and it will explain it all..................
[font=Arial,Bold]Technote #10[/font]
[font=Arial,Bold]Formaldehyde or DMU?[/font]
[font=Arial,Bold][/font][font=Arial,Bold]What’s the Difference?
[/font]Doug Schoon, M.S
Vice President of Science & Technology
Creative Nail Design​







A protein called keratin makes the nail plate extremely tough and durable.Keratin is made from billions of amino acids in long chains, all bound together to create a tough nail plate. The toughness of the nail plate is the secret to its amazing strength! Tough nails are not as likely to break or crack when hit or snagged. Keratin strands are tough for several reasons, but mostly because of something called​
[font=Arial,Italic]cross-linking. [/font]A cross-link is created when a chemical link is formed between two of the long protein strands- much like rungs on a ladder, cross-links join single strands of protein together like a net. The result is greater strength and harder surfaces. Nail plates and hair shafts both contain crosslinked strands of protein twisted up by the millions to create a single fiber of keratin. Then, many millions of these keratin fibers go into the making of both hair and nail plates.The correct balance of keratin cross-links between the protein strains make nail plates tough, strong and durable. If the natural nail plate contains too few crosslinks,it will be flimsy, soft and weak. The opposite happens when nail plates have excessive amounts of cross-links. Overly cross-linked nail plates are brittle and have very hard surfaces. Nail plates such as these will also be more rigid (loss of flexibility) and more prone to splitting and breaking. Of course,SolarOilTM will absorb into these damaged nail plates and can help this condition greatly, but nothing will "safely" undo the cross-links. If too many exist, the natural nail plate will not be as durable. Such a nail plate will never have the toughness of a healthy natural nail with a balanced level of cross-links.Nail plate hardeners that rely on formaldehyde contain between ¼ to 5%formaldehyde. Solutions with less than ¼% formaldehyde will not significantly harden your nail plates. This is too low of a concentration to be effective.Above 5% formaldehyde, a product would pose a great risk of allergic reactions. The FDA has limited use to less than 5% formaldehyde in cosmetic products to help minimize risks of consumer allergies.How does formaldehyde harden the nail plate? Formaldehyde is a protein crosslinking agent. It adds additional cross-links to the nail plate. It does this by chemically reacting to form a cross-link between two protein strands in the natural nail plate. After several treatments, the nail plate will become noticeably harder, due to the many new cross-links that have formed in the plate. But, do we really want harder nails? Maybe not! You should want tough nail plates, not hard ones! When strength and flexibility are in balance, toughness is created.Natural nails will lose toughness if their strength and flexibility are out of balance. When formaldehyde-containing nail hardeners are used excessively, the nail plates can become overly hard, brittle and appear dry. This can happen when the nail plate becomes overly cross-linked. Eventually, the plate may become so brittle that it will shatter, split, crack or lift away from the nail bed.Formaldehyde containing nail hardeners can also cause allergic reactions, if used excessively or incorrectly. Formaldehyde is a skin sensitizer that can cause allergic reactions in sensitive people. Unfortunately, once a client becomes allergic to nail hardeners they usually become allergic to most types of professional nail polish. Of course, if formaldehyde is kept off the skin, allergic reactions become much less likely. You need not ever see any of these problems… if you carefully and wisely manage your use of nail hardeners that rely on formaldehyde. Clearly a need existed for a better way to harden weak or thin natural nails; one that wouldn’t over cross-link the nail plate or cause client sensitivities. As part of our on-going research and development efforts, our laboratory began looking for new nail hardening ingredients. Our goal was to find an ingredient that would strengthen the nail plate without causing brittleness or sensitization. At the end of our research, we had discovered and patented a new ingredient that was everything we had hoped to find. The new ingredient is called DMU (dimethyl urea).

Our new treatment, Toughen Up​
TM, contains 2% DMU. DMU is the perfect

replacement for formaldehyde. DMU has two important advantages. First and most importantly, DMU is not a likely skin sensitizer and it won’t cause clients to develop nail polish allergies. Secondly, the 2% DMU found in Toughen Up​
TM will not make the nails brittle. DMU is also a keratin cross-linker. One of its advantages is that DMU allows for a more controlled, finely tuned level of crosslinking.

DMU won’t create excessive cross-linking like formaldehyde can. DMU allows the nail plate to maintain a good balance of hardness and toughness.​
We use one of the very best basecoat resins available in all our nail treatments.This resin is called tosylamide/formaldhedye resin. Chemical names often sound alike, so people easily confuse this resin with the same formaldehyde used to harden natural nails. It’s not the same chemical! The formaldehyde used to harden nails is a colorless gas that is dissolved in water.​
Tosylamide/formaldehyde resin is a yellowish solid, hard crystalline substance​
which must be crushed before it will dissolve in a solvent (that’s how basecoats and enamels are made). If a manufacturer uses this excellent resin as an ingredient in their nail polish or basecoat, their product will contain a very slight trace amount of formaldehyde. Only 1/10% or less! Technically, such a product can’t be called formaldehyde free- even though no formaldehyde was added and the concentration is​
[font=Arial,Bold]exceedingly [/font]low. In this case, it is merely a tiny residue left in the resin. Much too low to harden nails or we wouldn’t have to add DMU to our Stickey basecoat. Which is just what we did!

Since Stickey is such an incredible basecoat and DMU is such a unique and​
powerful solution to nail strengthening- we thought it was a natural combo! We call it Toughen Up​
TM. It’s one of the best protective basecoats we sell. Toughen Up TM has all the benefits of our basecoat Stickey plus all the advantages of DMU. It’s designed for use on weak or thin nails. Why didn’t we put proteins in Toughen Up? Proteins are very large molecules; much too large to be absorbedby the nail plate. This is especially true of nail plates that have been damaged by over cross-linking. The protein molecules just sit on the surface. Besides, don’t forget- SolarOil will penetrate the most densely cross-linked nail plates while those protein ingredients are still drying out on the surface!

Who should use Toughen Up​
TM ? Clients with thin or weak nail plates that need added strength. Give Toughen Up TM a try and see if you agree. Toughen Up TM with DMU is a solution for weak, thin nail plates. After just seven days, your clients will notice a difference. I predict, they’ll have tougher natural nail plates, not just harder nails.

 
Fab Freak said:
Geeg - or another Geek in the know.... I saw layered being discussed I am guessing this means my clients can apply and reapply over their existing coat of Toughen up...

I am hoping to sell some tonight...
Yes, Toughen up can be layered ... 2-3 coats per week if used on its own or just use once or twice a week as a base coat under polish. There is no hard rule regarding its use. It is effective however you use it, that is why there are no 'instructions' as such. Normally just used regularly as a base coat is enough to make a difference. good luck with the sales!!
 
Though ToughenUp can be layered, to be most effective, ToughenUp (or any nail strengther) needs to come into contact with the natural nail plate. Layering only provides extra strength by having more layers of a hard coating :)

Thanks for posting the technote from the articles section.

In a nutshell: Formaldehyde works great for strengthening the natural nail plate (it does this by increasing the cross links in the natural nail plate). The downside is that it has a tendency to over cross link which prevents oil and moisture flowing through the plate which further worsens the over strengthening process (it dries the nail plate out). When the nail plates become overly strong, they lose their ability to withstand shock and thus are more likely to snap or even shatter. The freaky thing is that at that point, customers think that they are not using enough... so they start using more which of course makes the situation worse and often times can lead to an allergic reaction to formaldehyde.

DMU also increases the amount of cross links in the natural nail plate so it is feasible that it too could cause over strengthening however DMU is significantly less likely than formaldehyde to do so. It is also significantly less likely to develop an allergic reaction to it.

Whatever nail strengthening system you choose to use... the most important rule is that you always use plenty of products like 'SolarOil' to increase the flexability in the nail plate and ALWAYS follow manufacturers directions.

Hope this helps
 
The Nail Geek said:
Though ToughenUp can be layered, to be most effective, ToughenUp (or any nail strengther) needs to come into contact with the natural nail plate. Layering only provides extra strength by having more layers of a hard coating
Sorry if this seems a daft one. :smack:
Im using ToughenUp & Solaroil at the mo to prep my nails as Ruths model at GMEX. Obviously I want them in the best possible condition so have layered the ToughenUp and am liberally Solar oiling throughout the day.
Should I leave the ToughenUp on to get the best out of it or remove and reapply ... wont polish remover a couple of times a week spoil all the benefits of the routine Ive been using???
Does the ToughenUp stop working after a while and need replacing??? ... just curious!
Ta Sam.
 
Remover can dehydrate, especially if over used... but that shouldnt really be an issue here... To maximise the benefit of any strengthener, it should come in contact with keratin. Nail strenghteners dont continuously work, they stengthen that particular are and then thats it. If you need more strengthening... remove the strengther and repeat the process.

Hope that makes sense :wink2:
 

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