History of Nail Paints
Since time immemorial, since the uncovering of the practice of nail painting way back in 2800 BC, the Mongolese, Afghan, Australian, and various other cultures have been using assorted different products in an effort to beautify and lend color to their nails. While the Chinese used a mixture of beeswax, bark, sap and crushed flower petals with alum, the Egyptians used a dye from the henna plant. They also used Gold and Brass on their nails to give it extra zing! However, the lower ranks of society were not allowed to apply dark shades and had to contend with lighter shades of nail paints.
During to the 19th Century, the concept of nail polishing took on a whole new aspect. During these times, the nails were lightly colored or tinted with rose fragranced oils and then buffed and polished using a leather chamois piece. Later, the oils were replaced by tinted creams and powders, but the trend of polishing nails continued.