A mani-pedi always sounds like a good idea. But how can you be sure that your nail salon is a safe and sanitary place—both to work and to be pampered?

Well, if you live in beautiful San Francisco, you’re in luck: last month the city’s Board of Supervisors unanimously passed the first healthy nail salon recognition ordinance. According to the statute, the city will publicly commend salons that volunteer to stop using nail polish containing the toxins DBP, formaldehyde and toluene.

These hazardous chemicals, known as the Toxic Trio, are closely associated with cancer, birth defects and asthma, which is why you may have heard it’s best to skip manicures altogether when you’re pregnant.

But what about salon employees who are exposed to these scary chemicals day after day, year after year?

Fortunately, 74 percent of polishes on the market are already made without the Toxic Trio; they’re often advertised as “three-free.” Some of the bigger “three-free” manufacturers include Hard Candy, Sally Hansen, OPI, Revlon, and Chanel. The popular Essie brand is a notable exception: its polishes still include all three nasty chemicals. Download a complete list of which brands are “three-free” and which aren’t.

The ordinance hasn’t yet gone into effect; in the meantime, San Francisco locals should check out Nova Nail Spa, one of the city’s first green salons. According to Nova's website, every aspect of the spa’s design “from the insulation to the flooring materials to the pedicure seats to the plaster on the walls to the lighting is either non-toxic, energy efficient, rapidly renewable or recycled.” Naturally, all of their treatments and products are 100 percent natural, too.

The rest of us, who don’t call the Bay Area home, can still get green nails with an at-home manicure. In addition to choosing a nontoxic nail polish, look for a paraben-free lotion and soy-based polish remover, all of which are available at most drug stores (Whole Foods and other natural food shops will carry a larger selection).

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