Acrylic nails: What say ye?

[ShinyGreenApple]

I have an inexplicable love/hate relationship with these things, although I have never had anything but natural nails my entire life. One minute I'll think "Ugh, so tacky, what a waste of cash" and yet the next, I look down at my own pathetic nails and long for a set of nice, neat looking ones, for just once in my life. My own are bendy and have the awful tendency to peel. For over a year I've been trying to remedy this with hair/skin/nail vitamins, biotin, hardeners, strengtheners, and various lotions and cuticle creams/oils. Sunday night I finally had to file them all down to no whites in an attempt to curb the peeling on the thumb and first two fingers. This is especially bad when I wear a regular weekly polish, although I do use non-acetone remover.

So I was thinking of just once, for the holidays, having an acrylic or gel set put on but I'm curious as to what you guys think. I am aware of the potential damage the 'false' ones can do, but my natural ones aren't all that great to begin with. And FYI, I don't plan on getting anything 'ghetto' or ridiculously long. Geeky yes, but not tacky.

(Was thinking of asking for green with gold accents, both Loki-inspired and appropriate for the holidays )

[Amina516]

I've had fake nails twice in life. Once for senior prom and once for my wedding. I hated them. Felt like I could get nothing done. But my own nails grow funny and are ugh. Just not pretty.

But my advice to you, is to try them out! I envy all the pretty nail polish and patterns that I see on people and that makes me rethink not having them. I agree with Patiokitty, keep them on the shorter side until youre used to them.

[BlaqueKatt]

For over a year I've been trying to remedy this with hair/skin/nail vitamins, biotin, hardeners, strengtheners, and various lotions and cuticle creams/oils. Sunday night I finally had to file them all down to no whites in an attempt to curb the peeling on the thumb and first two fingers. This is especially bad when I wear a regular weekly polish, although I do use non-acetone remover.

1) are you getting enough protein?
2) how's your thyroid?
3) have you been checked for a fungal infection of the nails?
4) nails need to breathe like every other "organ" and keeping them covered isn't good

health problems reflected in nail appearance

[Victory Sabre]

From a guy's prospective, to me, they're not at all attractive. I'd go after a woman without them any day than a woman with them.

[AccountingDrone]

And in general the only time my nails have delaminated and it wasn't due to a health issue it was from wearing nail polish. Well, except for my left thumb, that has nail bed damage from a machining accident that makes it start a split as soon as the nail gets to the edge of the quick about 3 mm in from the left side. Very annoying, that. Try not polishing your nails, taking biotin and using a vitamin e oil and buff the nails to get a polish instead of wearing nail polish. I understand it is the formalin and formaldehyde that cause the nail to dry out and delaminate and split.

[split is all the way through the nail in a line, delaminate is to peel off in layers.]

[Food Lady]

My nails used to peel a lot. I started on acrylics and loved them. It was the 90s and they were in. I still look wistfully at them sometimes. I noticed that my nails would grow stronger underneath them; I guess they were protected enough or something. The one thing that seemed to make my own nails stop peeling and having white dots was to go vegetarian. It made a big difference in my skin/nails for some reason.

[Kittish]

I've had acrylic nails a few times. They're ok until your nails grow out a bit, then you have to look at getting filled or removing them. Well, you could just ignore it and let the nail grow out, but they'll look really awful going that route.

I don't know if there are chemicals that will soften or dissolve the acrylic, but I do know that just popping or peeling them off is liable to severely damage the nail underneath. My nails were always (literally) tissue paper thin after I removed a set of acrylic nails; they'd take off a few layers of the nail when I removed them.

[blas]

I like gel manicures much better, and you can keep your real nail length or go longer if you want, plus it's a lot easier on your nails.

That, and that kind of polish treated with UV will not come off, even with me having to wear gloves at work, so I get my money's worth.

I have a job that renders my hands and fingers just....horrid looking without constant manicures or gel nails.

[ShinyGreenApple]

The only thing that really concerns me is what I hear about the artificial nail lifting and leaving a gap for moisture in between the acrylic and real nail. Does that happen very often?

There's a salon in the Voldemart where I work and I have at least three coworker friends who regularly go there and have never had a problem. I've just had bad nails my whole life. When I was young it was because for some odd reason, I couldn't resist the urge to tear them off when they got any kind of decent length. Now it's just, meh. I dunno. I think it's just my genetics. I eat a healthy diet and have started exercising to lose weight, and people would kill for my hair - it's always grown quick and thick, which is why I had to give up maintaining the Rogue streaks. Roots came out too quickly! My ring and pinky nails are great when they finally do grow, they almost never break. It's the thumb and other two fingers that are crap, and on both hands, too. It does get worse when I use polish, but wearing them naked doesn't really yield great results, either, and they dry out faster.

[Cobrabubbles]

I currently wear acrylic nails and get them filled and repainted with gel polish every two weeks. Keeps them short and usable and I can change my polish often, or the color of the tips if I so choose. I do like them and I enjoy expressing myself through the colors I choose, however if you start wearing them you either need to keep getting them filled or go in and get the professionally removed when you tire of them. If you remove them yourself you will damage your nails more and frankly it hurts to cut them down with nail cutters (use the big toenail ones for this if you do). But they can be very pretty and tasteful when done right. Make sure you go someplace that has recommendations from others and has a good reputation.

[morgana]

I've been using acrylic nails for at least twenty years, pretty much 24/7/365. I started because my nails simply do not grow. (Damaged the quicks by nailbiting from age 3 to age 30.) I've had them every length from 1/8 inch over the end of the fingertip to 3 inch dragon-lady.

Thing is, I've never had them professionally done. I do my own. It's not that tough.

[ShinyGreenApple]

Crazy question, is it possible to just grow them out? As in, just keep filing them every few days until they're gone?

[Headset Hellion]

Crazy question, is it possible to just grow them out? As in, just keep filing them every few days until they're gone?

It might technically be "possible," but they would probably look like crap in the meantime. The acrylic is a bit thicker than your natural nail, so there would be a gap between the base of your nail and the edge of the acrylic. It would also start to separate from your natural nails as they grow.

[Peppergirl]

I'd recommend the gels or shellac (as they're called down here) over your natural nail.

I wore tips and acrylics for years, and I just now got gel over my natural nails and they look great.

The gel/shellac is much healthier for the natural nail.

These are my Thanksgiving colors. I don't usually go for the sparkles, but I decided to live dangerously.

[Kittish]

These are my Thanksgiving colors. I don't usually go for the sparkles, but I decided to live dangerously.

Oooh, pretty.