Acrylic vs. Natural

When should you choose artificial (Remember, we don’t use the f-word here!) nails over your own natural nails? The first question is, “Can I grow nice fingernails on my own?”

If you can, then, by all means, do. You can care for your nails at home by looking at the how-to guide under how-to give yourself a manicure and how-to care for your nails at home. This does take more time and effort, and to look great all the time, weekly manicures are best.

However, if you can’t grow your nails on your own, a number of artificial treatments are available:

· Acrylic
· Fiberglass
· Silk
· Gel

All artificial nails need to be filled every 2 weeks. NO exceptions here. The reason is that your nails can lift in the middle and you won’t even know it. Then, as you wash your hands, water gets trapped in there and will grow mold, which means it turns a gross shade of green and needs to grow out.

If you decide to remove artificial nails, you have 2 options (aside from picking them off during a scary movie). You can soak them off with acetone at home or have a manicurist do it and then have a manicure right away. The nails will be damaged, which is normal, but in 4 -6 months (maybe sooner, depending on how quickly your nails grow) they’ll be back to normal.

Why do your nails get so damaged after removing artificial nails? The product adheres to the first layer of your nails, so removing the product removes the first layer.

Think of it this way: if you get a perm, your hair is curly all over, but as it grows out, your non-permed hair is straight. It’s the same with damaged nails: you can actually see the new, undamaged nail coming in behind it. Give your damaged nails a lot of TLC by putting oil on them after applying a coat or two of clear nail strengthener.