Hi there! I used to have the worst habit: picking (that’s right, not biting) my nails down to the nail bed. My days were full of painful fingertips, and I hated my nails so much, I don’t even have a picture to show you ladies – I avoided taking any pictures with my fingers clearly visible. However, just a few years ago in the middle of my junior year of high school, I decided the shame and pain that came with my worst habit needed to stop. With the help of a strong will and many sets of fake nails, I got over my habit and now my natural nails are my pride and joy. I show them off every chance I get; hence, this article.
Let me tell you a little about my natural nail experience through frequently asked questions by friends, family, and even classmates:
Your nails used to be so short! How are they so long now- are they even real?
Well, it wasn’t easy. Like I said earlier, I would pick my nails down to little stubs that caused the skin around the nails to flake and peel. It wasn’t a pretty sight. But I couldn’t stop! Or so I thought. I was sick of always hiding my nails from others, and tired of the need to constantly pick at them, even when there wasn’t much nail left to pick. I tried painting them, but then others could see how small they were, and I was very self-conscious, so I picked the polish off immediately. I couldn’t use any of the foul-tasting polish tricks nail biters use, because my nails never went in my mouth. A close friend of mine finally suggested wearing fake nails until I was over the habit. I was skeptical but decided to go buy a simple $8 pack of fake nails from the nearest convenience store. After putting them on, I fell in love with the look of the nails and wanted long natural nails so bad. Unfortunately, drugstore nails fall off so fast. I had to keep putting the fake nails on daily because I wasn’t used to having nails of substantial length. Then, after about a month of wearing fake nails and like $40 later, I decided to keep the nails off for a week to see if any progress was made. I was so excited to realize that whenever I reached for my nails, I would subconsciously ‘back off’ from touching them because I was afraid the fake nails I was so used to wearing would fall off and I’d have to re-apply them. I appeared to be cured! Guaranteed, I did relapse during stressful or anxious moments, but other than that, I channeled my extra energy to other habits, like doodling on myself or random paper. Now I can’t seem to stop that habit though…
How do you keep them so long? Don’t they ever break?
Yes of course they do! Sometimes I lose a large piece of a nail, and yes, I do get sad over losing my nails like a pompous princess, but that’s because it takes months to get them this long. I prefer my nails to be more square-shaped, which means I am always losing the corners of my nails because they catch on everything, and *snap* now my nail is round. When I lose a corner, or a large piece of my nail, I have to make a decision to either have one odd-nail-out or shape/file the other nails to create more of a harmony. Usually I sacrifice only the broken nail. Right now, my left index finger is so very short, but I’d rather have many long nails than many short nails, so one short nail will have to do for a while. Unfortunately.
What kind of polish do you use? Lacquer or gel?
When I first started doing my own nails, I used lacquer and I felt like it would take literal days to be fully dry. I was always finding little dings and dents in my nail polish and it would drive me crazy. I tried a lot of the “no chip” or “fast drying” top coats to see if it would help, and some did, but the best one I tried was a top coat that turned nail polish into gel polish. Once set with a UV light, the top coat would last for two weeks or more. Sometimes though, if the nail lacquer wasn’t fully dry under the top coat, the top coat would still dent because of the wet lacquer underneath. Needless to say, that also drove me crazy so I made the switch to gel polish and I love it. I can do my own nails in an hour, and they’re completely set in that time. I don’t have to wait before doing other things, like I did with lacquer. Gel also lasts longer, and holds my nails together in my busy life – gel polish is sturdier than lacquer, and so holds my nails together and ‘in place’ if my nail happens to ram into something. My favorite two brands, Gellen and Beetles, can be found on Amazon.
Is there anything you can’t do with your nails?
Not really. I’d say the hardest daily thing I do is typing, but my laptop has flat keys so I can type well because I can use the pads of my fingers, rather than the tips. I did have to slowly get used to typing like that though – it was awkward at first, and I still can’t use keyboards that have thick, tall keys. Otherwise, not much else gives my pause. I used to work daily in my high school’s woodshop and other than a few sanding accidents with my nails, I could drill, nail, and use all the machines with long nails.
Why do you keep your nails so long? Isn’t that annoying?
On the contrary, my nails are one of my favorite features of myself! Most people forget that your nails are part of a first impression, and when you can be confident in a handshake and meeting someone new, you are automatically remembered. My long nails offer me that confidence that I used to lack when my nails were picked raw. I used to hide from handshakes and any kind of hand-to-hand contact out of embarrassment. Now I’m the first to offer my hand in a shake as I know my nails look good, so I feel good. Don’t ever let anybody tell you a good manicure is a waste of time/money – it’s definitely not.
What is your favorite color to wear?
The correct question would actually be colors. I hardly ever wear one. I love picking crazy combinations that make me smile, like using 5 bright pastels in a random order. Or painting my hands with two different color schemes. Right now, I have 4 different colors on – two shades of blue/grey and two shades of purple/grey and my two hands don’t match, as in the index fingers aren’t the same color, etc. I feel that nail polish is a way to express yourself, just as much as any hairstyle or makeup, and because I’m lacking in those two departments, I focus instead on my nails <3.
Do you think I should grow out my nails?
Honestly, it’s your choice. I fully support it, just as I would fully support someone getting fake nails. I would just ask you to realize that long nails are a full-time commitment as any hobby, and they require a lot of maintenance and attention. Waiting for your nails to grow demands patience, and when they ultimately break or chip, you will shed a few tears, but I have a love for the process of painting nails I just can’t ignore, and so every two weeks on a Thursday night, I remove my polish and begin anew.