Acrylic nails are chosen for their appearance, fun colors and the endless compliments they generate. I would be lying if I said these were not contributing factors to my decision to get acrylic nails and keep having them refilled, but none of these benefits were the primary motive for me. Instead, a horrific habit I have had since elementary school was the main reason behind my acrylic nail journey. It was a way for me to force myself to stop endlessly biting and picking at my nails.
As early as the third grade, I can remember picking at my nails everywhere I went. More often than not, I would bite at them until they would bleed from me removing a majority of my nails. I was known for having the shortest nails in my grade — not something you particularly want to be recognized for. During middle school and the beginning of high school, when my bad habits were out of control, it was not uncommon to see me having bandaids on as many as eight of my fingers at once. The desire to keep fixing my nails was never ending.
My friends and family attempted to encourage me to break the habit. They would give me manicures so I would be compelled to not chip the polish, but that always failed. I was given clear polish to put on my nails that would intentionally make them taste horrible to stop me from putting them in mouth, but the need to bite them was too intense. I was told by doctors that I could contract infections based on creating open wounds on my fingers so much. After all of this, I still could not ditch the habit. It was not until my friends finally dragged me to an acrylic nail salon that I was finally able to ditch my bad habit for good.
Acrylic nails have forced me to stop biting and picking at my nails. The way in which they are glued to my actual nails — immovable and certainly not chippable — eliminates any chances to bite or pick at them. When I originally got my acrylic nails, I tried for a week to bite and pick at them, but they are somehow cemented to my real fingernails which are completely covered by the acrylics. At first I was dumbfounded. How was I supposed to quit a habit I had engaged in for probably hours every day all at once? My acrylic nails made me quit, though. There was no way around the reality. The acrylic nails gave me no opportunity to successfully bite or pick at my nails.
Since I first got my acrylic nails, I have been able to experience what it is like to actually have fingernails that extend past the tip of my finger. Changing the colors to match the season, going to a nail salon once a month and being complimented on my nails so much for the first time in my life has been amazing! On top of that is the successful feeling that I can have actual nails without being tempted to bite or pick at them. I no longer have to be known for having short nails that always have bandaids on them. People now know me as the girl with the picture perfect nails that coordinate shape and color to every outfit imaginable. So, thank you to acrylic nails for making me not only grow longer nails, according to normal standards, but to grow out of my bad habit that was consuming me. I have learned to finally love my nails. Here’s to fabulously breaking my bad habit!