The Pros and Cons of Having Short Acrylic Nails

It is a rare thing for women to have naturally long, strong, unbreakable nails that just never seem to chip or peel. If you are like the majority of women on this planet, you often depend on false nails, like gel nails or acrylic nails, to help beautify your hands and keep your nails strong.

Acrylic nails are a popular choice for false or “fake” nail because the nails are durable, and the nail polish on acrylic nails tend to last a fairly long time. Another great reason to go for acrylic nails is that you can decide just how long – or how short – you would like for them to be. While many women initially opt for those long, elegant fingernails, fact of the matter is that long finger nails get in the way of a whole lot of things. Most of us work on a computer from time to time, making long acrylic nails can make typing an absolute nightmare! Even trying to dial or type on a QWERTY keypad on a cell phone can be downright impossible if you have long acrylic nails. That is why more women are choosing to adorn short acrylic nails as opposed to long, cumbersome nails.

Short acrylic nails are rather easy to maintain, whether you decide to apply them yourself or have a professional apply them. For any where from $15 to $50, acrylic nails are applied to your fingers and are then shaped and shortened to your liking. A nail polish of your choosing is applied to your fingers, and is then set, dried, and you only need to return every two or three weeks to have the nails either filled or removed. When you go in to have short acrylic nails applied to your fingers, they will often also file down your natural nails, remove and care for your cuticles, and apply a nail strengthening product on top of your nail bed (the chemicals used in false nails can weaken and soften your natural nail, leaving your nail bed more prone to damage and injury if not properly cared for).

The “con” to having short acrylic nails is that you will need to do a good job in finding a salon that is trustworthy (i.e. are they using clean tools? Are they being kept in an anti-bacterial solution when not in use?) and also needing to keep your hands clean so as to prevent the build up of bacteria and/or fungus. Take particular care to clean out any “gap” that may occur between the short acrylic nail and your natural nail, such as when your nails begin to grow out.

Now let’s say that you have already had your acrylic nails applied, either by you or by a professional. If they are too long, can you cut them yourself? Answer: Yes! But be sure that you do so carefully and take your time. You will need large, good quality nail clippers to be able to cut through the acrylic nails and a nail file to then file your nails to shape and even length.