question about acrylic nails

KatieQ · #1 09-20-2002, 02:57 PM

I just got my acryllics taken off last week after having them on for over a year. My nails are really brittle now. For any girls whio have had them and had them taken off how long does it take before the nails are strong again?

ZTAngel · #2 09-20-2002, 03:04 PM

I've had acryllics!

I've always had really soft nails due to a lifetime of biting them or picking at them. I started making some good money this summer at my internship and decided that I had enough to pay for the upkeep of my nails. I had tips and acryllic put on. I absolutely loved the look of long nails. I had tried to stop biting my nails cold turkey but it's really hard to do. Getting acryllics made me realize how beautiful long nails can be.

My real nail had grown out underneath the tip so I had the acryllic taken off. A week later, my long nails had all broken. I still have dents in my nails. It has been almost three months since my tips and acryllics have come off and my nails are still really weak. I tell my friends who are thinking of getting acryllics to NOT do it. My nails are in such poor shape.

I put nail strengthner on everyday and I constantly file my nails. It makes them stronger. I also invest in a weekly manicure. After spending money to have my nails professionely done, there is no way that I am going to bite them!

I heard that it takes about 6 months for your nails to officially heal after having acryllics. Any truth to that?

MoxieGrrl · #3 09-20-2002, 04:14 PM

ZTAngel: Yeah, I heard the 6th month thing too. I've found that it's pretty much true on my nails. When I got them taken off last time, my nails were soooo brittle and weak with huge purple ridges in them. I find that cutting them a lot after the fake nails are taken off.

I get acrylic nails done about every two weeks. Now, my nails are about as long as the acrylic. What am I going to do when they cut them next time because they'll be cutting my real nails along with the fake. That's going to hurt!!!

sororitygirl2 · #4 09-20-2002, 04:33 PM

Your nails don't really heal after having acrylics. You just have to wait for them to grow out... so depending on how fast your nails grow, that is how long you have to wait. To make them grow faster and stronger, take prenatal vitamins. Also, use a nail strengthener like Nailtiques and trim and file them regularly!

leilanimoon · #5 09-20-2002, 04:52 PM

I had acrylics since I was about 13 and just recently took them off, before i left for europe in june. my real nails now grow very quickly, but also break very easily and they were extremely weak for about 8 weeks. I file them and use nail strengthener and theyre pretty okay now. The only thing that bugged was that my nails would accumulate dirt VERY easily immediatel;y after I took off the acrylics and still have a tendency to do so, but not as bad as before.

APhiRattlerGal · #6 09-21-2002, 12:28 AM

I've heard that if you get acryllics that you should only keep them on a few days...in other words...dont go getting fills and whatnot. Its VERY bad for your natural nails. I usually just get them done for formal or semi, then just let them grow out and take them off once they are grown out. The longer you keep them on the worse off your natural nails.

This one lady who works with my mom with would get her nails done with acryllics all the time..She did this for i dunno how many years...but it was a long time. Now her nails are very very weak, always break and are always scaling (peeling). She has to apply medicine from now on so they wont keep feeling during the day. Her doctor told her that she shouldnt have kept acrylic nails for so long...thats whatmessed her up permanently!!!

DigitalAngel126 · #7 09-21-2002, 12:37 AM

Yuck!!! I'm not a big fake nails fan anyway, but heres another reason why:

A former good family friend had acryllics for 15+ years (she SO could've bought a car with that money!!!) and when she finally stopped getting them filled and such, she virtually had no nails left on her hands!! It was disgusting...She had like fleshy coverings on the end of her fingers, but no real nails to speak of... for almost a year!!

EW

PM_Mama00 · #8 09-21-2002, 01:43 AM

I've had acrylics on for 3 years and took them off. My nails were brittle, but that wasn't the problem. I couldn't stand having short nails! I've been gettin acrylics for like 4 years now.

If you plan on gettin short term nails, get gels. They are better on your nails and come off easier. Or you could get Lee Press On... they fall off easy.

Hootie · #9 09-21-2002, 03:28 AM

I work in jewelry and so I often feel the urge to get acrylics so I can show off the pretty rings with pretty nails. So for the past three years I've gotten them put on and taken off quite frequently.
I've had such terrible experiences that I won't get them ever again!

First of all they are terrible for my real nails which take forever to grow on their own. So I'd get them taken off and my nails looked horrid. One winter my thumb nail was down to a nub and then in cracked down the middle. Talk about PAIN! The worse part is that it took forever for the horrid purple ridge (as someone described) to grow out. So my poor thumbnail was constantly cracking further down my nail and snagging on things.

I know they look pretty but they're not worth the pain. I found that after having them on for a while they'd peel away from my real nail easily, turn my real nails yellowish (and I don't tan or smoke) and just be a pain!

I don't recommend them to anyone!

Hootie

italianaxo · #10 09-21-2002, 10:53 AM

has anyone else got silk wraps? what did you think. according to most of the nail places i have been to they are much better than acryllics but i haven't taken them off yet.

Hootie · #11 09-21-2002, 12:12 PM

I've seen then done...looks like it takes forever to get them filled. As for seeing the nails afterwards...I haven't!
I had a friend try the gel nails...actually I've had two friends try them. The one had a few problems with them breaking easily and the other seemed pretty happy with them. But price wise it's sorta expensive to maintain!

Hootie

AchtungBaby80 · #12 09-21-2002, 12:44 PM

Ewww! I've never had acrylics 'cause my natural nails are pretty decent, but all my friends got them before our high school prom. When they started to grow out, one of my friends just PULLED hers off! Yeowch! Wouldn't that hurt? Acrylics also wrought havoc on my mom's nails after she took them off, which is why I'd tell anyone not to get them...they're expensive, anyway.

poodleNtraining · #13 09-21-2002, 09:57 PM

I've had acrylics before with the same problems. The dents, the weak nails, and you do have to just wait until they grow out. I had gotten some in april, and I'm JUST getting my new nails. If you want a better alternative, try gel nails. They cost a little more than acrylic (like here, a full set of acrylics cost like...$14-20, and gel costs like $25 (with a coupon-lol) to 35ish). But they don't damage your nails NEARLY as bad, but you do still get the dents. They look more natural, like, you could put a clear coat on them and go like that and people will SWEAR they're your real nails. But once they grow out and you get a fill, you can see the fill line, so you'd have to wear polish after the first time-LOL Or you sould try a silk wrap, where they put a tip on and then put the silk stuff over them. I had those once, but you can see the fibers (well on mine you could, I just had airbrush, not a polish.

MoxieGrrl · #14 09-23-2002, 10:05 AM

Nail tragedy........

One of my acrylics broke over the weekend. Nothing painful.....just ugly. If I went into an airport, the edge of my nail would be considered a weapon. It will be fixed by the end of this week of I'll go nutty!!

ZTAngel · #15 09-23-2002, 11:28 AM

I've had that happen before. I went to the Warped Tour and my acryllic broke as I was trying to break free from the mosh pit. I had this jagged looking thumb nail that could have taken an eye out. Just take a nail filer and file it down 'til it is no longer sharp. That'll keep it from hurting you or other people until you have time to get it professionaly done.