Acrylic nails are none other than simulated or artificial nails. They are fastened onto real nails, and they can be done either at a nail parlour or even at home. Acrylic nails are very beautiful and very common among women because of the versatility that acrylic nails give ladies when it comes to expressing themselves. They can be colored with whimsical patterns and styles. Some women even have acrylic nails pierced and fitted with nail rings.

Why Wear Acrylic Nails?

Why do women choose to wear acrylic nails instead of letting their natural fingernails grow? For some women, this is simply impossible. Long fingernails can make a woman feel gracious and maidenly, but sometimes, when fingernails are allowed to grow up to a certain length, they become breakable and they break off. With acrylic nails, women can have the pleasure of having long fingernails without the hassle – and the disconcert – associated with the nail's brittleness.

There are women who choose to wear acrylic nails in an attempt to curb their nail-biting habits. Getting acrylic nails takes time and a bit of money, as well as the fact that they do not taste good. Even a nail-biting lady would hesitate to crunch on her beautiful acrylic nails.

For most women, acrylic nails are only for adornment. This particularly applies when a woman is supposed to go to a fancy event, and she wants to stand out and be noticed. Wearing acrylic nails can be her instant ticket to the spotlight.

Putting Them On

There are two ways of getting acrylic nails. You can either get your nails done at a beauty parlour or you can do it yourself. Acrylic nails need to be redone once every two weeks. If you want your acrylic nails to be absolutely perfect, it is best to have it done by nail professionals at a salon. However, if you cannot afford spending that much cash on your nails, you do not have to worry. You can do them yourself by buying an acrylic nail kit in your local beauty store.

Here is how you can do it.

1. Clean your nails and get them trimmed as short as you can. Cutting your fingernails first before putting on your acrylic nails will prevent injuries to your nail bed in case your fake nails get caught into something by accident. Also, push back your cuticles and remove the old polish left on your natural fingernails.

2. It is said that rubbing the nail bed with a grit filing block can make the acrylic nails stick more closely to your natural nail. If you want to do that, you can. However, this can damage your natural nail bed in the long run.

3. After you are done cleaning your nails, let them dry. Once dry, apply some nail glue and then carefully place your acrylic nail. Adjust them to fit your nail closely before the glue gets dry to prevent them from looking crooked.

4. If you made a mistake in placing your acrylic nail, never, never snap them off. You would end up tearing your natural nail off your finger. What you do in this case is to soak your finger in a nail soak to dissolve the glue. Once the acrylic nail is off, you can simply repeat the process of gluing it on your nail.

5. Cut back your acrylic nails to your desired length, especially if you find them too long.

6. An acrylic nail kit always includes some liquid acrylic and powder acrylic. Mix these in a dish and then put the mixture on your acrylic nails, much like how you would do it with nail polish on your real nails. Never let the mixture touch your natural nail bed to prevent fungi growing on your nails.

7. Buff your acrylic nails and put on nail polish.