My Rant Against Acrylics

I mean, I guess that's what I have. I've been getting my nails done for almost a year now. I loved it, but I just got tired of it. It became more of a hassle than the "luxury" I thought it'd always feel like. It also kept me from playing the guitar, which I don't do often at all, but I still want to when I want to, right? So today I went to get them taken off. (I should also add that instead of getting them done I'm wanting to tan, so really that's a ig reason too:) ) In retrospect, I probably should've waited until they'd started lifting (I just had them done Saturday before last), but I didn't not know this. Actually, in retrospect I wouldn't have had them take them off at all.

I've only had fake nails once before, when we got married, and taking them off was a 2 hour long soaking in acetone that led to the most ugliest nails I've ever had. I thought, "These people are professionals, surely there's a better way!!" Their better way was working a thin piece of plastic between my actual (paper thin by now) nail and the ridiculously thick layering of fake nail on top of it and pushing it under as far as it would go trying to make it pop off. I don't know if this sounds painful yet, but it was, especially since they hadn't started lifting on their own yet. She did the pinky one and I only winced a bit, but it took 3-5 minutes to do that one. She started on my right ring finger and I was in a lot of pain, and I whimpered and the lady's like "It hurt?" I said, "Yes, very much" and she went and got a bowl of acetone, stuck my nails in, covered them with a towel, and stuck a lamp over them for about 30 minutes. I'm just glad that she's stopped trying to pry them off with a plastic fingernail. So after that she comes back, shaves off what's melted down and goes back to prying. The right hand did fine. The left hand...oh, man. My left middle fingernail is now split at the top for about 1/8th of an inch down. As she was forcing the plastic nail between my two nails, my weakened real nail split and she's now running that plastic nail very quickly right across the meat under my nail. I did more than whimper this time. I kept saying "It's going under my nail!!" until she stopped. Then I looked up and saw her mouth form into an "O!" and her eyes get really big and she started rubbing my hand. I looked back down to see blood seeping through the crack in my nail. I gotta tell you, that's the worse pain I've ever felt in my life I'd say. It hurts me to think about it. But she put some super glue type stuff on it and it doesn't really hurt. I find that my right pinky, the only one she popped off without letting it soak first, hurts the most, probably because there is a small hole in it where I can see the meat and where the meat can feel me. This was a horrible experience. My nails are sore and of course have those lovely ridges, like rings on a tree, where I'd gotten fill after fill after fill. It feels weird, looks weird, and really hinders my ability to scratch my nose without looking like I'm picking it.

So, that's my nail experience. I urge you, readers (if there are any), stay away from acrylic nails!! And if you must get em, for God's sake, take them off yourself or let me know a better way for someone to take them off. Man alive.