Right about now, thanks to the COVID-19 restrictions, people’s infills are long overdue, their fake nails are falling off and according to a number of posts on social media, self-esteem is at an all-time low.

But does it really need to be this way?

I Was Addicted To Fake Nails

I remember a time before becoming a mother that I would look forward to getting my nails done – as if my very life depended on it!

I needed it!

I was completely addicted! And I can say this with complete confidence because I was getting them infilled once a week when there wasn’t even any regrowth to be seen!

It made me feel good though. It boosted my confidence. Made me feel beautiful.

In a way, it even made me feel like I fitted in- as though I actually needed my nails done to be part of the in-crowd.

Almost as though people assess your worthiness based on how polished your nails are!

No More Fake Nails!

The vicious cycle was only broken after I had my first baby- thank heavens for the break!

I just couldn’t bring myself to taking a baby into a nail salon, for a number of reasons really.

Why I Would Take My Kids To A Nail Salon

As a child, I remember my mother getting her nails done regularly at Myers.

Back then the whole industry was incredibly new- there were no electronic nail drills and everything was done by hand.

It took FOREVER!!!

Added to the dreaded waiting time I also had the burden of babysitting my baby brother. And I HATED it!!!

I know, I know, most mothers would be rolling their eyes at me right now thinking about what an awfully selfish child I must have been for not wanting to help out and entertain him whilst my mum enjoyed her ‘me’ time… but in my defence, it was extremely hard!

He was difficult! He missed her! He was breastfed and there was never anything I could do to console him!

Let’s not forget I was only a child myself- looking after a baby. I wasn’t even close to being a teenager!

I despised every second of being left with him. Pushing him in his stroller from floor to floor so that his screams weren’t just irritating for one department of shoppers alone.

Essentially she could have put him up for adoption at that point and I wouldn’t have even missed him for a moment.

Although admittedly I do love him very much now.

What About The Chemicals?

Added to not wanting to bore my own baby to death, I suppose I’ve always been sceptical about what chemicals are in the substances they use in the process of applying false nails.

Is there anything hazardous in those fine particles of filings that fill the air which you inevitably breathe in whilst even waiting inside a nail salon?

Does anyone actually know?

Personally I have no idea what fills the air when the substances they place on ones nails are ground into a fine dust.

Realistically it’s personal choice whether I choose to enter a salon and inhale it or not and I am old enough to make that decision for myself.

My children. on the other hand, have never reached that age of being able to make an educated decision for themselves- or at least that’s how I feel.

And I don’t know if it’s within my rights to choose for them. Should there perhaps be some sort of ‘age of consent’ regarding being exposed to possible health risks?

Now that I’ve got a tribe of little people it’s an even bigger decision to make for so many little ones.

Bad Behaviour

Not just them though- what if I took them into a salon with me, and they weren’t on their best behaviour?

Do I have the right to subject others to my children’s shenanigans? What if there were other clients in there wanting to relax and unwind from their own little one’s antics- only then to be faced with mine? Could I potentially destroy an experience they were very much looking forward to and one which they had paid good money for?

Is that fair? Are they just supposed to understand that ‘kids will be kids’? Or do they have a right, as paying customers, to the peaceful experience they had hoped for?

I’ve Grown To Love My Un- Fake Nails

There are so very many factors to take into consideration, and since I haven’t got the answers to any of them I feel far safer just loving my nails for what they are.

Over the last decade, I’ve had the opportunity to have them done twice, and I loved it, but I can’t say that all the weddings, baptisms and other momentous occasions I’ve attended have been anything less than spectacular based on the fact that I didn’t have fake nails on.

If my children ever ask, I will always remind them that THEY make their nails look beautiful, THEY are beautiful even without the fakes, just the same as the person reading this article is beautiful, even without the need for anything extra.

As for me, I could get my nails done and be happy for roughly three weeks, alternatively I could buy my own nail polish and be happy until the bottle runs dry.

Self-Care Starts With Me!

Self-care starts with me, not what I pay someone to do for me, but how I look after myself, what I say to my soul when I look in the mirror. After all, what a waste it is to have ones’ nails done only to look at your own reflection and think of even the slightest criticism about yourself.

I have learned to love my uneven, unpolished nails over the years. My only wish being that I had listened to my best friend earlier when he told me I didn’t need them to be beautiful.

Do you/have you had fake nails? Do you love or hate them? Tell us in the comments below?