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Acrylic nails are horribly impractical and a headache to wear, especially if you have a typing job such as myself.

I don’t want any of the nail lovers to come after me. I think they are beautiful and adaptable, if you are willing to give them the chance. Some people just aren’t meant for the added accessory of fake nails. I especially don’t understand the hassle of getting them for the graduation season.

In a recent experience, I acquired acrylic nails in the short almond shape with an adorable design on them. They made me feel the most feminine that I’d ever felt, but there were some major issues with practicality, assignments and day-to-day tasks. I got them for graduation to feel better with my dress, but in wearing them, there were issues that I could not ignore.

We are going to brush over the pros and cons of fake nail practicality and a little bit of the fake nail hierarchy for neurodivergent folks, including examples.

Starting with the positives for fake nails, they bring on a feeling of confidence for people who want a change. Fake nails do a wonderful job of changing the appearance of your hands, providing a slimming and lengthening effect.

They are highly durable and do a fantastic job of shielding your real nails while they are on. One of my own nails was unsightly before I got acrylic nails, and they provided ample time for my nails underneath to grow out. Though my nails are weaker now after getting them removed, I have much less to complain about in terms of the shape and length of my natural nails.

Getting the acrylics removed instilled a new feeling of confidence back in me that I didn’t realize was missing.

With press-on nails, they have a lot more positives, especially if you’re someone who cannot wear nails for extended periods of time or just want to feel pretty for a few days. They produce the same positive feeling that acrylics do without the permanence. You also have more reign over the length and practicality for a shorter amount of time.

They are also incredibly simple to pop off and come in all sizes/designs that some nail salons just can’t replicate. A normal set of press-on nails costs about $8 or maybe a little more for a nice set. A decent nail glue also doesn’t cost much if you’re at Dollar General or Walmart. I’d recommend Walmart, though, because even though they are also a corporate giant, the price there feels more fair.

To give an example of the short-lasting nature of press-on nails, I applied some before a convention that I went to, and in the same day I popped them all off in the convention hallway at 2 a.m. because I was sick of them. They are much more cost-efficient, sometimes creative and less permanent than standard acrylic nails.

I would highly recommend getting some press-ons for graduation if you want to go simple, cheap and cute. There are also more in-depth options and special-order ones that you can get on Amazon or Etsy. Etsy may charge you about the same as salons, but they are made without having you sit during the design process and application.

I’d say that’s a win for my impatient nail lovers. They also are much less likely to damage or weaken your nails, which is a major plus.

Just as there are positives, I’ve found that there are more negatives to having acrylic nails for both regular people and people with texture issues or extra accessories on their body. One of the largest things that has been covered is the weakening effect that these fake nails have on your real nails once they come off.

The process of getting acrylics soaked off involves having them soaked in 100% acetone for 15 minutes or more, then slowly having them drilled off and buffed. The bowl that the salon had set up for me had a boiling hot towel under some cling wrap, which boiled my arm the entire time I had my nails soaking off, and after the nails were slowly drilled off, it left my nails completely brittle and flimsy.

After some mild research, having flimsy nails after getting acrylics taken off is perfectly normal, but also irritating because you have to spend all of that time nursing your nails back to health with clear coats and cuticle oil.

Acrylic nails are incredibly difficult to type with and take time to learn. Everything comes in slow, unsure pecks instead of fast, measured typing. This is the case with anything that involves typing, including tablets, phones and computers.

For those who have issues with textures or accessories on for too long, fake nails can be especially irritating because they are, in fact, like an accessory that you can’t readily take off whenever you want. They are like an unnatural extension of your hand.

Acrylics are also high cost and average roughly $80 to start a set and $40 to maintain and have them filled in each session. There is also an infection risk in getting acrylic nails. Sometimes gaps form between the nail and the acrylic, and bacteria can breed and lead to infection between them.

I don’t have many cons for press-on nails because I adore them, but when you take them off, I urge you to be careful and soak them in warm water and acetone to melt the glue. You do not want to lose a fingernail because you were impatient.

These are all food for thought, opinion and based off of my own unfortunate experience. A pro tip I will pass on to anyone: It’s usually only $15 to get acrylics removed. Be wary if you’re going to try and soak them off on your own, I lost half a fingernail as the price.

If you’re going to get nails just for the graduation season and want something affordable and reasonable, try some press-ons from Walmart or Amazon.

You’ll thank me later when you want them off.