Friday, December 21, 2007

Acrylic Fingernails and Hairdressers - A Bad Combination

I've never been a big fan of artificial fingernails. Acrylic nails (in my opinion) cause too much damage to the real fingernail to be worth any visual improvement they might provide.

For some people the damage caused by acrylic nails can be more severe than for others. A good example is hairdressers, who can have nearly constant problems caused by the use of false nails. As part of their job, hair stylists hands get wet frequently. Once the fake nails get to be a week or so old the adhesive bonds can weaken, allowing water to get between the acrylic fingernails and the real nails. Once water is getting trapped in regularly the nails weaken even more, which can cause them to separate from the finger or develop a fungus.

So think twice before getting those artificial fingernails done again - You may think they look nice, but is it really worth the damage to your real nails?

Monday, December 17, 2007

Broken Fingernails and Bleeding Cuticles

I've been more than a tad reclusive again lately, having very little contact with anyone except family, clients and students. Lots happening, but mostly just keeping to myself and not writing much at all. I seem to do this from time to time when something big is coming up that will require a lot of my energy, effort, and clear thinking. (That plus getting worn down by all the construction/restoration work that's still going on outside right where my patio and tranquil garden used to be. Today they're removing our windows again to finish the installation.)

One thing I noticed was that just before becoming reclusive again, ALL my fingernails broke and the cuticles on most of them began bleeding. In hand analysis that's a strong indication of exhaustion, hypercritical thinking, and the need to take a break and "recharge the batteries". It also shows that effort is being wasted trying to hide the exhaustion from others - They see it easily anyway.

My fingernails kept breaking short until last week, and the bleeding cuticles are finally looking better. Sure enough, now I'm getting back to writing and socializing again.