Acrylic vs. Natural Nails

We've all been there...frustrated with the weakness of your natural nails; the amount of breaking, tearing, peeling and flaking, you sit around and consider getting acrylic nails. Are acrylic nails the right choice for you? Acrylic nails have their perks, but depending on your personal preferences, they may not be worth it.

Perks of Acrylic Nails:
-Acrylic nails add a layer of acrylic over your natural nail, adding a large amount of strength and thickness. I tend to grow my acrylic nails very long and end up using them for tasks.
-You can get nail tips applied under your acrylics, allowing you to get whatever shape and length you want.
-Your nails will rarely break.

The downside: :(
-The fumes and dust from acrylic nails being applied are harmful, that's why nail techs wear masks while applying them (eep.)
-If the technician uses a drill (which is basically an industry standard in this day and age) your natural nails will be practically wrecked underneath. Drills take off a lot of layers of your natural nail, making them much thinner.
-Even though nails are glued on, they can still pop off or break. Trust me, that's not fun. When a nail pops off, it also takes the thin layer of the nail it's glued onto with it.
-They're a complete pain to get off if you decide they're not for you. There are three ways to get acrylic nails off: at many less professional salons, the nail technician will use a tool to pop them off, which hurts and ruins the nail underneath, the nail technician will soak your fingers in acetone, which dries out your nails and fingers, still causing dryness to your natural nail, and then they scrape the acetone-acrylic goo off your nail, or you can wait for them to grow (or break or pop) off your nails which I am currently in the process of. Growing off your acrylic nails leaves you with the best condition of nails afterward, but takes months.
-Acrylic nails are more expensive and take longer than a traditional manicure.
-Your nails look bad when the acrylic grows out and you haven't gone to the salon to get them filled in.
Even once you've had acrylics applied, my nail technicians have recommended I take breaks with no acrylic nails or get a new set every six months, and while I've had fun with my acrylics and gotten a lot of attention for my mile long nails, I'm growing my nails back to natural and I plan to switch over to gel nail polish.

If you decide to get acrylic nails, I recommend telling your technician to use a buffer instead of a drill, but I don't like my nails buffed at all, and your technician probably won't be very pleased.