I love getting my nails done. Whenever a special occasion comes up like a wedding or Christmas, I jump up and down because I finally have a reason to go to the nail salon again.
There’s this sense of awe and wonder that women feel in the shine and glisten as you slightly tilt your hands and stare at the beautiful manicure you have.
However there is also that sense of guilt tugging on our heart strings, saying “you’ve spent way too much money for something that only lasts 2 weeks!” Which begs the questions: Is getting your nails done really a waste of money?
Ladies, let’s explore all the reasons why we love getting our nails done, the bad reasons to get them done and how it affects us financially. Let’s go!
The 7 Benefits of Getting Your Nails Done
Why do we love to get our nails done? For some women, we do it constantly. Every 2 to 3 weeks, we head back to the salon. We have our favorite manicurist with whom we have built a relationship with over the years, our favorite style, and we happily spend one hour in the nail salon.
It’s the Love for Routine
Having a routine can help reduce anxiety and stress levels. It’s a constant in our lives and the very notion of going to the nail salon is something that no one can ever take from us. Friends come and go, but nail salons will always be here and accept us for a very long time.
Place to Relax
Getting your nails done can take as long as an hour. It’s a whole hour that you spend guilt free for being there. You’re there with a purpose, to leave with amazing looking nails. If you go to a coffee shop to relax, there might be people who are waiting for your seat, or the coffee shop owner waiting for you to leave. But in a nail salon, as long as the manicurist is working on you, you belong there.
Someone is Taking Care of You
As women we usually shoulder the burden of taking care of other people, it feels good to have someone take care of us for a change. Women usually take the brunt of family care, it’s part of the reason why we enjoy it so much when a man pays for our meal even though he does not have to, because we feel cared for.
The moment is all about you.
It’s a chance for us to finally have a moment where it’s all about us. We can’t really take friends with us because the chairs are usually too far apart. Nail technicians would have a harder time if we kept twisting and turning to talk to someone else. Children are definitely out of the question because you can’t run after them or really watch them when you are getting your nails done.
There is Value in Human Touch
In reality, there are many ways to relax. Watching a movie, playing your favorite video game, reading a book. But there is something different about having the human touch. Not to make it sound creepy, but when you do your nails, it’s an intimate moment where someone else is using their hands to tend to you. Their hands are holding ours and paying attention to every detail of your nails, from your cuticles, to the shape of your nails and how long you want it to be.
In fact, according to Helena Wasling, a research on the human tactile system says that every inch of our skin has nerves specifically attuned to light touches, gentle movement and the temperature 32 degrees celsius, apart from our palms and soles of our feet.
Think of why we enjoy the light caress of the wind against our faces, it feels gentle and calming. We also prefer to stay in a room that is not too hot, or too cold, and enjoy the touch of 32 degrees celsius, because that’s the temperature of human skin.
When a nail technician does our nails, the skin on the back of our hands and around our nails feels very different from the underside, the palm of our hand.
It’s an Instant boost to your outfit.
Having our nails done makes us feel ready to go out. I feel as though I put in effort into my outfit that day, when in reality I didn’t
It’s a constant reminder that at least one part of you is polished and ready to leave the house at all times. It is a good reminder that we should always look ready for anything to happen and can leave the house at the drop of a hat.
If you’ve ever wondered what nail colors would look great on you, I have an article about the best colors that guides you step-by-step to find out what color palette suits your skin tone.
Attracts positive attention from other women.
I have found that nails attract more attention from women than it does from men. It’s like the same way women don’t pay attention to men’s muscles as much as other men do.
Getting complimented by other ladies is amazing and it’s important for us to have a social group consisting of women.
All the reasons NOT to get your nails done.
It’s very expensive.
Let’s face it, getting your nails done is very expensive. I’m always in awe of the ladies who get them redone every 2 weeks to keep it fresh and new. I can’t imagine investing that much money on something that disappears every 2 weeks. However I do love the return on investment I get, I don’t have to spend time on my nails each day. Plus it makes me look as though I put a lot of effort into my outfit.
How much does it actually cost to get your nails done?
Here in Canada, I’ve asked several of my friends who get their nails done often. Some get it done for $60, some enjoy having more designs and it costs them around $80 on average.
With 365 days in a year, 52 weeks in a year, if they do it every 2 weeks, they’re going to the salon 26 times a year.
This means $80 x 26 = $2080 is going towards their nails every year.
$2080 is by all means not a small investment. In perspective, if you were doing nails regularly before, and now you stop, you could get a new iphone every year.
It’s Time Consuming.
If time is money. Nails are time. Haha, I’m kidding, they are just so expensive. Nails need a lot of time investment.
Which manicure you decide to get regularly can make a huge difference. A natural nail manicure can take 25 to 30 minutes. Whilst gel nail manicures can take up to 60 minutes. If you come in for refills, it takes even longer, 60 to 90 minutes.
It’s Unhealthy.
Nail technicians file for days. Filling, painting, polishing, UV light. Nails are an unhealthy affair.
The air in a nail salon is usually full of nail dust and chemicals from the nail polish. There were several studies that showed problems that can occur from chemicals common in the nail salon.
To Summarize what the studies found:
Toluene
- present in nail polish and nail glue. Breathing high levels of Toluene during pregnancy could cause birth defects. These include slow growth and retard mental abilities of the baby.
Formaldehyde
- In nail polish and nail hardener. Decreases performance on short-term memory tests.
Methacrylate Compounds
- The main substance in artificial nails. So if you get nail extensions often keep this one in mind. It can cause asthma, allergies and more.
Most technicians nowadays wear masks because they are aware of how contaminated the air is in a nail salon, so make sure you wear one too!
Ultraviolet nail curing lamps are actually considered to be low risk by the FDA. However, we are still exposing ourselves to more UV than those who do not get their nails done often, so just be careful, especially if you know your skin is sensitive to UV.
Men Don’t See Nails the Same Way
Most men are less sensitive when it comes to fashion. There’s always that joke about how they can’t tell when their wives have had a haircut or changed something about their look.
After asking several of my friends, here was what most of them said.
- “I only see her nails, if it looks dirty.”
- “Hygiene is the most important thing to me.”
- “I stay away from long fake nails.”
As long as your nails are hygienic, look clean and fresh, they seem to be indifferent. However I know there are some men that are scared by the notion of long nails as well.
Ultimately, should we say yes or no to nails?
Nails can be a guilty pleasure, or perhaps it’s essential to your mental health, either way just make sure you can afford the financial weight it places on your wallet each month. And completely enjoy them when you do get them!
