Don’t we all love long, beautifully manicured nails? They are a style statement for many of us. Though they help us make glamorous first impressions, they can also be a bit tricky. Whether it’s drafting an important email or working long hours at the keyboard, your long claw-like nails can turn these simple tasks into an annoying activity!
Imagine you have worn a set of long, sexy press-on nails for a weekend but you need to get rid of them because it’s Monday and you have to spend most of the time with the laptop. Is a common daily task as easy as typing a nightmare for you only because of your nails? Do press-on nails make typing hard for you? Worry not, nail buddy! The Nails Girl is here to help you with some tips and hacks for easy and comfortable typing with long, stunning press-on nails.
What are Press-On Nails?
Press-on nails are an easy, DIY replacement for the good old salon nail enhancements. These are predesigned sets of nails curated in all the different shapes, sizes, and lengths. There are many reasons that nail enthusiasts like you fall in love with long, stylish press-on nails. If you have a creative vision and a bold yet elegant sense of style, press-ons can be one of the elements in your vanity to make you stand out and feel confident about yourself.
But beauty comes with a price to pay! Long, claw-like nails may be quite discomforting when it comes to doing your daily chores and activities. Typing is one of these things but it shouldn’t stop you from wearing your favorite press-ons. You have saved so much time and money by not going to the salon for nail enhancements and now, you can’t let your press-ons be something to wear only on special occasions.
You can flaunt your press-on nails by wearing them daily by making some simple adjustments in your typing style and in the shape and length of your nails.
Do Nail Shapes and Lengths Affect Typing?
It gets frustrating when you try to type with long, sharp, claw-like nails. You get so many typos, and incorrect keys pressed, and it wastes your precious time to proofread what you’ve written and try to fix it only to make more errors. And then you are sitting at your laptop fidgeting with the keyboard making a joke of yourself! But you can save yourself from this embarrassment by making some smart choices.
When choosing your desired nail design, you should keep in mind your daily routine, especially if you are planning to carry your press-ons for a longer time. There are many lengths and shapes to choose from; some make it easy to type and some are a legit pain in the fingers! The shapes with slightly rounded edges are comparatively easier to type than those with sharp edges.
Here’s a guide to choosing your nail shapes and lengths to minimize their effect on your typing:
Square
Long or medium, square nails are a complete no-no if you want to type quickly and efficiently. These being wide and long will cause more mistakes and frustrate you further.
Coffin / Ballerina
We all love them but they don’t make our lives easy. Especially if you have long or extra-long coffin nails, it will be really difficult for you to manage. These are wider near the nail bed and slightly tapered towards the edges. The chances are high that you’ll click the adjacent keys and make typos with this shape and length.
Stiletto
If you have very long, pointed stiletto press-ons, it may also be slightly uncomfortable. You might hit the sharp edge on your keys causing scratches and it may also cause pain. However, the chances of hitting the wrong keys when typing are lesser than the previous.
Oval / Almond / Round / Squoval
You can choose any of these go-to options in a small or medium length to start with and go on altering your typing style to adapt to this shape. These are a good choice if you want to start as they are not as wide as squares and not as tapered and edgy as coffins or stilettos.
Why is Typing with Long Nails Hard?
Typing with long nails, as said earlier, can be a pain. A pain in the fingers, hands, and even the wrist. This may happen because of the awkward hand positioning on the keyboard. You may place your hands in such a way that you don’t type incorrectly leading to discomfort. Also, if you happen to hit the edges of your long nails many times, it may cause your nail bed to pain underneath your fake nail tips.
If you try to type with long press-on nails, chances are your nails may cover the letters and numbers printed on the keyboard making it difficult to see. If you have a habit of glancing at the keyboard while typing, it may become inconvenient for you resulting in inaccuracy and if you press the wrong keys again and again, it will result in too many typos.
Long nails may also cause you to hit multiple keys at a time which will again become frustration. And if out of frustration you hit the keys with force, you may cause damage, chipping, or breakage to your press-ons or they may even pop out.
Besides, your typing speed and accuracy will also be affected by long or extra-long nails. If you are a busy person and cannot afford to waste time fixing the mistakes caused by your nails, you may start hating them and never want to do them again!
What To Watch For?
Long nails can have some discomforting effects on your typing:
1) Typing Inaccuracies:
With long nails, you have to change your typing style slightly. Adapting to the new techniques could take some time as we have been typing in a certain style for our entire lives. So, by the time you adapt, you may experience some mistakes and typos in your text and it may get frustrating. Imagine sending your client an important email with an unexplained typo!
2) Nails Getting Caught
Talking about discomfort, if your press-ons are still fresh, there may be a constant fear of them getting caught between the computer keys. When you have acrylic or gel nail enhancements, the chances of nails getting caught might be low as the apex of your nail would be quite thick. But with press-ons, you may face pull-offs if your nails get caught.
3) Damage
With all the uneasiness caused, know that it is not just irritating but also harming your natural nails and fake nail tips. Constant pull-offs or tugging may weaken the adhesive bond and your press-ons may fall off. Worse still, the press-ons may break or even the natural nail underneath may crack. These damages can also become severe in some cases.
How to Type With Press-On Nails? (Pro Tips)
You may follow some tips and hacks to adapt your typing style to long press-on nails. Once you re-train yourself, it will help you with your further manicures. Some of these tips may come in handy for easy and comfortable typing especially if you are a content writer a programmer or someone whose work demands you to type the entire day.
1) Pick the Right Nail Shape and Length
As we discussed, nail shapes and lengths do affect your typing especially if you’re wearing very long press-ons. In such cases, make smart choices when it comes to choosing the right nails for yourself. This is one of the easiest ways to adapt your typing style. Start with small or medium lengths and gradually move to longer ones when you are used to it.
Look for shapes with more rounded edges than the sharp or tapered ones as they are close to your natural nail structure and can make you feel more comfortable. Choose short squovals if you like medium squares, medium ovals if you like long ballerinas, or medium almonds if you like long coffins and stilettos.
2) Retrain Your Fingers
This is one of the hardest things to do when it comes to adapting. This is because we have been trained to type using our fingernails forever. But the idea is to use fingertips and not fingernails when you are wearing press-ons.
If you happen to use your fingernails, it will be uncomfortable at first and will eventually start causing pain leading to breakage. On the contrary, using your fingertips for typing will also be uncomfortable at first, but once you develop a practice, you may in fact start liking this rhythm of typing. In this way, you will have to lay your fingers horizontally on the keyboard which will also look more aesthetically pleasing.
3) Adapt the ‘Pianist’ Style of Typing
Since it is initially difficult to retrain your fingers to a different typing style, you may imagine yourself as a pianist to make it easier. You need to train your fingers to be more flexible and your hands to be more still. This is how a pianist moves its hands on a piano – more gently and swiftly.
This will reduce the chances of your nails getting caught in the keys and your hands will eventually be ready to adapt to longer lengths and shapes.
The Bottom Line
In conclusion, the question “Do press-on nails make typing hard?” is a common concern for those who love bold, glamorous nails. Long press-on nails can indeed present challenges when it comes to typing. From the intricacies of nail shapes and lengths to the potential discomfort and risks involved, we’ve explored the various factors impacting typing with long nails. However, you can overcome these challenges with the right knowledge and techniques. By carefully selecting the appropriate nail shape and length, retraining your fingers, and adopting a ‘pianist’ style of typing, you can enhance your typing experience while maintaining your fabulous manicure. Remember, practice and patience are key as you adjust to typing with long press-on nails. With these tips and hacks, you can confidently navigate your keyboard and showcase your fabulous manicure with grace!
