

I Stopped Wearing Acrylics, And My Natural Nails Got Longer And Healthier Than Ever
Like most teenage girls, my first acrylic nail set felt like a right of passage. I was 17 years old, and it was the morning of my junior prom. I went with a long square silhouette, a lightly colored base coat topped with swirling white airbrushed designs on each fingernail ---a very early 2000-esque homage. After years of only being allowed to wear press-on nails around the house, I remember sitting in the chair, trying my best to hold in the excitement and anticipation of my first professional full set.
From that moment, I was hooked. Throughout my adult life, I developed a love-hate relationship with visiting the nail salon faithfully every two to three weeks.
After years of acrylic extensions, I began to notice how damaged and brittle my natural nails were becoming in between sets. Once the process became too painful and upkeep seemed to be causing more harm than good, I began to seek alternatives that would allow my real nails to grow healthy, strong, and just as long but without extensions.
One day, a friend came back from Paris raving about her latest experience receiving a hard gel manicure while abroad. After hearing her testimony and seeing how long her natural nails had grown in such a short time, I did more research to learn what exactly went into this gel that she couldn’t stop raving about.
Skeptical of the many nail trends and techniques, I became frustrated trying to keep up with the latest innovations, and this seemed to be just another trend. However, fully determined and striving for longer lengths and stronger nails without the awful nail enhancements, I finally decided to give the hard gel a try.
I tried just about everything as an alternative, from gel polish to Gel-X; however, nothing seemed to get the results I was looking for.
After removing my acrylics, I began my natural nail journey with short and brittle nails. Surprisingly, it didn’t take long to see major improvements. Within the first 30 days, I saw how fast my nails were growing and how strong they were becoming.
Keep scrolling to see my nail journey from the beginning and why hard gel has convinced me to leave nail extensions in the past for good.
Acrylic Nails - July 2022
Courtesy of Shahirah Ahmed
Courtesy of Shahirah Ahmed
Hard Gel Manicure - February 2023
Courtesy of Shahirah Ahmed
Hard Gel Manicure - March 2023
Courtesy of Shahirah Ahmed
Hard Gel Manicure - April 2023
Courtesy of Shahirah Ahmed
What Is Hard Gel?
Also known as builder gel, hard gel can be used to deliver a protective coating to cover the natural nails, making them feel harder, stronger, and more flexible. This innovative nail enhancement can be molded, shaped, and refilled by being cured or hardened in a UV light rather than through evaporating solvents like acrylic. Hard gel is not gel polish, shellac, soft gel, or soak-off gel; however, you can put gel polish over hard gel for a nice finish and designs if you’re feeling fancy.
Along with more strength and durability, the hard gel is excellent at protecting natural nails, making them less likely to break or crack over time.
According to nailpro.com, hard gel is an acrylic alternative, and you can use hard gel to overlay natural nails, sculpt extensions and repair broken nails. The site also suggests hard gel is perfect for clients who are transitioning from acrylic, who want to strengthen their natural nails, or who have weak and brittle nails that need more support and structure. Also, if you are removing acrylic, hard gel is the best product to provide more support as you transition.
Hard Gel - June 2023
Courtesy of Shahirah Ahmed
The Benefits of Hard Gel
What I love most about the application of hard gel is how quickly I’m in and out of the salon chair. A method that takes about an hour from start to finish, it’s extremely quick compared to the time it takes to apply acrylic. Another bonus of hard gel is that you can fill it in, just like you would acrylic, which is ideal for those of us who rather not soak off our nails every service. Unlike many gel methods, hard gel cannot be taken off by acetone which is one reason it's so durable and why its properties help protect the natural nail.
As previously mentioned, this is also a good service for those who want to grow their natural nails to longer lengths while keeping them strong and healthy, which is why I personally made the switch. Long, healthy natural nails are definitely a flex. Along with efficiency and time, hard gel is also more cost-effective, starting at $70---cheaper than a full set of acrylic nails.
I’m also not booking nail appointments every two weeks because hard gel can last up to six weeks without needing a fill or even getting a chip.
Healthy Nails - July 2023
Courtesy of Shahirah Ahmed
With patience and determination, my nails have achieved my wildest dreams. A year later, my nails are now at a length I thought was only achievable with artificial enhancements, and I couldn't be happier. Hard gel has become a staple in my self-care routine, and I don’t plan to give it up any time soon.
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Featured image by Pavlina Popovska/Getty Images
Smile, Sis! These Five Improvements Can Upgrade Your Oral Hygiene Instantly
This article is in partnership with Sensodyne.
Our teeth are connected to so many things - our nutrition, our confidence, and our overall mood. We often take for granted how important healthy teeth are, until issues like tooth sensitivity or gum recession come to remind us. Like most things related to our bodies, prevention is the best medicine. Here are five things you can do immediately to improve your oral hygiene, prevent tooth sensitivity, and avoid dental issues down the road.
1) Go Easy On the Rough Brushing: Brushing your teeth is and always will be priority number one in the oral hygiene department. No surprises there! However, there is such a thing as applying too much pressure when brushing…and that can lead to problems over time. Use a toothbrush with soft bristles and brush in smooth, circular motions. It may seem counterintuitive, but a gentle approach to brushing is the most effective way to clean those pearly whites without wearing away enamel and exposing sensitive areas of the teeth.
2) Use A Desensitizing Toothpaste: As everyone knows, mouth pain can be highly uncomfortable; but tooth sensitivity is a whole different beast. Hot weather favorites like ice cream and popsicles have the ability to trigger tooth sensitivity, which might make you want to stay away from icy foods altogether. But as always, prevention is the best medicine here. Switching to a toothpaste like Sensodyne’s Sensitivity & Gum toothpaste specifically designed for sensitive teeth will help build a protective layer over sensitive areas of the tooth. Over time, those sharp sensations that occur with extremely cold foods will subside, and you’ll be back to treating yourself to your icy faves like this one!
3) Floss, Rinse, Brush. (And In That Order!): Have you ever heard the saying, “It’s not what you do, but how you do it”? Well, the same thing applies to taking care of your teeth. Even if you are flossing and brushing religiously, you could be missing out on some of the benefits simply because you aren’t doing so in the right order. Flossing is best to do before brushing because it removes food particles and plaque from places your toothbrush can’t reach. After a proper flossing sesh, it is important to rinse out your mouth with water after. Finally, you can whip out your toothbrush and get to brushing. Though many of us commonly rinse with water after brushing to remove excess toothpaste, it may not be the best thing for our teeth. That’s because fluoride, the active ingredient in toothpaste that protects your enamel, works best when it gets to sit on the teeth and continue working its magic. Rinsing with water after brushing doesn’t let the toothpaste go to work like it really can. Changing up your order may take some getting used to, but over time, you’ll see the difference.
4) Stay Hydrated: Upping your water supply is a no-fail way to level up your health overall, and your teeth are no exception to this rule. Drinking water not only helps maintain a healthy pH balance in your mouth, but it also washes away residue and acids that can cause enamel erosion. It also helps you steer clear of dry mouth, which is a gateway to bad breath. And who needs that?
5) Show Your Gums Some Love: When it comes to improving your smile, you may be laser-focused on getting your teeth whiter, straighter, and overall healthier. Rightfully so, as these are all attributes of a megawatt smile; but you certainly don’t want to leave gum health out of the equation. If you neglect your gums, you’ll start to notice the effects of plaque buildup, which can irritate the gums and cause gingivitis, the earliest stage of gum disease. Seeing blood while brushing and flossing is a tell-tale sign that your gums are suffering. You may also experience gum recession — a condition where the gum tissue surrounding your teeth pulls back, exposing more of your tooth. Brushing at least twice a day with a gum-protecting toothpaste like Sensodyne Sensitivity and Gum, coupled with regular dentist visits, will keep your gums shining as bright as those pearly whites.
Russell and Nina Westbrook Dish On The Key Ways To Avoid Resentment In Relationships
Russell and Nina Westbrook are one of those low-key, unproblematic couples we don’t talk about enough. They met in college and got married in 2015. They also have a beautiful family with three kids. While Russell is an NBA star, Nina is a licensed family and marriage therapist and a mental health advocate.
She recently launched the podcast The Relationship Chronicles with Nina Westbrook, and in the latest episode, she had none other than her husband on as a guest. The college sweethearts dived into important topics from marriage to children and how they navigate it all.
One of the topics they touched on was dealing with resentment in your relationship. The former MVP highlighted the sacrifices his wife has had to make in order for him to pursue a career in the NBA, and that’s why it’s also important for him to support his wife whenever he can.
“For me is respecting and understanding what your partner do and the time it takes,” Russell said. “Not kind of downplaying what they do, understanding the time and energy and effort they're doing to make sure whether it’s their job or making sure home is taken care of, and understanding that, I think that is the challenge of not being resentful.”
Nina agreed and also shared her thoughts on resentment. According to her, one of the best things couples should do is have their own identity and passions outside of the relationship in an effort to be fulfilled.
“I also think that when you’re in a relationship, that’s why it’s so important that each individual kinda pursue their own passions and follow their own dreams as I feel like it only becomes or leads to resentment when one person is not feeling fulfilled in what they're doing in their lives,” she explained.
“And so, they will start to look at the other partner who’s happy or excelling or promoting or moving along in their journey, then they’re left feeling stuck like they sacrificed themselves, their happiness, their career, their future and have not pursued it in the name of the relationship or their partner. So, it’s so much easier to avoid those feelings of resentment when you’re each equally pursuing your passions.”
The couple has many passions that they work on together and separately. Outside of basketball and his family, Russell has become known for his eclectic style and started the fashion brand Honor The Gift. Nina has her podcast, and she also started the mental health website Bene. Together, they run the Why Not? Foundation, which works with kids in underserved communities.
“I’m a firm believer that one person can’t be everything to you, so you have to sort of seek out those different friendships or groups or hobbies or activities that help to fulfill you,” Nina concluded.
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Feature image by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Religion of Sports