For those of us that love getting our nails done, we eventually develop an attachment to the way they look and feel. Having long, strong nails makes us feel put together, beautiful, and even powerful. You can really get creative with your nails and use them as a form of self-expression, trying out fun new designs and colors every other week.
But with great nails comes great inconvenience sometimes. Long nails can undoubtedly get in the way of minor daily tasks like opening a can of soda, doing your hair, and especially typing. If you’ve been struggling with dealing with your long nails, there’s still hope for you.
Let’s figure out a few ways to troubleshoot this issue and get to the bottom of how to type with long nails.
Why is it so Difficult?
First off, why exactly is typing with nails so hard?
Well, chances are, most of us type using the very tips of our fingers. This area becomes blocked when a long nail is present, giving you less surface area available to type. Many people who have never had long nails think it’s basically impossible to type anything with them, but those of us in the know are aware of the workarounds.
Here’s how you can type in the presence of long nails.
Yes, Still Use Your Fingers
Okay, this one does seem a bit obvious, yes. But many of us try to continue typing using the same portion of our fingers as before, which doesn’t end well.
Using your nails causes undue stress on them, which can lead to damage and even breakage. This means not only are your beautiful nails ruined, but you could also find yourself in a bit of pain from the break, too. That’s a bad situation.
On top of that, using your nails to type just isn’t effective. For most smartphones, the screen relies on the heat from your fingertips to operate correctly, and you can’t achieve that heat using your fingernails.
You also can’t get as much force behind your long nails as you can with the pads of your fingers, so you are likely going to find yourself attempting to press the same button over and over again. That gets frustrating after a while, as you can imagine.
It’s best to just tap with the underside of your fingers and thumbs, holding your fingers flatter than usual to allow extra space for your nails. It seems a bit awkward at first (and honestly always) but if it’s what you have to do to keep those beautiful long nails intact, then hey, it’s worth it.
Slow it Down
Don’t assume that you can type just as fast as you could before. Sorry babe, you are going to have to slow it down just a little bit. Not only is it more difficult on a purely logistic level, but adjusting to this new method of typing is also going to raise your likelihood of typos and errors.
Avoid some of the annoyances that arise in editing by going slow in the first place. Be deliberate in your typing. It will be worth it in the end when you don’t have to rewrite your entire message.
Practice Makes Perfect
Just like with anything else, it’s going to take some time to get the hang of typing with your long nails. Though you may get a bit frustrated at first, take a deep breath and just keep going. The only way that you can get better at it is by continually trying it. Eventually, you will get the hang of it, and get to enjoy your long nails at the same time.
