BJJ and pretty nails don’t mix, not for me anyway, since I clip them down every few days to avoid being ‘that’ scratchy-nail person on the mat. And polish? Meh. I only bother for special occasions. But after getting my first SNS manicure for my sister’s wedding, I found a way to clumsily manage a mani and training. Sort of.
That’s Signature Nail Systems by the way- I had to look it up.
The pretty shot
Aren’t they lovely, plastic fantastic-looking amazingness?! Seriously solid. I was drumming my fingernails along everything. Just because.
Obligatory wedding snap (one groomsman to two bridesmaids! We made it work).
Since my ‘enhanced’ French mani was thick and blunt and really not longer than my natural nail length, I got away with training twice in Australia in the week following the wedding; no scratching anyone or feeling like I may inadvertently rip my talons off.
Back to the UK, and although the SNS was starting to grow out, I wanted to be vain and keep that souped-up nail feeling for a little longer. But how to trim them when they’re too thick for clippers to handle?
Cue manic filing! It was tedious, but it worked.
For a good three weeks I successfully kept my nails short for BJJ, and that French manicure – while it looked a little odd with the white part steadily disappearing – continued to hold with no problem. Mind you, it was swiftly looking worse and worse.
So this is where laziness just set in really. Who cares what my nails look like! Buy acetone or go to a nail bar to get the stuff removed? Pah! I’ll just let them grow off.
All the BJJ gripping started prying them loose mid-roll to the surprise of my training partners; Holy shit I just found your nail…oh it’s fake? Phew..
Thankfully I didn’t feel a thing or lose any real nails in the process but, I do now have half a hand of weird-looking pink stuff left on my claws, and my nails are definitely feeling thinner/weaker, hopefully temporarily.
Would weak nails be a thing if I had removed the SNS you know, the responsible-manicure-girl way? Maybe, maybe not, the internet seems divided. Either way it’s probably the route I’ll take if I ever get a proper manicure again.
My sister had a great wedding photographer by the way. You can check out more photos here.
gypsy girl in gi 
The only solution I have found to maintaining my vanity of loving a good mani and going to bjj is nail wraps. They are vinyl covers that go on top of your nail like polish. They keep your nails strong and they don’t chip or peel so they good u til you remove them! The beat brand I’ve tried is called Jamberry! It’s the o ly thing that last through rolling. My best friend also uses them and she’s a synchronized swimmer and they even stay on in the pool everyday!
Ahh that’s a really good idea! Although the few times I have tried nail wraps I have never been able to put them on properly and make them look nice.