Can You Play Softball With Acrylic Nails? (Solved!)
Paul Hall
Even though they’ve been around for decades, acrylic nails have become quite a craze over the last few years.
They are even plenty of celebs wearing them.
It’s hardly surprising, as they add to the strengths and length of the nails and provide a large and even canvas for intricate nail designs.
With all this popularity, it’s logical that plenty of girls who play softball also have or want to have acrylic nails.
However, many of them are not sure can you play softball with acrylic nails.
Softball is a very active and physical sport, where most of the plays involve using your hands.
Plus, games are often decided by the tiniest of margins and small details can play a big role in team and player success.
So, it’s fair to wonder how acrylic nails can impact the player’s performance, and additionally, how they affect players’ safety while on the field.
Table of Contents
Can You Play Softball With Acrylic Nails?
In general, you can play softball with acrylic nails, but your success on the field while wearing them will depend on several factors.
For many women, when they have their acrylic nails just done, they can feel a bit uncomfortable and like a burden.
So, it’s important to get used to your nails before taking part in games, particularly in competitive leagues.
Plays in the competitive leagues often take place at a frantic pace, so if you’re not comfortable with wearing acrylic nails, it will only cause unnecessary distraction and impact the way you play.
If you’re set on playing softball with acrylic nails, you should do everything you can to make them feel more natural and lessen the influence they may have on your game.
However, doing so is not that hard and it only takes a couple of adjustments to the way you would normally wear acrylic nails.
Use Only High-Quality Acrylic Nails
Acrylic nails are strong and resilient and they may sometimes even be better for softball than your natural nails.
This is the case when your natural nails are brittle and break easily. If this is you, acrylic nails will provide more strength and withstand the demands of the game better.
Of course, this will only apply if your acrylic nails are of high quality.
Otherwise, you’ll only be doing yourself a disservice and causing more unnecessary issues while playing.
As you use the glove, swing the bat, or dive for the ball, your nails will be taking a lot of pressure and shock, so you want ones that won’t break easily.
There are plenty of nail technicians and salons doing acrylic nails and not all provide high-quality service.
So, make sure to do some research and get the acrylic nails that can take all the beating of a softball game.
Shorter Nails Are Better
The simple logic says that in softball, as well as in any other sport, shorter nails are more suitable and cause fewer issues.
Needless to say, when having acrylic nails done, most girls want long beautiful nails that they can use to imprint stylish designs.
However, nails that are too long will certainly hinder your ability to perform in the best possible way when playing softball.
Still, this doesn’t mean that you have to go all the way short, especially at certain positions on the field.
For example, playing shortstop will require a lot of watching, fielding, and throwing the ball, so long nails will surely have a negative effect on the performance.
Remember that there are some trendy acrylic options, such as oval-shaped ones, that will look just as good but with much less length.
Plus, there’s always the off-season when you can wear whatever type of acrylic nails you want.
Make Sure To Take Good Care Of Your Acrylic Nails
None of the advice above won’t matter much if you don’t take proper care of your nails.
If you have acrylic nails, regular care and maintenance will make them stronger, more durable, better-looking, and, very importantly, prevent potential infections.
The care routine for acrylic nails mainly involves two regular activities – moisturizing and re-filling.
Moisturizing
For someone who uses their hands a lot, which softball players certainly do, regular moisturizing of acrylic nails is a must.
If you fail to regularly moisturize your nails, they will, over time, become brittle and dry. This will not only make them look bad, but also cause them to break easily.
With all the constant involvement of the hands in softball, poorly moisturized acrylic nails definitely won’t last long.
To moisturize your nails, you don’t need anything more than hand creme and cuticle oil. Most girls playing softball already use hand creme, so this surely won’t be much of a burden.
Cuticle oil is also important as it will enhance the circulation around your nails and foster their growth.
Regular use will also prevent infections, eliminate the need for frequent refills, and increase the overall aesthetic appeal of your nails.
Plus, it will help acrylic nails stay on longer and better.
Refilling
To keep your acrylic nails in good condition, you’ll also have to do the re-fill from time to time.
Over time, the gaps will occur on your acrylic nails, and, according to most experts, these gaps should be filled every three weeks or so.
Waiting longer to re-fill, will turn these gaps into a fertile ground for bacteria and cause them to spread underneath both acrylic and natural nails.
Plus, failing to re-fill acrylic nails may cause them to fall off easier, which is obviously an issue when playing softball.
Conclusion
There’s nothing in the softball rules and regulations about playing the game with acrylic nails, so you’re free to wear them if you want to.
However, for some girls, they may feel awkward which hinders their performance.
For others, they may even be advantageous and prove more comfortable and stronger than their natural nails.
So, the choice mainly comes down to personal preference and the feel of the game with acrylic nails.
Nevertheless, if you choose to play softball with acrylic nails, make sure to follow all the advice mentioned above that will make your nails look nicer, be more durable, feel better, and ultimately, be healthier.
