A student has nails that are nearly three inches long after refusing to cut them for nearly three years.
Simone Taylor, from Nuremberg, Germany, revealed how she ‘takes ages’ to shower and get dressed in the morning for fear of catching one of her nails or her clothes, and has even taught herself how to type using only her knuckles to spare the talons.
The 16-year-old, who spends hours each week on maintenance, said her nails become so painful to hold a pen that she is finding it difficult to sit her exams.
She added: ‘PE is a huge problem. I can’t play volleyball, basketball or anything similar.’
Addicted: Simone Taylor, 16, from Nuremberg, Germany, left, hasn’t cut her nails since 2014
Talons: The longest thumbnail, pictured in December last year, is now close to six inches long
Praise: The student, left, said she loves receiving compliments about her nails, seen right
Extraordinary: Simone said she is ‘addicted’ to her long nails and is afraid of using clippers
Struggle: The student said her nails, right in June 2016, are so long she finds it painful to write
Obsession: She also has long toenails, although they are much shorter than her fingernails
Simone said: ‘ It wasn’t my intention to grow them so long, but as they grew, so did the amount of compliments and they became more and more a part of me.
‘During my first year, I always thought to myself, “I’m gonna cut them tomorrow” but I never did.’
The nails now control Simone’s life and she has had to adapt her daily routine to avoid breakages.
She said: ‘Cleaning my teeth and using the toilet aren’t a problem. Funnily enough, a lot of people ask the toilet question when they see my nails for the first time.
A DAY LIVING WITH SIMONE’S 6IN NAILS
At home
Simone is wary of her nails becoming stuck in her hair and clothes so takes extra time showering and getting dressed. She said: ‘Buttoning up a shirt can take ages’.
The teenager also cleans the underside of each nail to keep away germs, and can spend up to an hour-and-a-half painting them.
At school
The length of the nails means Simone now struggles to hold a pen and after an hour her ‘hands really hurt’.
She has taught herself how to type using only her knuckles to spare her extraordinary talons.
The student said her grades in PE are ‘really bad’ because she cannot join in on any ball games that might ruin her nails.
Her teachers have repeatedly pleaded with her to reach for the clippers, but Simone refuses to listen.
‘Showering is a bit more difficult. Sometimes my nails get caught in my hair, so I have to be extra careful.
‘I also have to be careful getting dressed. Even if my nails don’t break, it hurts a lot when they get caught on clothing so I take things really slow. Buttoning up a shirt can take ages.’
The nails have also impacted her schooling as she struggles to write and has had to skip some PE classes.
‘My nails are too long to hold a pen properly now,’ Simone said. ‘I have exams at the moment and it’s hard to write, after one hour of writing my hands really hurt. On the computer, I have to type using my knuckles.
‘PE is a huge problem, though. I can’t play volleyball, basketball or anything similar. My PE teachers are always trying to convince me to cut my nails. They’ll never succeed to convince me – but that makes my grades in PE really bad.’
Simone started growing her nails in early 2014 after she started to watch video tutorials online. She now also has long toenails, although they do not measure up to her fingernails.
‘I guess you could say my addiction began that day, and I’ve been scared of nail clippers ever since,’ she said.
Maintenance: Simone needs to carefully clean the underside of her nails to keep them healthy
Time-consuming: It can take Simone up to an hour-and-a-half to remove her nail polish
Pride and joy: The student takes a tape measure to her nails in December last year
Nail art: The student decorates her long nails in bright colours and stylish designs, pictured
Life-changing: The teenager has had to re-learn how to do even the most basic daily tasks
Now her thumbnail is nearly six inches long while her other nails are roughly an inch shorter. It can take up to three hours to paint them and an hour-and-a-half to remove polish.
To strengthen them, she uses two coats of nail hardener and cuticle oil every time she paints them, and to keep them clean, she cleans the undersides with a cotton bud every day.
Simone’s cautious attitude means she’s only broken a nail once, in July 2016 – but she describes it as one of the most terrible moments of last year.
Nail art: Simone’s nails in October 2015, pictured soon after she started growing them
Hindrance: The teenager carefully holds a Nintendo game console in February 2016
Dramatic: Simone pierces a strawberry with one of her long nails in a photo taken last June
Social media star: Simone has built up a loyal following with her photos of her long nails
She now doesn’t leave the house without her ‘magical’ nail glue.
In May 2015, Simone set up an Instagram page for her nails and has since built up an army of fans. She has also won an international competition for long, natural nails.
She added: ‘I’m so grateful for those wonderful people. Thanks to them, I’ve always felt good about my long nails and will never cut them off, despite the negative comments.’
Close call: The student said breaking a nail was one of the most ‘terrible’ moments of last year
Creative pictures: Simone shows off the length of her nails by digging them into a strawberry
Inspired: After watching nail tutorials online, Simone wanted to see how long hers could grow
