There is a
solution for those who either don't want to grow or
break their
nails, or who don't like the
feel of
keratin scraping
steel:
Fingerpicks.
Fingerpicks are a strange merge of guitar pick and thimble. They fit over the fingers of the playing hand and, in combination with a thumb pick, can be used to play fingerstyle without nails.
Fingerpick
side view back view
__
\ / \
_| | |
|_| |><|
Thumb pick
top view
_____
/ \
|____________
A
thumb pick is also useful for people who ordinarily use
flatpicks; since it
wraps around the thumb, it's a lot harder to
drop. It also makes
alternate picking and
hybrid picking easier, for much the same reason.