Katie Barnes
Katie Barnes

How to correctly file the natural nail

By Katie Barnes | 22 January 2019 | Expert Advice, Feature, Technique

Katie Barnes File

We hear the myth time and time again – ‘Nail enhancements damage the nail’ – but the damage is usually caused by over-filing the natural nail before any nail products have been applied, or by incorrect removal.

Over-filing of the natural nail is one of the most common causes of nail damage. If the nail is filed too aggressively, the nail can be damaged by these poor techniques, yet the enhancement product is likely to wrongly, get the blame for this damage. Over-filing the natural nail can cause damage such as thin nail plate, nail separation, discomfort for your client and can make the nail more prone to infections.

Correct natural nail prep is essential for long lasting nail services – whether this be traditional nail polish application or enhancements – and each service will have a different requirement.

Nails contain approximately 100 cell layers. Aggressive filing with an overly coarse file of 80 to 150-grit or using an electric file incorrectly or with bits not designed to be used on the natural nail can remove over half of these cell layers. These grits also create larger and deeper scratches in the nail plate which lead to thinner and weaker nail plates.

The ideal grit for filing the natural nail is a 180 to 240-grit file. While using a file that is too coarse, using one which is overly worn and past its best, can also cause damage by the tech needing to apply additional force for the file to seem effective.

Old techniques and products called for ‘roughing up’ the natural nail for adhesion but nail products and education have come along way since then and this is not necessary.

In fact, overly thin nails will be too flexible and cause adhesion problems. It is only the ‘shine’ that needs to be removed when preparing the natural nail for enhancements. This shine is the oils on the nail plate, which can affect adhesion of enhancement product if not removed. Correct filing of the nail plate will only remove no more than 5 layers of the nail plate.

While over-filing can cause damage, under-filing and leaving the shine on the nail plate can cause adhesion problems, so proper and thorough preparation techniques are required prior to carrying out any nail service.

Another common myth heard when we start nail training, is that the natural nail length is only to be filed in one direction to avoid damage. This myth has been busted in recent years. Along with the filing of the natural nail plate, be wise which nail file grit you use and not to use overly aggressive methods.

It is important to only file each area of the natural nail once to avoid over filing and to ensure you are doing this, it is essential to follow a filing routine and follow this routine on each nail.

An element of this is also holding your file with the correct pressure and at the correct angle. Using too much downward pressure while filing increases nail thinning and weakening. Hold your file at the point the file contacts the nail, if, for example you hold just the end, the file will end and will not file the nail consistently.

Don’t be tempted to hold the whole file flat over the nail constantly as you will over file the natural nail and are likely to catch the skin. Use the correct angle of the file and move the hand or file as you move around the nail.

Love Katie B x

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