Why A Soft Nail Board May Be More Beneficial For Your Nails

If you've ever had a manicure, you know that one crucial part of the procedure is filing your nails. Filing your nails is essential for getting the perfect nail shape and smoothing out the ragged edges. Typically, when getting your nails done at the salon or at home, the go-to tool for filing nails is a cardboard emery board. These classic nail files can be found in most stores and help round out your nails. Although we've traditionally used these nail files, that doesn't mean they are the best options for us. Dr. Dana Stern, a board-certified dermatologist, tells The Zoe Report, "Cardboard emery boards can create microscopic openings at the tip of the nail that lead to splits, breakage, and poor growth." Thankfully, we have plenty of options that won't compromise our nail health.

Out of the many options for nail files, one of the best is a soft nail board file. These soft nail files are an absolute change if you want healthier nails. While newer, the soft emery boards have been proven to be an adequate change that will get your ideal nail shape while still maintaining your nail's health.

Changing to a glass nail file is much more than just having a smoother experience, as there are plenty of reasons why you should change the type of nail file you use. Unlike cardboard emery boards, soft file boards, like glass files, are easier to clean and can help seal your keratin layers. According to Sally Beauty Supply, with soft nail files, you'll never have to worry about your nail layers chipping or getting rips. Unlike standard nail files, softer files will last longer and won't split your nails. Other nail files, like cushion nail board files, will also provide an extra layer of softness to limit the damage a nail file could cause. 

When it comes to cleaning and sanitizing your glass nail file, the process is simpler than you can imagine. The experts at Obroba recommend simply running your glass nail file under hot running water while rubbing the tool to get excess grime or dirt off. That way, the nail file is clean and ready to use anytime you need it. In fact, unlike cardboard emery boards, glass nail files can be constantly cleaned and reused. Being able to reuse your nail file means you never have to worry about contaminating your nails and constantly repurchasing nail files when they run out.

Regardless of which soft nail file you use, you need to be using it correctly. Therefore, Makeup.com explains that the worst movement you can do for your nails is to file them back and forth. The best way to get some shape in your nails is by moving the nail file in one continuous motion in the same direction. Once you finish on one side, you can then move on to the next side. Be sure to swipe each side one or two times before moving on for optimal shaping.

Although it's tempting to wet your nails for less grit against your nails, dry nails will deliver better and healthier results. Amy Ling Lin, the founder of sundays, tells Coveteur, "When we file wet nails, the nail absorbs a lot of water and becomes softer, [meaning] it can become quite easy to break the nail or over-file, especially if the client has longer nails." Filing with dry nails is the traditional way of filing nails as it gives you or the nail technician a better view of how far to file your nails. When you have wet nails, on the other hand, it's harder to be able to tell if you've been filing your nail too much.