If there’s one nail tool you’ll find in almost every woman's (and man’s) nail care kit, it’s a nail file. Coming in many different varieties, with their unique ways of being used, a nail file can cause a dramatic effect on your nails, but sometimes not always for the best.
There are plenty of different materials now available for nail files, but one that’s become incredibly popular in recent times is the glass or crystal nail file. We’re here to show you what makes glass the ideal surface for smoothing, filing, and polishing your nails, and why the dated emery board or metal nail file is fast becoming a thing of the past.
What Is A Nail File and What Is It Used For?
In simple terms, a nail file is a tool used in the world of nail care with the prime purpose of filing back your nails to size or to create a certain shape. They’re used in both professional salons and by home nail lovers and can have a huge impact on the end result of your nail care regime.
However, as important as nail files are there are too many people out there today still relying on harsh and abrasive files to take care of their nails. This can result in damage to the nails, weakening of the edges, and eventually splits and cracks that occur. For this reason, investing in a modern crystal nail file which costs just the same as a traditional emery board means you’ll treat your nails to a gentler but far more effective nail file.
One of the best things about choosing glass for your nail file is their versatility with the types of nails they work with. The smooth crystals make them ideal for natural nails and will actually work to repair the edges of your nail, but they’re strong enough to file down acrylics with ease. This means you only ever need to purchase one nail file for the life of your nails, and when compared to other nail file materials there are plenty of other benefits, too.
The Different Nail File Materials
There are a few different materials commonly used for nail files and each of them gives different results. Here are the most common nail file materials and how they’re used:
- Emery board - the most commonly used type of nail file but also the harshest. These usually feature two different levels of grit on each side and can be quite abrasive. These are generally best used in just one direction to avoid splitting of nails but should be treated with care as they can take off a lot in a short time.
- Metal file - these are extremely damaging to nails and will result in the most breakages and splits of your nail. Their grit value is low which makes them extremely abrasive and are generally only recommended for acrylic nails.
- Glass/crystal file - made from ground up crystals that resemble glass, these work best when you file away at the nail in both directions. Unlike emery boards where this can do damage, the fine crystals will both file and smooth your nail at the same time so it has far more benefits than other materials.
Why Glass Is Best for Nail Files
If you’re still unsure about which is the best material to choose for your nail file, consider these benefits that a glass fingernails file has over a traditional emery board:
- Easy to clean and sterilise - when compared to other nail files, the glass nail file is perfect for salon and home use. These can be easily cleaned with soap and water, then sprayed with an antiseptic spray to sterilise them completely.
- Gentle on nails - glass works like no other nail file in that it actually helps to seal the keratin layers at the edge of your nail together which helps to prevent chips and breakages.
- Easy to use and powerful - because of how gentle they are on your nails, people assume that glass nail files are ineffective. However, these are easy to use and far quicker at filing back the nail than tough emery boards, so they offer the best of both worlds.
- Long lasting and durable - a glass or crystal nail file is made from one of the toughest materials around which means it will never dull or weaken. If you take proper care of your nail file it will last as long as you do, which means you’ll never have to purchase another again.
When using your glass nail file, there’s no need to be as delicate as you might be with a metal file or emery board as they won’t do any damage to your nails. This means you can use them lightly as a buffer or with a little more force as a filer, adding even further to their versatility.
Gentle But Effective Nail Care
Although they might seem tough, our nails are actually quite delicate and require something that’s soft enough to protect them but durable enough to file them down with ease. With more and more professional salons now preferring to use glass and crystal nail files, it’s likely that the days of the metal file and emery boards will be long gone in the future.
When you think about how much effort we put into growing our nails and just how important they are for our overall appearance, it’s a wonder why we put them through the agony of abrasive files and boards for so long. With just one use of a gentle crystal nail file, you’ll be amazed at the results you can get with such little effort, and it’s one accessory that will stay in your nail kit for many years to come.