The shape of nails is considered as a soul of a nice nail set. The work (of filing nail) looks simple, but it actually has a major influence to the style-creation of the nail set. Furthermore, the improper filing might crack the real nails. In the following, there are some tips to file nails for new nail technicians.
Mini-tips: After filing, double check by looking along the hands from the customer’s view to avoid the uneven nails from his/her perspective. Palm up the hand to check if adding or trimming the tips unevenly, and then filing briefly to make them balance before filing them into proper shape. After filing, palm ups the hand to recheck.
When filing natural nails, choose a soft file (file with high grit number) to prevent tearing of the nail. A 240-grit is the most used file.
Keep the file straight when doing. If you use a back-and-forth sawing motion, the tips could be weaken and cracked.
For weak nails:
- If nails are dry, brittle and tend to break easily, skip soaking fingertips in soapy water before the manicure
- Do not file too far into two sides of a nail. It will weaken the nail causing breakage.
Techniques of filing nails:
1. File the tip of the nail, holding the file precisely perpendicular to the nail.
2. When filing the sides of the nail, hold the file parallel to the side of the nail. Don’t edge the file into the corner; this can encourage breakage.
3. Finally, soften or round the corners to create a desired shape by gently filing edges at a slight angle.
4. Filing nail seems to be a simple and basic thing that anyone can do. However, if we do not pay attention and are not careful enough, the nails would be ugly and breakable. Be careful when we do the manicure for the nails!
Attention: It is advised to file the shape briefly so it is faster to check the shape after dipping powder.
Hope them useful to you - the novices!