Nail files are arguably the most important tool in your manicure kit, in terms of the health of your nails. Most people don’t realize the damage they’re doing to their nails with drugstore emery boards. They often ask what’s the best nail file grit for natural nails, not realizing that grit is a designation for sandpaper, which is what emery boards are. Emery boards (and the sandpaper that’s glued to them) rip and shred your nails. While they may feel superficially smooth, you’ll end up with peeling nails that break and split within a few days. Then you file them again, and the whole cycle repeats. Read on to find out how to break that cycle.
What type of nail file is best for natural nails?
The best nail file for natural nails is a glass or metal nail file. When it comes to choosing between a glass vs metal nail file, the best type of nail file for you is mostly based on personal preference. So let’s look at some of the characteristics of the best metal nail files, the best glass nail file for natural nails, and some subcategories of both glass and metal files that you may not be familiar with.
Metal nail files
Metal nail files are usually made of stainless steel and they have strips cut into them at different angles, which is what gives them their rough texture. Many are double sided, with a fine texture on one side and a medium texture on the other. Metal files are a better option than emery boards because they don’t sand your nail down. Instead, they scrape almost like a metal file used in woodworking. They’re healthier for your nails because they eliminate the risk of gouging, which is a concern when you’re using an emery board. Many people prefer metal nail files over glass ones because they’re much less breakable. And unlike emery boards, they never wear out.
Another type of metal file is a sapphire file. This kind of file is still made of metal (again, usually steel), but instead of lines etched into it giving it its texture, it has finely crushed minerals glued to it. GERmanikure uses crushed sapphires because of their hardness—the only minerals harder than sapphires are diamonds. Sapphire files can tear your nails the same way emery boards can, but they’re the best nail files for shaping acrylic or other artificial nails.
Glass nail files
If you’re wondering what kind of nail file is best for natural nails, glass nail files have become the gold standard in nail filing for good reason. Glass files (also sometimes called crystal files, or crystal glass files) are made by etching the surface of Czech or German glass with a texture that, if you were to look at it under a microscope, would resemble peaks and valleys. The amount of space between the peaks, as well as the height of the peaks, can give you variations in texture, which is why many glass nail files have a fine texture on one side and medium texture on the other. Glass nail files have no grit because there is nothing glued to them—therefore, the grit designations given to sandpaper don’t apply.
The filing surface is so fine and uniform that it actually polishes the edge of your nail, but it can also cut them down pretty aggressively. In this way, glass nail files really are the best of both worlds: they can make short work of rough, jagged edges and even take off a good amount of length, all while polishing your nail and sealing the edge, keeping your nails safe from tears. If you switch from an emery board to a glass file, you’ll notice a massive difference in the health of your nails: no more splits or breakage, and no more peeling layers. They are, without question, the best fingernail file for delicate nails that need a bit of TLC.
GERmanikure’s moon file is an example of how much more versatile glass files can be than other types. The moon file has a unique curved shape with a groove cut into the concave side of the curve. You can fit your nail in the groove, sweep the file back and forth, and it will give you a perfectly curved shape with hardly any effort at all.
Another type of glass nail file that’s worth mentioning is called a nano file. This type of file is very similar to a crystal glass file. Nano files are made the same way as glass files, but the surface is etched at the nano scale, which can arguably make it more gentle and effective than traditional glass or crystal files, though there isn’t yet much research to back this up.
It’s true that glass nail files are more breakable than other types of files, and they are a bit more expensive (although maybe not that much more expensive, when you compare the cost to a lifetime supply of emery boards), but are glass nail files better? Absolutely.
In conclusion, every type of nail file has pros and cons (except emery boards. If you’re still hanging onto those, please do your nails a favor and throw them out). There is no best grit for natural nails—no grit is good for natural nails! The best nail file for you is the one that’s the best fit for your personal needs, preferences, lifestyle, and current nail health.
