Nail Files, Buffers and Clippers Explained

Manicure Stuff

Open a drawer of nail tools and you will find a small mystery: files with numbers on them, blocks with four colored sides, three kinds of clippers and a pair of tiny scissors. Which of them does what, and which are worth keeping?

Here is a plain guide to the tools you actually use to shape a nail, how to use them without damaging it, and how to keep them clean. One honest warning first: the health bodies (the AAD and APMA) say very little about grit numbers or file materials. Most of the detail on those comes from nail-industry articles, and I have marked it that way.

Clippers: the first tool in the routine

The AAD says to use a nail clipper or nail scissors for fingernails and a separate toenail clipper for toenails. The APMA goes further and recommends a straight-edge toenail clipper, and warns that using fingernail clippers or manicure scissors on toenails can raise the odds of ingrown toenails.

Three stainless-steel nail clippers side by side, one plier-style and two lever-style

Image: Three types of nail clippers: one plier-style and two compound-lever by Evan-Amos, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

The photo shows three common designs. The two on the right are lever clippers, the kind most people have in a bathroom drawer. The one on the left is a plier-style clipper. For toenails, what matters most, according to the APMA, is a straight cutting edge, because toenails should be cut straight across.

Some practical points from the AAD’s trimming advice:

  • Trim after a bath or shower, or soak your nails in lukewarm water for a few minutes first, so they are softer.
  • Cut fingernails almost straight across, then round the corners slightly with a file. That keeps them strong and stops them catching on clothes.
  • Cut toenails straight across. Toenails grow more slowly, so they need trimming less often.
  • Do not cut down the sides of the nail. The NHS says to trim straight across the top only.

Files: grits, materials and which way to stroke

A nail file is an abrasive stuck to a backing, and the abrasive is graded by grit. In nail-industry sources, the lower the number, the coarser the file. An American Salon article from 2017 quotes Essie’s education director saying that roughly 80 to 120 grit is very coarse, 180 to 240 is medium, and buffing files can go into the thousands. A 2003 Nails magazine guide quotes a technician who shapes natural nails with 180 grit, smooths frayed edges with 240 and “never” uses 100 grit on natural nails. Those are trade opinions, not a medical standard, but they point the same way: for natural nails, pick a medium or fine file and leave the coarse ones for artificial nails.

Emery boards

The classic emery board is a card or wood core with an abrasive coating. The AAD and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases both recommend an emery board for smoothing nail edges. The APMA adds a hygiene warning: emery boards are porous, can trap germs and cannot be sterilized, so do not share them and bring your own to a salon. My suggestion, not a source’s, is to bin an emery board when it is worn or has been used on an infected nail.

Glass files

You will see glass (or crystal) files described as gentler. Some sellers, including a dermatologist who sells her own glass file, say glass “seals” the edge of the nail and can be used in any direction. I could not find independent research that backs up the sealing claim, and the AAD’s advice is still to file in one direction. So treat the glass file as a fine option if you like how it feels, not as a proven nail-strengthener.

A slim glass nail file with a green-to-clear gradient

Image: A glass nail file by Fanny Schertzer, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

A glass file’s surface is not porous, which I would expect to make it easier to wash than a paper-core board. That is my reasoning rather than something the AAD or APMA states.

Which way to file

The AAD is clear: always file in the same direction, because filing back and forth can weaken your nails. Start at the outside edge and stroke toward the center, lift, and repeat. Hold the file lightly. The APMA’s pedicure advice also says to use an emery board lightly and in one direction.

Buffers

A buffer is a block with several surfaces, graded from rougher to very fine, used to smooth the surface of the nail plate or add shine.

A slim rectangular nail buffer block with a white face and a black face

Image: A nail buffer block by Wolfmankurd, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

I did not find a dermatologist source that says how often it is safe to buff, so I will not give you a number. Cleveland Clinic lists brittle nails among common nail problems, so if your nails are thin, ridged or splitting, I would leave the buffer alone and read the nail problems post. That is a cautious reading on my part, not a stated rule.

Shape names

Shapes are a matter of taste and tradition, not science. Using the descriptions on a professional polish brand’s shaping page (OPI), the common ones are:

  • Square: a flat top with straight corners.
  • Squoval: cut straight across, then the corners are rounded slightly. It is the most forgiving shape for people who catch their nails.
  • Round: follows the curve of the fingertip.
  • Oval: the sides narrow toward the tip, like an egg.
  • Almond: the sides are filed in at about 45 degrees and the tip rounded to a soft point, usually on longer nails.

The AAD’s “almost straight across with slightly rounded corners” is, in effect, a squoval. For toenails, forget the fancy shapes. The APMA says not to round the edges of your toenails, and the AAD says to cut them straight across.

Keeping tools clean

The AAD’s monthly routine for clippers and scissors: soak a small scrub brush in 70 to 90 percent isopropyl alcohol, scrub the tools, rinse them in hot water and dry them completely.

Terms matter here. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in its healthcare guideline, describes cleaning as removing visible soil with water and detergent; disinfection as eliminating many or all disease-causing microorganisms on objects, except bacterial spores; and sterilization as destroying all forms of microbial life, which it describes as something done in health-care facilities. That is a clinic’s job. At home, the realistic goal is clean tools and the AAD’s disinfecting routine.

Three more rules:

  1. Do not share clippers, files or buffers. The NHS lists sharing clippers among the ways fungal nail infection spreads, and the APMA warns against sharing files.
  2. Do not use the same tools on fingers and toes. The APMA says bacteria and fungus can transfer between them.
  3. Keep tools dry. Dry them completely after cleaning, as the AAD says.

Where to go next

If you are building a tool set, the kit post lists what is worth having and what is not, and the Shop’s mani-pedi collection is there if you want to browse.

Sources

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