{"id":3387,"date":"2013-07-09T21:54:58","date_gmt":"2013-07-10T04:54:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nailcarehq.com\/?p=3387"},"modified":"2022-07-21T11:32:24","modified_gmt":"2022-07-21T18:32:24","slug":"nail-shapes-how-to-file-nails-squoval","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nailcareheadquarters.com\/nail-shapes-how-to-file-nails-squoval\/","title":{"rendered":"Nail Shapes – How To File Nails Square and Squoval"},"content":{"rendered":"
Nail Shapes<\/span><\/h6>\n

\"Nail<\/a><\/h2>\n
\n

ASK ANA<\/h1>\n

Ok Ana, do you have any tips for how to file different nail shapes? I used to do the oval shape but have switched to a much prefered squoval. But am having a tough time getting the shape just right and they lean more to the oval shape more than I’d like. ~Katie Rae<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

ANSWER<\/h1>\n

Katie Rae, this is such a great question and getting the right nail shape is\u00a0a challenge for A LOT of people. Don’t feel bad. It just takes a little bit of practice.<\/p>\n

I had trouble getting my nail shapes right\u00a0until a couple of years ago. A lot of people think I have perfect nails. This is so far from the truth as you’ll see in the pictures below.<\/p>\n

Most of us have wonky natural nail shapes, especially as they get longer. Excellent filing can hide a multitude of sins. It’s important to file them correctly.<\/p>\n

Mirror, Mirror…<\/h2>\n

TIP: Your nail tips will look best if they mirror the proximal fold of your eponychium<\/a> (cuticle line). Most people think their proximal fold is their cuticle, but that is incorrect<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The proximal fold is the tight band of skin<\/strong> at the base of your nail. This is a very important guardian seal<\/strong> to keep germs and bacteria out of your nail matrix.<\/p>\n

Even though I will be talking about the proximal fold<\/strong> in this article, I will refer to it as the cuticle line<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

If you have squarer cuticle lines\u00a0you will look great with square or squoval.<\/p>\n

If you have very rounded cuticle lines, you will look best with very round tips.<\/p>\n

As you will see in the following photos, I have squarer\u00a0cuticle lines.\u00a0I prefer the squoval shape.<\/p>\n

Take a Good Look<\/h2>\n

1.<\/strong> Take a look at your nails and look at the gentle U shape of your cuticle lines.<\/p>\n

Now imagine that there is a line going through the bottom portion of the U horizontally as in finger C in photo #1.<\/p>\n

When you file your tips, you’re going to start by filing the free edge of the nail parallel to your cuticle\u00a0lines. This is just a general guide to get started.<\/p>\n

In photo #1 you can see how crooked<\/strong> my cuticle\u00a0lines are.<\/p>\n

\"nail<\/a><\/p>\n

Ready, Set, Go…<\/b><\/h2>\n

2.<\/strong> Using a 240 grit or finer nail file, file the tip of your nail straight across. Try to keep your\u00a0tips\u00a0parallel to your\u00a0cuticle line.<\/p>\n

I find it helpful to put the hand I’m filing on my thigh just above my knee for stability. Of course, this gets nail shavings all over my jeans, but that’s what the washing machine is for, right?<\/p>\n

Filing Direction?<\/h2>\n

There\u00a0are a lot of bloggers who claim that you should only file in one direction.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Recent information from my mentor, Doug Schoon, author of Nail Structure and Product Chemistry, has proven with electron microscope photos that this is\u00a0false<\/strong>. It’s totally ok<\/strong> to file back and forth in a see-saw motion<\/strong>.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Thank goodness! Because this is how I’ve been filing my nails my entire life!<\/div>\n
\n

Whether your favorite file has a paper center or made of crystal<\/a>, it’s ok to use your favorite filing method.<\/p>\n

On The Flip Side<\/h2>\n

3.<\/strong> Once you have all nails with “flat tops,” flip your hand over like in image #2.<\/p>\n

Spread your fingers so they are all pointing straight up. If I put my fingers together, the index and pinkie finger tips get pulled toward the center.<\/p>\n

Now look at the tops of your fingertips and the top line you just filed on your nail. I use an imaginary line as in finger C in photo #2.<\/p>\n

Are your tips parallel or is one side higher than the other? They should be parallel.<\/strong> Fix any that are uneven.<\/p>\n

This is your FINAL STRAIGHT LINE.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"nail<\/a><\/p>\n

Trust the Flip Side<\/h2>\n

4.<\/strong> If step 3 affects the parallel lines on one of your fingers when you flip your hand back over then you most likely have a crooked cuticle\u00a0line. It may feel weird, but stick with the line you just created with your hand flipped over.<\/p>\n

I have some very crooked cuticle lines\u00a0so this was tough for me. If you want SQUARE, stop here.\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Rounded Curves Are In<\/h2>\n

5.<\/strong> To get SQUOVAL, file off the sharp corners of each nail and slightly curve the top edge of your nail.<\/p>\n

And I mean slightly!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Just take a little off the sides to soften the line so it’s not ruler straight.<\/p>\n

Finishing School<\/h2>\n


\n6. \u00a0<\/strong>Using a 400 or higher grit nail file<\/a>, smooth the free edge of each nail. \u00a0Hold the file perpendicular<\/strong> to the tip and lightly sand from the top to the underside. Now you’re ready for a manicure.<\/p>\n

Smoothing The Free Edge\"nail<\/h2>\n

Sometimes you will still have nail shavings<\/strong> attached to your tips.<\/p>\n

I love sanding sticks<\/strong> to take care of the shavings when creating different nail shapes.<\/p>\n

They don’t last very long, but they’re fairly inexpensive.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

What Kind of File Do I Use?<\/h2>\n

\"nailI\u00a0only use cardboard<\/strong> nail files when I want to take down a lot of length quickly<\/strong>. Either that, or I cut them before filing.<\/p>\n

I like to use a crystal nail file on my nails for finishing work. Because crystal nail files are about a 600 grit (they’re really fine). I\u00a0have two sizes of crystal files<\/a>\u00a0A small, travel-size file in my purse and a full-size file at my nail table.<\/p>\n

This ultra fine grit\u00a0gives you much smoother tips when you’re filing. Smoother tips mean less fraying. Less fraying means less peeling, tearing, and breaking.<\/p>\n

\n

Here’s the final result.<\/p>\n

\"nail<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

In Conclusion<\/h2>\n

Filing different nail shapes can be challenging and takes practice.\"nail<\/p>\n

I find that using higher grit files are\u00a0more forgiving because they don’t file too much too fast. You have a lot more control.<\/p>\n

Remember, while you are practicing, it’s ok if it takes you 20 minutes or more to file your nails. You’ll get better over time and you’ll file quicker.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nail Shapes ASK ANA Ok Ana, do you have any tips for how to file different nail shapes? I used to do the oval shape but have switched to a much prefered squoval. But am having a tough time getting the shape just right and they lean more to the oval shape more than I’d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":93611,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[79,492,56,239,18,19,6],"tags":[243,193,209,13,244,44,240,12,424,191,71,194,242,241],"class_list":["post-3387","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ask-ana","category-curved-nails-2","category-files","category-how-to-file-nails","category-nail-care-2","category-nail-care-mistakes","category-solutions","tag-240-grit-file","tag-ask-ana-2","tag-cuticle","tag-cuticle-oil-2","tag-eponychium","tag-filing-nails","tag-how-to-file-nails-2","tag-nail-oil-2","tag-nail-shapes","tag-nails","tag-pure-nail-oil","tag-pure","tag-square-nails","tag-squoval"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nailcareheadquarters.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3387","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nailcareheadquarters.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nailcareheadquarters.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nailcareheadquarters.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nailcareheadquarters.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3387"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.nailcareheadquarters.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3387\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nailcareheadquarters.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/93611"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nailcareheadquarters.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3387"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nailcareheadquarters.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3387"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nailcareheadquarters.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3387"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}