Shereene IdrissBoard Certified Derm, Founder and Chief Nerd

How to File Your Nails Correctly for Strong, Healthy Nails

13 Jul 2026 · 1 min

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In this instructional segment, Shereene Idriss explains the proper technique for filing nails to maintain strength and health. She emphasizes filing in a single direction rather than a back‑and‑forth motion, explaining that repeated directional changes separate the nail plate layers, weaken the edge, and cause peeling. Idriss also advises using a fine‑grit nail file, comparing a coarse file to sandpaper that would gnaw away the nail plate and cause damage with each stroke. The overall message is that careful, one‑direction filing with a fine‑grit file preserves nail integrity and prevents common filing‑related problems.

Chapters

So you want to make sure that you are filing in one direction. It's the truth of the matter, and I don't think I've ever seen anybody ever file just in one direction. People tend to go— that is not the right way to file, because think about it, if you are filing back and forth and back and forth and back and forth, you're going to be separating the different layers of your nail plate, and the edge is going to get weaker, and you are going to get peeling. And you want to make sure that the type of nail filer that you're using is a fine grit, because a coarse grit— think of like sandpaper when you're trying to sandpaper your swing set something that's what I've done every single year. If it is too coarse, you're going to be gnawing at your nail plate and it's going to go pfft and it's going to cause more damage per stroke. So you want a very fine nail filer.