So apparently we’ve all been filing our nails wrong our whole lives.
Experts claim that dragging a nail file backwards and forwards across the end of the nails is really bad.
Why? Becuase it causes fraying, weakness and even premature breaking. Oh, and it's also said to give you less control over the shape of your nails.
Apparently, using this sawing motion to shorten our nails actually causes them trauma, which is a little worrying.
![Nail file](https://images.bauerhosting.com/legacy/lifestyle-images/hair_beauty/585d42d22a40657b5201c692/GettyImages-566438913.jpg?auto=format&w=1440&q=80)
Professional nail artist Madeleine Poole told Cosmopolitan: “I usually liken sawing your nails back and forth to cutting your hair with a dull pair of scissors.
“When you aggressively saw your nails with a file, it makes the tip frayed versus a clean cut.
“All of this is a gateway for peeling and premature breakage, since the harsh trauma of filing causes weakness.”
Madeleine suggested it is better to use one fluid motion by filing from the side of the nail to the centre in one direction before lifting the file away and going back to the start where the skin and nail connect.
![Nail file](https://images.bauerhosting.com/legacy/lifestyle-images/hair_beauty/585d42d22a40657b5201c692/GettyImages-566438673.jpg?auto=format&w=1440&q=80)
She added: “By using this technique, you get less of a ragged tip - plus, the fluid filing movement is less traumatic to your nail bed.
“Sometimes if the manicurist is too aggressive with the file, you can even see your nail move back and forth, like a loose tooth; this is exactly what you want to avoid.”
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