You may have one yourself or have tried one at a women’s show or local fair: the new glass nail file. It’s sleek, colorful, and very stylish, but is it worth its $7 price tag, and is it really superior to the nail files we buy by the dozen?
Emery are cardboard with small grains of sand attached and, in fact, are interchangeable with sandpaper. As you file, the nail file literally tears your nail off, that’s the nature of how you file.
With nail files, you should file in one direction to minimize damage to the nail during the sanding process. Sandpaper on a stick, also known as emery, comes in different grits so you can file the nail lengthwise, shape it, and then do your best to tame those deadly jagged edges that always form when using an emery board.
Emery boards are rough on your nails, but they get the job done. The coarseness of the file you choose to use also depends on whether you have weak, thin, brittle nails or hard, strong hooves.
Unfortunately, by doing the job they are designed to do, emery boards do more harm than good to your nails. When you use a nail file, it leaves the tip of the nail “open” instead of “closed”, just like the pores on the face open or closed. Leaving the nail edge “open” means that dirt and water can seep into the nail causing chipping, cracking, peeling and weakening of the nails. Also, the harsh abrasive action of the sandpaper weakens the nail.
Due to the porous nature of cardboard, glue and sand, dirt and debris can become embedded in the file and fungus and bacteria can grow rampant. Although you may not see it with your eyes, a good microbiologist and microscope will enlighten you on your science project on a stick! There is no way to clean, let alone disinfect, a nail file and they are so subject to bacteria that you have to throw the nail file away after each use. This is the FDA mandated practice in professional salons and this brings us to the environmental factor. The nail file scores very low on the “green meter”. The number of trees used to make millions of files and the landfill space these little 5-inch sticks take up is more enormous than you can imagine. At least an entire football stadium can be filled each year with emery thrown aside and it takes years for one to fully decompose on the ground.
Metal files do a little better than your bacteria on a sticky friend, the nail file, but not by much.
Metal files are made in two ways: one, there are small flakes of metal attached to a metal bar or cardboard and two, a metal bar is formed and the bar itself is roughened to create the filing surface. In both cases, tiny bits of metal come off when filing. While metal is much stronger and more durable than sand granules, the metal used to make files is usually of a lower grade and quite soft when it comes to metals.
Metal files also grind down the nail and leave the nail tip “open” instead of “closed”. Due to the nature of the metal tips on the file, dirt and debris can get caught between the tiny metal “teeth” and can stick to the metal. The metal is not porous, so bacteria are not likely to grow on the file; however, bacteria can grow on nail debris and any dirt caught in the file. You can rinse a metal file, but you must be careful that rust does not form in the cracks and crevices between the “teeth”.
Metal files cannot be disinfected to the satisfaction of the FDA for maximum cleanliness.
On the green-o-meter, metal files score slightly higher than their cardboard friend due to the lack of trees used in their production. Metal releases some nasty chemicals during the production process and metal files need to be thrown away after several uses as they cannot be sanitized efficiently. They take much longer than nail files to break down in landfills.
Their highest quality glass nail files are cut from real glass and the surface of the glass is treated in the manufacturing process to roughen it, creating the filing surface.
The glass nail file is very smooth when gliding over the tip of the nail. It doesn’t break the nail like the metal file or metal file, so you can file in both directions, and as a bonus, no more jagged edges! When you file your nails with a glass file, you will notice how smooth the tip of the nail is.
The glass file closes the nail tip and seals it, preventing water and debris from seeping into the nail. After using a glass nail file for a period of about a month, users report a noticeable difference in that their nails are stronger and “don’t chip, crack or peel as much.”
Glass is non-porous and very hygienic. Bacteria and debris cannot grow on the filing surface or get caught on the rough surface of the glass file. The same is true for the glass pumice stone nail file which can be left right in the bathtub without fear of mold, fungus or bacteria growing in or on it!
Their best quality glass nail files are made from recycled glass. There are some factories that make them from new, large sheets of glass, but their highest quality glass factories have found a use for the glass left over after making vases and goblets. The glass melts and forms into large sheets. Various sizes of nail files and pumice stone files are cut from these sheets.
There are no variable grits on a glass nail file, with the exception of the pumice stone file. The pumice stone file is made with a coarser surface and can be used for calluses, dry skin, toenails and artificial nails.
Glass nail files meet all FDA disinfection requirements. They can be disinfected with alcohol, under ultraviolet light and autoclaved. Due to their hygienic nature, glass nail files are perfect for diabetics, especially the pumice stone file. You don’t have to worry about cutting yourself while taking care of your feet like diabetics do.
Glass nail files will last for years, if not a lifetime. Glass is naturally very hard when found in nature. When crystal forms on earth, it has a slow cooling rate, so the crystal molecules have more time to form strong lattice-like formations, which have a strong, tough bond. Compared to glass, which cools very quickly and the molecules don’t have time to form the solid support system of the lattice, glass is the superior material.
The glass nail file scores high on the green meter because it is made from recycled materials and several factories use environmentally safe, lead-free dyes. They last so long that landfills won’t be greatly affected by constant consumption like your cardboard friends and metal sticks. A glass nail file and a pumice stone file could last a person’s lifetime!
