[silver_queen]

I know that question sounds really stupid but I've been picking at my fingernails forever and this year is the first time I've actually let them grow for more than a month. They are double the length they used to be, so the time is come for me to cut them but I don't know how.

As you can see in the attached pic, a lot of the nail is just dead nail (white). So if I cut my nails right down, my nails would be pretty short again. Am I never going to have naturally long nails? Or will the nail plate thing grow longer once my nails have accepted they're not going to be picked at constantly? My thumb nail broke the other day and it looks too short now... I never thought I would say that. The shortest nail I've ever had was my left little finger nail, it was 3mm long. When I began growing my nails at the beginning of August the little finger pictured had a nail length of only 4.5mm, now it's 1cm lol. So yeah. Basically I just want to know how to safely cut them before the all break. I have filed them a bit, but not much. Perhaps it would be better going to a manicurist to be told how best to look after my nails? idk.

[SweetSunshine]

SQ~
Just get a nail clipper and center it on your nail and clip . If your nail is too wide then cut one half of it then the other keeping it as even as possible. But when you file nails always file from side to the center. It will cause less breakage that way. If you would feel more comfortable go to a nail salon and have it done the first time. That way they can shape them for you and alls you would have to do is file them from there on to keep them how you like them. Hope this helps ya out.
They really dont look too bad!! Just need some evening up. TC

[silver_queen]

Thanks Beth

I thought nail clippers damaged the nail? Or can do, anyway...

[SweetSunshine]

They are what I was taught to use in beauty school SQ .. unless things have changed lol.. which it could have cause thats been 20yrs ago lol EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKS ::: runs around in a crazy frenzy :::

[silver_queen]

lolol

[Raynaadi]

I wouldn't call the white part "dead nail", I mean women pay bunches of money for white tips! Thats how mine look, the naturally white tips. If you want to keep them long, just put a coat of clear nail polish on them. If you want them to be a tad shorter, you can do it with an emery board too, just go one direction, not back and forth, to get the shape you want. Thats what I do, I very rarely actually cut my nails until I get sick of them being long, then I just use nail clippers. I like go from one side to half the nail and cut, and then come in from the other side to even them off. Thats how I cut em so I don't bend the nail cuz thats painful.

I think they're pretty though!!

[LMo]

just do it in private... nothing worse than sitting at work and listening to somebody clip their nails at their desk. EWWWWWWWW!!!

I clip the way Rayna dose.

[silver_queen]

the problem is (which I forgot to mention in my first post) is that unlike the nails I usually see (which curve to the shape of the finger), mine just grow straight up, the white part does anyway. So the white part has very little support.

And rayna, I thought the white part *is* dead nail? Isn't it?

[bebop]

no hon it isn't. that is how long nails look. I saw just file them. better yet go get a manicure! you will feel wonderful!

[Labyssum]

I find that nail files break my nails more than clippers...I tear at my nails when I'm nervous too...Which is just about all the time.

the white is called the "free edge". It isn't that the nail is dead (I think nail is a bit like hair, actually, it grows out through the cutical the way hair grows out through the follicle). The free edge is just the part of the nail that isn't attached to your finger. When your nails get long its bound to happen!

The first thing you want to do is figure out what kind of shaped nails you want to have. The following link is about fake nails - but it has some nice illustrations.

http://www.fingernailfixer.com/enhancements.html

(I like a hybrid cross between the 2nd and the 4th)

Nobody has perfectly symmetrical nails. The cuticles of different nails can be a slightly different shape. Basically... You want the nails to be fairly much the same shape to try and help them look more symmetrical.

Squoval (squarish with rounded corners) is fairly popular. When you cut them I'd try and cut them fairly flat but maybe try and shape the corner a little. Then tidy it up with a nailfile.

There are lots of handy hints on how to do all that via google...

The following link is a "french manicure" which is a natural look that is deceptively hard to get right... Notice the free edge. White nail polish on the free edge to make it whiter and a pink / beige on the rest. Hard to get the line between the free edge and the rest looking tidy...

http://www.beautyden.com/frenchmanicure.shtml

Over time the nail will stay attached to the finger higher up the finger. That way... You will be able to grow them longer without them weakening too much. After a while they do get annoying, though. Hard to do things...

http://www.soyouwanna.com/site/syws/...manicure2.html

[silver_queen]

Thanks everyone.

I did file my nails a bit last night to shorten them slightly. Good thing I did because today I caught my longest nail in the rubber trim of the car door when I was opening it, and I'm quite sure it would have broken or flexed too much if it had been the same length as yesterday - as it was, it just hurt a bit. I think for now I'll file my nails once a week until it's my birthday at the end of next month - and then for my birthday I'll get myself a manicure

Alex_k - thanks for the links. I might try a French manicure at some point. I did buy the white for it years ago (not sure why I did)...

[(JD)]

http://search.conduit.com/Results.as...octid=CT779944

I don't use nail clippers nor metal files. I rarely use the regular small orange/brown paper files either. I prefer the pink nail tech type files and I only file in one direction, to keep from getting a ragged edge.

I used to always have rounded nails and had a terrible problem with breakage. I now have the nail tech do square nail finish and they rarely break.

[SeptemberMorn]

Why would you want to cut them?? They look just fine to me! Could be because that's about how long mine are right now. LOL They're usually longer.

If it was me, I'd file them down just a mite so they don't get any longer than they are now. If you decide to file them, make sure that you file from the corners towards the middle, NEVER back and forth! When you do that, you weaken the fiber the nails are made of. They are made of layers of protein.

If you really do want to cut them, use nail clippers and leave them a teeny tiny bit longer than you want them so you can smooth out the rough edges with a file.

BTW, I've heard that drinking Knox gellatin will strengthen your nails but I've never tried it. Doesn't sound very appetizing! The stuff that you put on them has never worked for me. Sally Hansen's Hard as Nails will eventually rot them since it's got formaldehyde in it. EEEWWWW!

I suppose that if you go under the same premise that protein and oil work for your hair, then it would work for your nails, too. Those special ingredients you may already have in your refrigerator... mayonaise! Works for me!