Igor MarcikicThough it might not seem like it, nails are an important part of your body. They can be indicators of your overall health but also an important part of your appearance.
I'm sure you've encountered people with bad nail hygiene and its effect on your perception of them. But this time, I want to talk about a more specific nail problem people may encounter.
Though this condition is not super common, I've seen some people struggling with the problem of their nails being too sharp… This might seem like a minor inconvenience, but it can lead to real pain inflicted to yourself and the people around you.
Can this problem be fixed? I believe there are no problems in life that can't be fixed, so why should sharp nails be different? In this post, I will share some tips you might find helpful in combating the problem of sharp nails, like proper care and some products you can try.
What is Nail Structure and Function?
Like with any problem, you must understand the basics if you want to find a solution. The anatomy of a nail is not very complex, every nail has the nail plate, the nail matrix, the nail bed, and the grooves surrounding the nail. An important part of our problem is the nail plate itself.
The nail plate is made of keratin, a translucent protein. This protein is one of the main building blocks of hair, feathers, claws, hooves, and skin outer layer among all vertebrates. The hardness, toughness, and sharpness of your nails come from keratin. The pinkish color comes from blood vessels underneath your nails.
After all, nails are organs that help us in our everyday life. When we talk about sharpness, you should not forget that nails are the same organ as claws in other animals. Nails help us with digging, grabbing, scratching, and other motor actions. Because of this, nails should possess a healthy amount of toughness and sharpness that will help us in our life.
How to Properly Cut your Nails and Make Them Less Sharp?
Increased sharpness of your nails may come from improper nail-cutting techniques. I will share with you how to properly cut your nails and minimize unpleasant nail sharpness resulting from improper nail care.
Make sure to cut your nails after a bath or a hot shower. This step will make sure your nails have been softened to make trimming easier. The sharpness of your nails may be coming from the brittleness of your nails, hot water will make sure that the nail plate is softer and as a consequence, more easily cut.
Another important step in the nail cutting process is choosing the proper tools. I commonly use nail clippers, but this might not be the best option if you have brittle and sharp nails. Clippers get dull very easily, so they tend to crush instead of cutting the nails, which may, in turn, increase their sharpness.
What I've found to be a much better alternative is manicure scissors. In addition to being sharp, and maintaining their sharpness over prolonged use, is that they give you much better control over the arch of the actual cut.
Another tip I can give you when trimming and cutting your nails is not to try to cut an entire nail in one single move. This might damage your nail and make it sharp. What you should try is to move slowly from one side to the other in smaller motions.
This way, you can reduce the number of sharp edges that may get caught in the fabric and cause unpleasantness.
After you're done cutting your nails, make sure you apply a proper moisturizing agent. Doing so will help reduce brittleness and splitting of the nail plate.
How can you Make your Nails not Sharp/Less Sharp?
There are several things you can do to make your nails not sharp.
The first thing you can do is to file your nails. Filing your nails will remove sharp edges and keep your nails healthy. I recommend using a glass nail file because they are gentler than the alternatives. A nail file will help you keep your nails round and smooth.
There is a caveat here, though. You must file your nails correctly or you might actually increase their sharpness! Start from the nail's corner and move towards the middle, then do the same for the other side.
Do not move back and forth because you will damage your nail. Also, do not mistake moving a nail file from one side to the other in one single motion. This way, you can damage the nail root.
If filing your nails doesn't help, that may mean that your nails are naturally thin. You can remedy this fact by applying some colorless nail polish. This will add additional layers to your nails and reduce their sharpness.
Another less likely cause of nail sharpness may come from inadequate nutrition. If your nails are brittle and thin, that fact may point to some vitamin deficiency. Some claim that food containing biotin can significantly improve your nail health. If your nails are healthy and thick, they will be less sharp and easy to maintain smooth and round.
