Nail Trimming Tips: The Ideal Length For Your Fingers

When trimming your nails, it's important to cut straight across and not at an angle, as this can result in painful hangnails. You should also leave at least one or two millimeters of white at the tip of your nails, where the nail starts to separate from the skin. This will help keep your nails strong and prevent them from catching on things.

Cut straight across

Cutting your nails straight across is the best way to trim them. Cutting at an angle can result in painful hangnails and bend and damage the nail.

When you are cutting your nails, use a nail file or emery board to slightly round the nails at the corners. This will help keep them strong and prevent them from catching on things like clothing or furniture.

It is important to cut your nails straight to prevent bacteria growth. Having good hand (and foot) hygiene is crucial to staying healthy. Cleaning and trimming your fingernails regularly helps you stay healthy.

Don't bite your nails to trim them. Biting can peel the keratin away in layers. This weakens the nail edge and makes it more likely to break. Don't reach for power tools such as a grinder or belt sander. They can be harmful and shouldn’t be used on your nails.

Don't reach for power tools

Power tools such as a grinder or belt sander can be harmful and shouldn’t be used on your nails. They can’t be easily controlled, so you could cut into your nail bed, damage your finger, or otherwise hurt your hand. Your fingernails protect the delicate soft tissue underneath them, called the nail bed. At the base of your nail (the nail matrix), living cells are continuously being made.

When using the rounded fingernail clippers, you still need to cut the nails at an angle, since the curve of the blade doesn’t match the curve of your nail. A common mistake men and women make when trimming their own nails is the angle at which they approach it. Clipping straight-on can bend and ultimately damage the nail. Instead, you should be clipping the nail three or four times as you travel across the top. The nails should (literally) reflect your cuticles. If you’re unsure of what shape your nails should have, just look at your cuticles.

To trim your fingernails, cut almost straight across the nail. Use a nail file or emery board to slightly round the nails at the corners, as this will help keep them strong and prevent them from catching on things like clothing or furniture. To reduce your chances of getting an ingrown toenail, cut straight across when trimming your toenails. You should leave at least a sliver of “white” at the top of your nails—that space where the nail starts to separate from the skin it protects. (One or two millimeters, in our book.) If you look at your fingers from the side, the whites of the nails shouldn’t be so long that they start to divorce the rounded shape of the finger. If the nail is so long that it extends past the fingertips, you’re due for a trim. It’s easy to get all nails to a standard length: “Look at all ten nails and pick out the shortest, or that with the smallest amount of ‘white’ at the tip,” says Lippmann.

Leave a sliver of white

When trimming your nails, it is important to leave a sliver of white at the top of your nails. This is the space where the nail starts to separate from the skin it protects. One or two millimeters is ideal. If you look at your fingers from the side, the whites of the nails shouldn’t be so long that they start to divorce the rounded shape of the finger. If the nail is so long that it extends past the fingertips, you’re due for a trim.

To trim your fingernails, cut almost straight across the nail. Use a nail file or emery board to slightly round the nails at the corners, as this will help keep them strong and prevent them from catching on things like clothing or furniture. To reduce your chances of getting an ingrown toenail, cut straight across when trimming your toenails.

When using the rounded fingernail clippers, you still need to cut the nails at an angle, since the curve of the blade doesn’t match the curve of your nail. “A common mistake men and women make when trimming their own nails is the angle at which they approach it,” says Lippmann. “Clipping straight-on can bend and ultimately damage the nail.clipping the nail three or four times as you travel across the top.

The nails should reflect your cuticles. If you’re unsure of what shape your nails should have, just look at your cuticles. It’s important to cut your nails to prevent bacteria growth. Having good hand (and foot) hygiene is crucial to staying healthy. Cleaning and trimming your fingernails regularly helps you stay healthy.

Cut at an angle

When trimming your nails, it is important to cut them straight across rather than at an angle. This is because cutting at an angle can result in painful hangnails. Clipping straight-on can bend and ultimately damage the nail.

To trim your fingernails, cut almost straight across the nail. Use a nail file or emery board to slightly round the nails at the corners, as this will help keep them strong and prevent them from catching on things like clothing or furniture.

If you are uncertain of what shape your nails should have, just look at your cuticles. The nails should reflect your cuticles.

When using the rounded fingernail clippers, you still need to cut the nails at an angle, since the curve of the blade doesn’t match the curve of your nail. A common mistake men and women make when trimming their own nails is the angle at which they approach it.

At the base of your nail (the nail matrix), living cells are continuously being made. Your fingernails protect the delicate soft tissue underneath them, called the nail bed.

Keep nails strong

Nails should be cut straight across when trimming. If you trim your nails at an angle, it could result in painful hangnails. Cut your nails straight across, then use a file to shape them as you like. If you are unsure of what shape your nails should have, just look at your cuticles.

When using the rounded fingernail clippers, you still need to cut the nails at an angle, since the curve of the blade doesn’t match the curve of your nail. A common mistake men and women make when trimming their own nails is the angle at which they approach it. Clipping straight-on can bend and ultimately damage the nail. Instead, you should be clipping the nail three or four times as you travel across the top.

You should leave at least a sliver of “white” at the top of your nails—that space where the nail starts to separate from the skin it protects. (One or two millimeters, in our book.) If you look at your fingers from the side, the whites of the nails shouldn’t be so long that they start to divorce the rounded shape of the finger. If the nail is so long that it extends past the fingertips, you’re due for a trim.

It’s important to cut your nails to prevent bacteria growth. Having good hand (and foot) hygiene is crucial to staying healthy. Cleaning and trimming your fingernails regularly helps you stay healthy. Don’t bite. You should never bite your nails to trim them. It can peel the keratin away in layers. This weakens the nail edge and makes it more likely to break. Don’t reach for power tools. Power tools such as a grinder or belt sander can be harmful and shouldn’t be used on your nails. They can’t be easily controlled, so you could cut into your nail bed, damage your finger, or otherwise hurt your hand.

Frequently asked questions