The Ultimate Guide To Trimming Your Fingernails: How Often And How Much?

Fingernails grow an average of 2.5mm every 4 weeks, and toenails 1mm a month. It's important to trim your nails to keep them clean and looking neat, but also to avoid exposing the sensitive skin underneath. Dermatologist Dr. Rajani Katta recommends leaving 1-2mm of the nails' white rim when you cut them, so that they're long enough to be useful, but not too long to get in the way.

How often should you cut your nails?

The Canadian Dermatology Society states that fingernails grow an average of 2.5mm every 4 weeks and toenails 1mm a month. They grow faster in the summer than in the winter. If you lose a nail, it will take 6 months for a fingernail to grow back and an entire year for a toenail.

Dermatologist and author Dr. Rajani Katta says that you want a nail to extend past your finger pad to protect it. However, if you grow it too long, it's more likely to get ragged and torn. She suggests leaving 1-2mm of the nails’ white rim when you cut them. This will keep them from getting in the way and long enough to be useful.

If the nail is so long that it extends past the fingertips, you’re due for a trim. To cut your fingernails and toenails, start by soaking them in water for a few minutes, which will make them softer so they're easier to trim. Then, use nail clippers to cut your nails straight across at the beginning of the opaque, overgrown tips. You may need to make multiple cuts on the same nail to get the whole tip off. Try not to cut past the opaque tips of your nails or you could expose the sensitive skin underneath.

Cutting off any more than the lunula is more difficult — and painful — to deal with. When you cut your nails so short it becomes painful to touch things with your fingers, you’ve accidentally uncovered the skin underneath your fingernail.

Keeping your nails properly trimmed and cleaned is not just a matter of looking neat, it's also an important part of personal hygiene.

How to cut your nails?

To cut your fingernails and toenails, start by soaking them in water for a few minutes, which will make them softer so they're easier to trim. Then, use nail clippers to cut your nails straight across at the beginning of the opaque, overgrown tips. You may need to make multiple cuts on the same nail to get the whole tip off. Try not to cut past the opaque tips of your nails or you could expose the sensitive skin underneath.

When you cut your nails so short it becomes painful to touch things with your fingers, you’ve accidentally uncovered the skin underneath your fingernail. To avoid this, leave 1-2 millimeters of the nails’ white rim (it’s called the lunula, which is Latin for “little moon”) when you cut them. That leaves them long enough to be useful, like helping you turn a page of a book, but keeps them from getting in the way, like when you’re typing on a keyboard.

According to the Canadian Dermatology Society, fingernails grow an average of 2.5mm (0.09 inches) every 4 weeks and toenails 1mm (0.03 inches) a month, and they grow faster in the summer than in the winter. If you lose a nail, it will take 6 months for a fingernail to grow back and an entire year for a toenail. Keep this in mind while trimming those nails, as you want to make sure that you are not cutting them back faster than they are growing — unless you're going for a super short nail look.

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.

How short should you cut your nails?

The Canadian Dermatology Society states that fingernails grow an average of 2.5mm every 4 weeks and toenails 1mm a month. They grow faster in the summer than in the winter. If you lose a nail, it will take 6 months for a fingernail to grow back and an entire year for a toenail.

Dermatologist and author Dr. Rajani Katta says that you do want a nail to extend past your finger pad. You need that protection. If you grow it too long, that's a concern, because then it's more likely to get ragged and torn. She suggests leaving 1-2 millimeters of the nails’ white rim when you cut them. That leaves them long enough to be useful, like helping you turn a page of a book, but keeps them from getting in the way, like when you’re typing on a keyboard.

If the nail is so long that it extends past the fingertips, you’re due for a trim. Look at all ten nails and pick out the shortest, or that with the smallest amount of ‘white’ at the tip.

Start by soaking them in water for a few minutes, which will make them softer so they're easier to trim. Then, use nail clippers to cut your nails straight across at the beginning of the opaque, overgrown tips. You may need to make multiple cuts on the same nail to get the whole tip off. Try not to cut past the opaque tips of your nails or you could expose the sensitive skin underneath.

You can trim all of the lunula off without causing a problem, but cutting off any more is more difficult — and painful — to deal with. When you cut your nails so short it becomes painful to touch things with your fingers, you’ve accidentally uncovered the skin underneath your fingernail.

How to keep your nails clean?

Keeping your nails properly trimmed and cleaned is not just a matter of looking neat, it's also an important part of personal hygiene.

According to the Canadian Dermatology Society, fingernails grow an average of 2.5mm (0.09 inches) every 4 weeks and toenails 1mm (0.03 inches) a month, and they grow faster in the summer than in the winter. If you lose a nail, it will take 6 months for a fingernail to grow back and an entire year for a toenail. Keep this in mind while trimming those nails, as you want to make sure that you are not cutting them back faster than they are growing — unless you're going for a super short nail look.

There really is an optimal length to cut your fingernails. “You do want a nail to extend past your finger pad,” says dermatologist and author Dr. Rajani Katta. “You need that protection. [But] if you grow it too long, that's a concern, because then it's more likely to get ragged and torn.” She suggests leaving 1-2 millimeters of the nails’ white rim (it’s called the lunula, which is Latin for “little moon”) when you cut them. That leaves them long enough to be useful, like helping you turn a page of a book, but keeps them from getting in the way, like when you’re typing on a keyboard.

To cut your fingernails and toenails, start by soaking them in water for a few minutes, which will make them softer so they're easier to trim. Then, use nail clippers to cut your nails straight across at the beginning of the opaque, overgrown tips. You may need to make multiple cuts on the same nail to get the whole tip off. Try not to cut past the opaque tips of your nails or you could expose the sensitive skin underneath. To learn how to file your nails after you cut them, scroll down!

You can trim all of the lunula off without causing a problem, but cutting off any more is more difficult — and painful — to deal with. When you cut your nails so short it becomes painful to touch things with your fingers, you’ve accidentally uncovered the skin underneath your fingernail, a.k.a.

How to cut your nails straight across?

To cut your nails straight across, start by soaking them in water for a few minutes, which will make them softer so they're easier to trim. Cut your nails straight across at the beginning of the opaque, overgrown tips. You may need to make multiple cuts on the same nail to get the whole tip off. Try not to cut past the opaque tips of your nails or you could expose the sensitive skin underneath.

Cutting your nails straight is important because if you trim your nails at an angle, it could result in painful hangnails.

Cut your nails right after a shower or bath so they're softer. Softening your nails will make them easier to trim and less likely to split. After soaking or showering, dry off your nails.

Keep in mind that fingernails grow faster in the summer than in the winter. If you lose a nail, it will take 6 months for a fingernail to grow back and an entire year for a toenail.

Frequently asked questions