How often do you change your files?

[Helbels]

Hello geeks

Forgive the newbie questions, but I am after all, a newbie.....

How often do you change your nail files for new ones?
How do you tell when they need changing (short of developing bald spots in the surface of course?)
How many sets of nails would you do on average before needing to change files?

Please help me decipher another mystery of the nail world....

I do appreciate that to some extent this will depend on the "hardness" of the product your are using, but I'm keen to learn from fellow geeks on this one, as I seem to be rattling through files at the moment and I think I'm probably binning them before I need to!

Thank you!

 

[Bagpuss]

I use a new file for a rebalance....then clean and cholrispray it and put in a draw for new sets.

New sets don't need so much filing...and they don't need to be as sharp as a new one....

I can at a push use a file twice for a rebalance but don't often cos they are so cheep and i just want the job done...so a new one it is.

so my files get used twice.

 

[loubylou]

I change my files as soon as it seems like hard work when using one,
when you have applied your product if you get it nice and smooth it will need less filing and you will use less files,
also if you use good quality files they will last you much longer,
go to navigation at the top of this page and go to tutorials, in there you will find a few on filing that will help you, hth :hug:

 

['chelle]

Different files last different amounts of time.

The one that I find lasts the least is your 100/180 as it gets the most use. Like Angie, I use a new one for a rebalance, and then it gets demoted to new sets for which it might get used up to 3 times, so four uses from these in total.

Outblacks (120/240 padded) last a little longer, perhaps up to 6 uses, as I do the bulk of my rebalance work with the 100 side of the 100/180.

Kanga boards (240 grit emery) - about a dozen uses. They only get used on sidewalls and the free edge, so not much work for them to do either.

Ad the longest lasting for me is the Koala (240/1200 padded). I use these to remove shine from the natural nail, and to buff oil in at the end of a service. To me, the older a koala is the better for this job. The one on my desk at work at the moment is practically falling to bits!

For all files, in between usage I spray with Mundo file & Abrasive spray. Also dont forget that if you draw blood from a client with a file, you must throw it away at the end of that service even if it has plenty of life left in it.:green:

 

[berenicefuentes]

I use a new file everytime I do something, for every client.

 

[naildoctor]

It's hard to say, because depending on the regulations of where you live, you'll have different standards. We go state by state and all have some type of cosmetology board. This happened after NSS came along. It is probably safer to use a new file each time, but SOOO expensive as my files are $1.00 each and I actually prefer an older one!

 

[Artsy Canadian]

Well I use an electric file, so my files are only used for shaping and shortening, after cleaning each time, I can squeeze about 6 uses max. Then my drill bits I can get about 2months work out of it.

 

[mdskora]

I am the same... I use a new one for an infill and then spray and store in a clean envelope for a full set... One of the nail techs here has a huge draw full of those clip lock sandwich bags.. after she uses the file she sprays and puts in back in the clients special envelope...
The Posh places in Sydney have a whole set of implements just for the one client! It is an upfront charge included in the full set ( about $90-120) then they kept in their own cases for your next appointment.,. very expensive but that is what they do..
I make sure that i spray after use and then I also lay all my files, cutters etc on a fresh towel and spray them infront of the client when I spray down her hands..Just so that they know it has been done.

 

[Doorie]

I change for every client and use a new.
not nec a new file, but my company launched a "replace a file" one, so you only have to change the *paper*, and keep the hard bit of the center.

it reduces the cost too.

 

[geeg]

I never even think about files. I bin them when they go dull.

They are included in the cost of a full set and any use out of them afterwards is a bonus.

Like the rest, I spray and hold for use for the next client and I spray again in front of the client before use as mdskora says she does.

The cost is paid for in that first set so why think about how many uses they have? Or bother to change the paper on them? I couldn't be bothered .. no time ... I grab a new one and away I go.

 

[karentriff]

Hi I use a new set of files for each client, clean and sanitise after use and put in a plastic clip lock bag labelled with their name for the next time they come. When the client's files are due to be replaced, I offer them to keep and if they don't want them I bin them.
My clients are impressed by the standard of hygiene that I practice. One of my clients was amazed. She said the last tech she went to as a regular, would finish with one client and then pick up the same file without cleaning or sanitising and use it on her along with all her other implements.
She said she hadn't thought about the implications of this until she saw the way I treat my files. She also said she had never once been asked to wash her hands or had them sanitised in any way. :irked:
Cheers
Karen

 

[Christine81]

I use a new file everytime I do something, for every client.

Same here, as I use a peel'n'stick file system.

She said the last tech she went to as a regular, would finish with one client and then pick up the same file without cleaning or sanitising and use it on her along with all her other implements.

 

[milkshakerrr]

Is just spraying the file sufficient for sanitization? Do you scrub them or anything? Thanks!

 

[JANEY K]

I use a new one for every client.

 

[geeg]

Is just spraying the file sufficient for sanitization? Do you scrub them or anything? Thanks!

Brush away the dust with a stiff brush and then spray with a disinfectant. It is enough (but I know the rules are different in different states regarding this).
My argument is that we are filing plastic NOT PEOPLE !! Obviously if you cut someone then you would throw the abrasive away.

 

[elegancenails]

i have finally today bought a crystal file from sallys for about £6 came home and immediately tried it out against my disposable files.... it wins hands down!

not only can you sanitize it so less overheads, it lasts a lifetime as :green:long as you dont drop it and gets the job done in half the time with a fantastic finish. it closes the pores of the nails rather than leave them open like the grit files do


hurry for glass/crystal files!!!!!

 

[geeg]

i have finally today bought a crystal file from sallys for about £6 came home and immediately tried it out against my disposable files.... it wins hands down!

not only can you sanitize it so less overheads, it lasts a lifetime as :green:long as you dont drop it and gets the job done in half the time with a fantastic finish. it closes the pores of the nails rather than leave them open like the grit files do


hurry for glass/crystal files!!!!!

The pores of the nails?? What are those then?

Most all modern files and buffers for natural nails seal the keratin layers at the free edge rather than leaving them ragged.

We are not using sand paper files any longer ... and as long as the grit is fine (240 or more) then it has been proven that the edges are in fact sealed rather than roughened. The exact same is true of Glass files.

Why would you say it gets the job done in half the time? I use glass files as well as ordinary files, and have not found them any quicker than any other type of abrasive. Why would they be?

I am not dissing glass files .. I retail them frequently but neither do I claim they do extraordinary things that in fact they don't.