File manicure: how a manicure with files alone works and who it suits

A file manicure, often called Feilen-Maniküre in German, is a manicure in which the nails and the skin around them are worked on with hand files: the file shapes the nails and smooths the cuticle and the skin around the nail. No electric drill is needed, and the nippers and scissors stay in the drawer. The method is meant for anyone who wants well-kept, natural-looking nails without the skin being cut or drilled.

What happens during a file manicure

First the nails are filed to length and shape, which for short nails might be round, oval or square with softened corners.

Next comes the base of the nail. There the cuticle is smoothed and shaped with narrow, fine files instead of being cut or drilled, so that no rough edges are left where it could tear later.

Finally, the cuticles and the skin around them are cared for with cream and oil. If you would like colour, polish comes next, and at Anni Nails that means a classic nail polish, which dries without a UV lamp and comes off again with ordinary nail polish remover.

Why the cuticle is not cut

The cuticle seals the join between nail and skin and so keeps germs away from the nail root, where the nail grows from. To help prevent infection, the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), the professional association for dermatologists in the United States, advises never cutting the cuticle or pushing it back forcefully (the AAD's advice on manicure and pedicure safety).

That is why at Anni Nails the cuticle is not cut but smoothed and shaped, and it is kept small and natural, because it protects both the nail and the skin.

File, drill or classic wet manicure: the differences

In nail salons you will mostly come across three ways of treating the cuticle area, and with each of them a great deal depends on how carefully the work is done.

In a classic wet manicure the fingers are first soaked in warm water to soften the skin. The cuticle is then pushed back, and if whatever sticks out is cut off with nippers or scissors, that is exactly what the AAD advises against.

In a drill manicure, also called an e-file manicure, the nail technician uses an electric device with small rotating bits that can remove the skin at the base of the nail very precisely. The technique takes a lot of practice, because too much pressure or the wrong bit can injure the skin and the nail plate. It is often sold as a "Russian manicure", although the term does not mean the same thing everywhere, so it is worth asking when you book whether the work is done with a drill or with files.

The file manicure is a manicure without a drill and without scissors, in which fine files do this work instead.

Who a file manicure suits

It is worth considering above all if

• you do not want your cuticles cut or drilled,
• you do not like the feeling of a drill on your fingers,
• you wear short, natural nails and like a simple, well-kept look,
• your nails have become thin after gel or Shellac and for a while you only want care and shape.

The method reaches its limits where things become medical: if the skin at the nail is inflamed, swollen, oozing pus or painful, or if a nail changes colour or shape, that is a matter for a dermatologist and not for a nail salon.

How to care for your cuticles and nails between appointments

In the evening, massage a little nail oil or cream into your cuticles, put on hand cream after washing your hands and wear gloves for cleaning and washing up, because too much water can make nails split, peel or break. If a nail tears, file the spot smooth with a fine emery board rather than pulling or biting at it.

Cutting your cuticles yourself at home is not a good idea either, and if you want to push them back, do it only gently after a shower or bath, when they are soft, which is also what the AAD recommends.

File manicure at Anni Nails in Meidling, Vienna

At Anni Nails, Schönbrunner Straße 253, 1120 Vienna, this treatment is called "Manicure (File / Classic)": a classic manicure with files and nail care that takes about 50 minutes and costs €40. Anastasia shapes the nails with a file and cares for the cuticles and skin with cream and oil, and she works with short nails and without aggressive techniques. The instruments are sterilised, single-use materials are used, and every treatment includes a personal consultation on caring for your nails and hands.

If you would like colour, add "Nail Polish", a classic polish in the colour of your choice, for €10, which takes about 20 minutes. You can find a free slot online: Book an appointment. All treatments and their prices are listed under Services and prices.