Nail Shapes

The Different Shapes Of Fingernails

There are five popular nail shapes, you can experiment with, to find out what suits you best.

The shapes of fingernails can differ from person to person, and you may find that you suit one particular shape more than another.

Shaping nails can easily be done your self. Unless you are after a particular shape, such as the pointed nail, then you may want to get this done professionally. See how they do it, and then maintain the pointed shape yourself.

Some people have short fingernails, with a short nail bed, and others may have long nails, with a wide nail bed.

No matter what your shape, if they are healthy, with a lovely pink color, smooth and strong, they will look good.

Five basic shapes of fingernails

Square, round, oval, squoval and pointed.

If you are unsure about filing your fingernails, take a look at your cuticle. An oval shape nail looks best on pointed cuticles, and a square shape nail looks good on cuticles which are oval shaped.

I have an oval shaped cuticle, and so, square looks best on me. I have played around with other shapes, but I always seem to come back to the square.

How To Shape Fingernails

The most common fingernail is the square look. This shape is considered the best for keeping nails strong and healthy, and you are less likely to experience damaged fingernails. The nail is filed straight across with the sides of the nails left straight.

I find this shape is also the easiest to do.

The oval nail is one which never goes out of fashion, and gives a timeless, classic look. The oval nail works well with short or long fingernails. Short fingernails can look longer, although it is the most difficult shape to file.

Pointed fingernails can weaken nails and lead to split fingernails. Nails are filed at the sides to create a point at the tip of the nail.

There are many celebrities sporting the pointed look, and it can be OK, if you have healthy strong fingernails.

The round shape is a good one for people who like to keep their fingernails short. This shape is ideal for helping with your nails strength. Nails are straight at the sides and the tip of the fingernail is rounded.

If you have neglected your fingernails, a couple of weeks of shaping nails and good nail care will bring them back to life. An ideal way of helping them look good, is to soak your nails in warm olive oil a couple of times a week for about 15 minutes.

File your fingernails to a shape that suits, and you will easily be able to keep them looking good.



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