Which file you reach for is partly a matter of personal preference. Lower grit numbers, such as 80, are very coarse and should only be used on artificial nails, while higher numbers (180 and up), are suitable for natural nail shaping and buffing. Commonly made with a wood, foam or plastic core, all files are lined with an abrasive surface called grit.
These often taken-for-granted, workhorse implements help techs conquer a variety of tasks-from softening rough edges to rescuing a product application that’s gone awry. W hen it comes to tools of the trade, files are about as basic as you can get.