Polishing buff. Nail buffs: types, selection and use

The use of a buffer for grinding and polishing nails, as well as the choice and degree of abrasiveness for specific manipulations.

Well-groomed and beautiful nails are the key to success and excellent mood for every woman, regardless of status and age. The nail beauty industry does not stand still; innovative products for the care of nail plates are constantly appearing. One such product that has recently appeared on the market, but has already gained popularity among manicurists and pedicurists, is a nail buff.

a brief description of

A buff for polishing nails is a special file in the shape of a three-dimensional rectangle. Its main purpose is to polish nails; it is used as a polishing agent for natural and artificial nail extensions.

Literally “buff” is translated as “polishing” (English), the name corresponds to its purpose.
The importance of such a tool cannot be underestimated, because the success of the entire procedure, be it extensions, or even ordinary ones, depends on a well-polished manicure. The smoother and neater the nail plate is, the more beautiful and durable the final result of the manipulation will be.
Using this device, unevenness and roughness of the plates are removed.

A product called “buff” can be used for polishing both at home and in professional beauty salons. Such products are made from all kinds of materials. In salons, such items are used one-time, or maybe more than once, if the material used to make the instrument is subject to treatment with disinfectants.

The classification of such devices divides them into different ones based on the material of manufacture and abrasiveness.

Depending on the material used, there are: fabric, glass, polyethylene foam, suede, etc. This product can be soft or hard. But although the tool is considered a file, it acts on the nail plates much softer and more delicately than a nail file.

Suede buffs are additionally equipped with handles for ease of use. These products are recommended for use both at home and in professional salons. When choosing such a product, one point should be taken into account: suede products are poorly disinfected. It is simply impossible to disinfect yourself at home. In professional salons, they are disinfected in special cabinets.

Polyethylene foam sanding tools are the most popular, both among professionals and at home. This part is easy to clean, disinfect, and is also inexpensive.
A fabric file also has many advantages, but it also has disadvantages. Among the advantages of such a detail, we highlight lightness and flexibility. Will not damage the nail plate, great for polishing thin natural nails. Disadvantages include the impossibility of high-quality disinfection at home, as well as the relatively high cost.

Regardless of the type of manicure device, each buff has 4 sides with corresponding markings:

The first side is a standard file, which is intended for shortening nails and giving them the required shape.
The second is designed to eliminate hangnails and uneven nail plates.
The third is for polishing nail plates.
The fourth is to give the nail plates shine. This is the final stage of grinding.

A professional master in the salon uses all 4 sides of such a device.

The degree of abrasiveness of a four-sided grinding tool varies depending on the presence of pores on it:

The hardest tool has an abrasiveness of 60-80 grit. Designed for grinding false nails only.
Medium hardness: 100-150 grit. This device is used to process natural nail plates of the feet and artificial hands. Great for correcting artificial nails.
Hardness is below average: 150-240 grit. With this device, fingernails and toenails are filed and the entire surface of the extended ones is polished.
Low abrasiveness: 300 grit and above is suitable for high-quality and safe grinding of natural nails. With this device you can polish your nail plates to a beautiful shine without damaging them in any way.

How to choose the right one

You can create a chic manicure at home using this device. To correctly select such a device for grinding, you need to know the structure of the nail plate. If it is thin, then the device should be of low abrasiveness.

To work on nails at home, you should use a buffer with an abrasiveness of 300 grit or more. The main role in choosing a product is, of course, played by the structure of the nail plate. If the nail plate is thick enough, then polishing should begin with a buff of 300, 400, or 500 grit. If you have a thin nail, you can bring it to a shine using a tool of 500-1000 grit.

How to use such a tool

To make a high-quality and beautiful manicure at home using a buff, you should follow a few tips and recommendations:

Touch the buff to the nail plate with its wide side. It is necessary that the surface of the file covers as much of the nail as possible.

When sanding your nails, try to use as little movement as possible. The fewer times you run the file over your nail, the greater the chance of not harming the plate.

Directly during grinding, it is strictly forbidden to change the direction of movement.

Grind along the width of the plate, and left and right.

You can use buff polishing no more than once every 7 days. If used too often, you can cause significant damage to the nail plate.

After sanding your nails, you should definitely use cosmetic nail oil.

Once a month it is necessary to sand the root part of the nail plate using such a file. This should be done with the help of a variety of essential oils, which have strengthening properties. With its help and with the help of such a tool, you can seal the root part with high quality.

You should also remember to take care of the grinding tool, wash it regularly (if it is not a fabric product) and disinfect it. Fabric products are used individually and only on healthy nails, as they cannot be disinfected. Fabric products are much more expensive and deteriorate faster. But they are more gentle than plastic ones.

What can be replaced

Buff is a unique polishing tool for nails. The appearance was preceded by technical progress in all spheres of human life, including the nail beauty industry. This is a truly necessary detail for a high-quality manicure, which can be done not only in a beauty salon, but also at home.

If you decide to do a manicure yourself without leaving home, and you don’t have a device called a “buff” at hand, then you can use a nail file instead. But the result, of course, will not be the same as after applying the buff.

It happens that you can’t even find a nail file at hand, but it is extremely necessary to polish your nails, try to take at least a hard cloth. The result of such manipulation, of course, cannot be called ideal, but if there is nothing, then at least try to replace the buff this way. Any type of manicure is carried out using grinding materials, it is best if it is a modern and high-quality tool.

Beautiful and well-groomed nails are a necessary element of female beauty and self-confidence. Making a fashionable manicure at home has become much easier with the invention of buffs. You just need to choose the right product, taking into account the structure of your nails, and use it correctly, following all the above tips and recommendations.

In this article we will get acquainted with the buff file, which is becoming increasingly popular both among nail industry professionals and among fans of neat, well-groomed nails made on their own. Let's look at why the buff can replace all nail files, how to use it correctly, as well as the most popular brands.

Buff is a special file in the form of a three-dimensional rectangular bar, each face of which has its own abrasiveness.

The main functions of this tool are grinding and polishing natural and extended nail plates, from which it removes irregularities and minor flaws. A polished, smooth surface of the nail improves adhesion between the artificial and natural plates and allows for better placement of material during the process of extension or pigmentation. You can also use a buff to remove rough skin from the periungual ridges, hangnails, cuticles and seal detachments of the plate. It is for this important stage in creating a manicure that a buff is used, both in the salon and at home.

It is convenient to carry the Bafik in your purse so that this indispensable tool, which solves so many problems, is always at hand. It is customary to number the four working surfaces of the tool so as not to confuse what actions can be performed by each of them. At home, you can replace several nail files with this universal buff:

the first edge creates the shape of the nail, removes the length;
the second edge removes unevenness, roughness, and can remove burrs;
the third face polishes, removes minor imperfections and flaws;
fourth - polishes the nail to a shiny state.

Kinds

Buffers, which have the shape of a bar 6-10 centimeters long, also include two more types of special files:

Abrasiveness

The abrasiveness of the buff determines the hardness of the sides and shows for what type of nails it is best to use it and what functions it performs. Depending on the abrasiveness index, there is the following classification:

60-80 grit – suitable for pedicure and working with artificial nails;
100-150 grit – for polishing nails during pedicure, for correcting the surface of an artificial plate before applying gel polish;
150-240 grit – to give the desired length and shape to natural nails, for polishing extended nails;
300-450 grit – used for delicate polishing of natural nails to a natural shine.

What materials?

The working surface of the buff differs not only in abrasiveness, but also in the material from which the sides of the tool are made. Depending on this, buffs are of the following types:

The base of the buffers is also made of various materials. It can be fabrics, wood, plastic. The shape of the buffers is not very different. Basically these are rectangular bars with two or four working surfaces. Sometimes there are buffs in the form of a boomerang, small square bars.

What to replace

It is not recommended to replace buffers, because they themselves are soft and do not put traumatic pressure on the nail; these tools achieve the highest quality and safest results. But if you really need to sand the surface of the nail, but you don’t have a buff at hand, then you can use a piece of coarse, durable fabric. You can also use a disposable cardboard file with an abrasiveness of at least 300 grit.

Terms of use

To avoid injury to the structure of the natural nail, damage to the surface of the artificial plate and to obtain a high-quality manicure, you must adhere to a few simple rules when working with a buffer:

Choose the right side of the buff, with the required abrasiveness.
You need to apply the tool to the nail plate with the wide side so that the surface of the buff covers as much of the surface of the nail as possible.
Long movements of the buff along the nail surface should be directed in one direction, for example, from right to left or from the cuticle area to the free edge. Chaotic movements are not desirable, and there should not be a lot of them.
It is recommended to use the buffer no more than once a week so as not to thin the natural plate.
Once or twice a month you need to rub nourishing oil into the nail as a buff. This is done to strengthen and seal.
It is necessary to periodically reprocess the tool.

Nail lamination - procedure and review of products

The surface of the nail is sanded before applying both regular nail polish and gel polish. Therefore, you should think about purchasing a high-quality tool that will not harm your nails or ruin your manicure.

The process of proper grinding and polishing using a buffer can be seen in the video

Processing and disinfection

Like any other manicure equipment that comes into contact with the skin when treating hands and nails, buffers also need to be treated periodically. As we have already found out, not all buffs can be sterilized and disinfected. Therefore, it is better to use fabric and suede instruments personally, exclusively at home.

Plastic and silicone tools are easy to process. In salons, ultraviolet bactericidal lamps and sterilizers are used for this purpose. At home, it is enough to wash the buffs in a soapy solution. Fabric buffers that allow water to pass through can be rinsed in any disinfectant solution, but there is a high probability that the functionality of the instrument will become worse. Typically, fabric buffs are replaced after a certain time.

How and with what to disinfect, sterilize and clean manicure instruments

How to choose

To choose a quality tool for polishing and grinding nails, you need to pay attention to the following factors:

The material from which the buff is made. It is best to choose a material that is wear-resistant and easy to process;
Abrasiveness. If you are going to process only natural nails, then there is no need to purchase a tool with an abrasiveness of less than 150 grit. And vice versa, if you are working with extended nails, then a buff with a hardness of more than 300 grit will simply lie idle;
Color. Of course, the shade of the tool does not affect the functionality and result of the work, but it does improve your mood while working on your nails. Manufacturers of nail industry equipment offer a wide range of color solutions;
Manufacturer's brand. It is best to choose tools from reliable manufacturers of quality products.

This video can help you choose tools for polishing.

Review of quality brands

Let's look at some popular, proven brands that are distinguished by their quality and ease of use.

OPI Shiner is a double-sided polisher that gives your nails a healthy shine in a short period of time without any oils;
CND Koala – a tool with abrasiveness of 240 and 1000 grit for grinding and polishing natural nails;
Creative Block – buffer for natural, extended nails;
IBD Diamond – for polishing gel and acrylic nails;
Premier is a buff with three sides of different abrasiveness for grinding and polishing natural nails.

In this article, we got acquainted with an indispensable tool in the nail industry, with the correct technique and operating principles. We learned what important points to pay attention to before purchasing, and which polishers salon and home craftsmen choose.

To make your manicure irresistible, you need to use the right equipment and tools. In addition to classic nail files, every girl should have a buff in her arsenal. A buff is a special file, represented by a voluminous rectangle, which can be used for both natural and artificial nails. Translated from English, the name means “polish”, which actually reflects the main functions of the device.

What is a nail buff for?

Buff is a universal tool that is used both at home for self-correction of nails and in salons. For manicures in salons, disposable buffs are often used to polish the nail plates. However, today's technologies make it possible to create files for polishing nails from a variety of materials, many of which can be used.

The described tools are used to polish the surface of the nail plate. This is a necessary measure before applying any product, be it modeling gel or regular varnish. This file allows you to remove all irregularities and flaws on the surface of the nail, which is especially important for multi-layer extension procedures. In this case, it would be fair to note that good polishing is the key to a high-quality and even coating, and, accordingly, to the manicure itself.

Which buff is better to polish nails: abrasiveness

We have already found out that a buff is also a file, but there are significant differences. The peculiarity of polishing blocks is that they are made of softer materials and are more delicate. Specific devices are classified based on the material from which they are made (fabric, glass, plastic, etc.), as well as abrasiveness. Abrasiveness is a criterion that determines the number of grits, that is, “pores” on the surface of the bar.

The abrasiveness determines what the tool will be used for, as well as what type of nails it is intended for.

Depending on the purpose, the following types of buffs are distinguished:

abrasiveness from 60 to 80 grit. Bars of this type are used for working with artificial nails or for pedicures. These buffs are distinguished by a high degree of rigidity and roughness;
abrasiveness from 100 to 150 grit. Used to correct extended nails, for example, before gel polish. This roughness indicator allows for high-quality polishing with the removal of all irregularities. Files with a similar indicator are also successfully used to polish the surface of toenails;
abrasiveness 150 – 240 grit. Used for working with artificial nails or cutting your own nails;
abrasiveness of 300 and above allows the files to be used when working with natural nails. The use of the tool makes it possible to qualitatively polish the nail plate to a shine.

How to choose a tool for natural nails

All polishing blocks are divided according to the type of coating and abrasiveness; the variety of types of tools opens up to the consumer an extensive range, thanks to which you can easily select the necessary file. As for natural nails, the anatomical features of the nail plate should also be taken into account. The thinner the nail, the more abrasive it should be.

To work at home with natural nails, it is best to choose buffs with a parameter from 300 to 1000 grit. Accordingly, thick plates are polished with stones with a parameter of 300-500 grit, and to achieve shine from thin nails, you need to buy a product with a higher value - starting from 500 and above.

How to use polishing buff

In order for the manicure to be of the highest quality, you should adhere to a number of rules for correct correction of nails using a tool such as a buff file. The main conditions for applying the correction element include:

first of all, you should apply the file with the widest side to the nail and this should be done in such a way that the surface covers the maximum area of the nail;
the fewer movements are made, the less chance of harming the nail plate;
When polishing, the direction of the cut should not change. The procedure is carried out in two directions - to the right and to the left along the width of the nail;
You should use the described device no more than once a week. Otherwise, there is a risk of thinning the surface of the nail and thereby causing serious injury;
Every month it is necessary to file down the root part of the nail with a buff and strengthening essential oil, thereby sealing it.

Video: polishing nails with a buff

How can I replace a buffer for nail treatment?

Buff is a necessary tool, the emergence of which was facilitated by the development of the technological process. If in a certain situation such a tool is not at hand, then you can use an ordinary file with the appropriate abrasiveness, but this will not guarantee a high-quality result. As a last resort, you can resort to improvised methods, taking, for example, a piece of coarse fabric. In any case, a grinding device should be present at the initial and final stages of manicure - both regular and using gel polish.

For every girl, beautiful and well-groomed nails are the key to a good mood and a source of positive emotions. There are many types of manicure, but each of them ends with an important and responsible step - applying a color coating, which will be discussed further.
The most common are varnish coatings, but I stopped being friends with them several years ago. If initially the polish stayed on my nails for a week, then later it lasted two or three days. And even all kinds of fixatives did not help to increase the period of its wearing. I got tired of repainting my nails so often and stopped using polish. But the desire to have a beautiful manicure forced me to look for other ways, since simply polished nails were not enough for me.
It would seem that everything is simple - get your nails done at a nail salon and go for corrections every two weeks. But I never tried this option; I didn’t take the risk because of my tendency to allergies.
Fortunately, they appeared gel polishes, and I decided to go to the salon to see a manicurist. It turned out that gel polish can be worn for two weeks, and besides, my naturally brittle nails do not break so quickly under it, which allows me to grow them. I was completely satisfied with the gel polish.
And then I wanted purchase a set of gel polishes with a lamp for manicure, which would save on a trip to the nail salon. Exactly a year ago, I took up this issue closely, having previously studied all the available information, including on the Internet, on this topic. In addition, during that period I received an additional bonus, which I spent on the entire required minimum set, which is not cheap.

The first and most important thing is a lamp for drying the varnish.
There are two types of lamps: UV and LED. The main criterion for a UV lamp is power, which determines the time required to dry the layer. For gel polishes you need a lamp with a minimum power of 36 W. In this case, the drying time for one layer is 2 minutes. A lower power lamp increases drying time. I chose a UV lamp with a power of 36 W, since it was cheaper than an LED lamp with the same power, and it was the price that became the determining factor for me. But I want to note that now I would choose an LED lamp. With an LED lamp, the time of painting nails is significantly reduced - the drying time of one layer is only 30 seconds. You also need to take into account that the power of the UV lamp decreases over time, and a couple of months later it takes 3-4 minutes to dry one layer. I made the following conclusion for myself: a UV lamp saves money, and an LED lamp saves time.

The second point was the choice of the manufacturer and the purchase of the necessary types of gel polishes
I used it in nail salons gel polishes from CND Shellac and Gelish. Moreover, if I was completely satisfied with the first ones, then the second ones performed poorly (the varnish coating cracked even in the first week of wearing), so I decided to give preference to one of the most expensive, but tested by me in terms of quality, gel polishes CND Shellac. I needed a base (starter coat), color (gel polish) and top coat (finish coat). In the process of using gel polishes at home, I came across samples from the KOTO company, which turned out to be unstable - they only lasted about a week on the nails, which is very short for a gel polish coating. This only confirmed the correctness of my initial choice of the manufacturer.

The third is additional, but no less significant, materials and tools.
I was faced with the task of determining what I had and what I needed to buy or what could replace it.

1. Buffer block (buff) - a tool that is used for polishing and grinding nails. Buffs have different abrasiveness: 60-240 grit is used for grinding, 360-1000 grit is used for polishing. We need a buff with an abrasiveness of 180-240, but 240 grit is better.
2. A lint-free napkin that does not leave behind small hairs.
3. A product for degreasing the surface of the nail plate - a preparator or degreaser, different manufacturers call it differently. It performs the functions of degreasing, disinfecting and dehydrating nails. I use rubbing alcohol instead.
4. A product for removing the residual dispersion layer remaining after polymerization of gel polishes in UV lamps. I also replaced it with medical alcohol.
5. To remove gel polish, I use ordinary acetone-containing nail polish remover (instead of gel polish and biogel remover) with cotton pads and foil.
6. Wooden sticks.
7. For additional accessories, I purchased special thin brushes for French manicure or painting, pebbles for decoration, and the like.

So, the necessary set has already been assembled, and it’s time to begin the application process itself.
At the beginning getting a manicure- shape the nails, remove or push back the cuticle. If you do a manicure for yourself, then it is better to do all the following steps first on one hand, and only then on the second.
Lightly go over the nails with a buff for removing the top layer of the nail. The main thing here is not to overdo it; you can easily and completely pointlessly thin the nail plate.
Wet a lint-free cloth in rubbing alcohol and wipe nails (degrease), after which we try not to touch the nail plate. If during the application of any of the layers you accidentally catch a nail, you need to wipe it with a lint-free cloth with alcohol. This is certainly not very good, but it is not fatal either.
Apply base to nails and dry in a UV lamp for 2 minutes. Next, apply the first layer of color, dry again for 2 minutes. We repeat the application procedure followed by drying for the second layer of color. At the end apply top coat and dry again for 2 minutes. When applying a second layer of color and a layer of top coat, be sure to seal the end and sides of the free edge of the nail.
After applying the top, remove the sticky layer that forms during drying with a lint-free cloth moistened with medical alcohol. The last point is rubbing cuticle oil.

When applying each layer you need Be careful not to get the gel polish on your skin. Lack of proper adhesion to the nail reduces the wear time of the gel polish coating. If this does happen, you need to carefully remove the base, color or top coat from the skin with a wooden stick.
Gel polish, as the manufacturers say, should last two weeks. If it’s less, it means it’s a bad gel polish. If I did everything correctly during application (I didn’t allow any defects), I wear a gel polish coating for two to four weeks. Although I must admit that after two weeks of wearing gel polish, the nails grow back and a strip without coverage appears near the cuticle, which does not look very beautiful, especially with a bright and dark manicure; French or moonlight looks a little better.

Separately, it is worth mentioning an important stage - removing gel polish
First, you need to remove the shine of the gel coating with a nail file or buff. Apply nail polish remover with acetone to a cotton pad and apply to the surface of the nail, wrap each nail tightly with foil. The gel polish coating under the foil warms up a little - this is normal. After 10-15 minutes, remove the foil and cotton pad. Using a wooden stick or metal spatula, remove the softened gel polish. At the end, take a buff and polish the nail with it.

Generally, the purchase of a set of gel polishes with a lamp was completely worth it. The money I spent on purchasing it has long since paid off. Now I only occasionally buy colors I like. Before purchasing the set, I couldn’t afford to go to a nail salon once or twice a month, but now I can give myself a quality manicure at any time convenient for me. A personal manicure set not only saves money, but also gives you the opportunity to always have a beautiful manicure.

Finally, I would like to give one more piece of advice. If you still decide to buy manicure set for gel polish coating, then before applying it yourself for the first time, be sure to watch several videos on this topic. One good thing is that there are plenty of them on the Internet.

I hope my article will be useful to you. I wish everyone good luck!

A nail file is a tool that has long been familiar to us, without which a manicure is impossible, but this is far from the only way to make the nail plate smooth. This can be done using a nail buff. A seemingly ordinary bar can replace many salon procedures and is suitable for use at home and during a professional manicure.

Polishing nails with a buff – types of markings

At its core, a buff is the same file, only more delicate. It is shaped like a block; the base can be plastic, wood, or fabric, and the outer material can be suede, silicone, or synthetic abrasive coating. Depending on the material and its grain size, nail buff files are divided into the following types:

Buffs with abrasiveness 60–80 grit are used exclusively for working with artificial, extended nails, or for pedicures. They are very rough and tough.
Buffs with abrasiveness 100–150 grit Suitable for polishing synthetic nails, leveling the surface of toenails and the top layer of fingernails after extensions and gel polish.
Buffs with abrasiveness 150–240 grit Also mainly used for artificial manicure, but they can also be used to smooth out the edges on your nails.
Buffs with markings 300 or more grit Can be used on natural nails; these files are designed to polish and add shine to the nail plate.

Choosing a buff for natural nails

The word "buff" has two translation options. Firstly, it means “to polish”, and secondly, “ox hide”. Both meanings suit the file perfectly - they describe its purpose and the material from which the highest quality buffs are made. Files covered with natural suede are very soft. They are ideal for adding shine to natural nails. Such buffs are not used in the salon, since it is difficult to disinfect natural and delicate material.

How to use a nail buff?

Apply the file to the nail with the wide side, covering the maximum area.
Try to make minimal movements.
Do not change the direction of movement of the file; it should go across the width of the nail to the right or left.
Do not polish your nails more than once a week, as this may thin the nail plate.
Several times a month, brush the edges of the nail - polish it with a buff adding a few drops of your favorite essential oil.