12 Best Nail Drills of 2022 for Pro Salon Results at Home

The Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab tests thousands of beauty items every year, including nail care products such as nail polish. In the Lab’s latest nail polish test, scientists sent over 174 polishes to consumers and evaluated more than 3,700 surveys, taking into account dry speed, chip resistance, shine, color, ease of application and removal and any nail staining upon removal, so our pros know what makes a great nail product. However, the Lab has never tested nail drills, and does not recommend them unless used by a professional.

Though nail drills can facilitate your at-home mani/pedis, if you’re inexperienced using one or not well-versed in the specifics, you can end up not achieving your desired outcome or worse, damaging your nails and hurting yourself. Here, some important things to consider before you lay a finger on a professional nail drill:

✔️ Consider the drill bit size: Pick the right drill bit for the job. Bits are what allow you to shape and file your nails, and they come in a variety of shapes, sizes, materials and grits. While some grits have multiple functions, some are specific to certain purposes (for example, the barrel bit does backfill cutting and shaping the nail, but you can’t use it for filing your cuticles), so educate yourself on the bits before beginning.

✔️ Settings and speeds: Familiarize yourself with the setting and speed options, then make sure to choose the right ones for you. The forward or reverse options on the machine are specific to your dominant hand — use forward if you are right-handed and reverse if you are left-handed (the opposite won’t file the nail!). Practice makes perfect when it comes to speed: Too fast and you can damage your nails; too slow and you won’t get your desired outcome.

Yes, especially if you’re a professional. “To have one would make it much easier to clean a half dead skin on the nail plate, but you just have to be careful with using at high speeds if you’re not used to handling one,” says Aaron.

Technically, yes, but proceed with caution and don’t use it at a high speed. Nail drills are “so easy to overdo, and it’s well-known that they can cause nail damage,” says GH Beauty Lab Chemist Danusia Wnek, who notes that a study shows that after applying and removing nail polish, gel polishes and acrylic nail powder, “all forms of removal caused nail damage but the most damage was caused by nail drills and nail files.”

That’s why “you have to be very careful,” says Aaron. “Remember, the purpose of using a nail drill is just to clean the surface and not drill into the nail too much,” says Aaron. When possible, it’s best to leave drilling to the pros.

Good Housekeeping Beauty Assistant Catharine Malzahn authored this article, working closely with the GH Beauty Lab to help deliver fact-based, science-backed beauty coverage. Over the years, she has interviewed experts, written product reviews and tested hundreds of nail products including nail polishes/formulas, nail color, nail treatment, nail art and more, resulting in her experiencing her fair share of nail drills while at the salon. You’re unlikely to ever see her without her nails done.

For this article, she worked with GH Beauty Lab Chemist Danusia Wnek. Wnek has a B.S. in chemistry from St. John’s University, an M.S. in pharmaceutical sciences with concentration in cosmetic science from the University of Cincinnati and 10 years of experience in the personal care industry including formulation, product development, claim evaluation and efficacy testing. She shared research on nail drills and provided expert advice for this story. Malzahn also interviewed LeChat Nails Educator and Montgomery, Alabama-based salon owner Syreeta Aaron, who provided expert advice and product recommendations. Danielle James is a freelance writer for Good Housekeeping.